Page 29 of Captured By the Cruel Highlander
“Ye willnae speak of her in that manner!” Lady MacNiall’s body was trembling with tension.
It took everything in Emily’s power not to take a step away from her. The woman stepped further into the room.
“Ye are here on the whim of me son. He has told me to respect yer position, and I must do as he commands. But make nay mistake, Lady Emily—I dinnae trust ye. Many girls would be grateful for the position of Lady of this clan, and ye are nay different. We have many powers of persuasion when it comes to the weaker sex.”
“The weaker sex?” Emily said, frowning. “Isnae that?—”
“I mean men,” Lady MacNiall added icily. “Nothin’ aboutmelife has been led by weakness—I can promise ye that. Stay out of me way, and we willnae quarrel with one another.”
She turned on her heel and went to the door, but Emily couldn’t resist having the last word.
“Yecame intomeroom, M’Lady.”
Lady MacNiall gave her a final withering glare before she stormed down the corridor. Emily looked down at herself, only then realizing that she was still in her undergarments. She clenched her jaw and grabbed the dress she had been given.
She tugged it over her head, smoothing it down as best she could. Without a maid’s assistance, it was difficult to get it to look quite right, but she managed it in the end. She looked at her reflection and scowled. Her hair was wild around her shoulders, the dark curls matted in places from going to bed with it still damp.
Opening the drawer of the dresser, she pulled out a comb and began to run it through the long strands, tugging viciously at the knots.
It occurred to her that it would benefit her to look as disheveled as possible. No man wanted a wife who looked like a witch. Yet, she could not bring herself to do it. She wanted Adam to admire her—that was the truth of it.
Emily scowled at her reflection.
When did ye start needin’ to impress the man?
The door creaked open behind her, and she felt a rush of relief as Olivia came back in to assist her.
A short time later, she entered the dining hall. Several servants were carrying dishes and trays to the table, and Freya and her mother were already seated on the opposite side.
Lady MacNiall didn’t spare Emily a glance, and it was noticed by Adam, who glared at his mother with irritation as Emily took her seat.
To Emily’s amusement, Freya was subtly trying to read a book in her lap. Every now and then, she would pop some food into her mouth, and her eyes would return to the concealed pages. Her mother and brother appeared not to notice.
Emily stacked her plate high with food. She was starving, having barely eaten anything the day before.
Adam watched her from the end of the table, but she didn’t look at him, still irritated by his overbearing manner.
For many minutes, no one spoke at all. There was unexplained tension between Adam and his mother that Emily could not decipher, and Freya seemed disinclined to speak to him as well.
How does one man anger so many people at once?
After the tension had built to an unprecedented degree, Lady MacNiall stood up abruptly and walked out of the room. She had not touched the food on her plate, and Emily eyed it hungrily, wondering if it would be rude to finish it.
At her mother’s departure, Freya relaxed, as did her brother, but Adam didn’t attempt to begin any further conversation. Finally, Freya looked up from her book and turned her gaze to Emily.
“I was wonderin’ if I might show ye the gardens today,” she said. “They’re fairly extensive, and after all the rain last night, the sun has come out.”
Emily glanced at Adam, who was already glaring at her. There were twin emotions in his eyes—lust and anger. She wasn’t sure which would overrule the other, but she had no intention of giving in to him again.
I am here to make sure James Stewart can be removed from me life. That is all I need from him.
“That would be lovely,” she said and forced a smile.
Although she was famished, she had eaten only a small portion of her food before she felt full.
Would it be scandalous if I concealed some bread in me skirts?
The long dining table had been laid out with every dish imaginable. There was the strong smell of kippers from the other end, and a broth of some kind was in front of her. She wondered what Bruce and her father were eating this morning.
