Page 10 of The Highlander's Virgin Widow
“If I were a man, ye wouldnae come in here and demand I give ye me castle in the first place!” Lady Blythe retorted, her helplessness masked by the sheer defiance in her voice.
“If ye were a man, we would both have settled this on the battlefield, in the throes of the waryestarted.”
“For the last time, I didnae start any war. I didnae instruct me men to burn down a castle, and I most certainly had nothing to do with whatever this is all about!” she screeched, balling her hands into fists.
Before she could swing at him, he grabbed her fists with his free hand and drew her close, her back crashing into his chest.
“Charming,” he whispered in her ear, his tone sending more shivers down her spine. “Dinnae ever do that again, do ye hear me?”
“’Tis enough,” Hudson barked.
He pushed Evander away from her and pulled her closer to him, his eyes not leaving Evander the entire time.
“I am leaving anyway,” Evander drawled, straightening the parts of his shirt she had wrinkled when he held her in his grasp. “Ye ken, if the fire hadnae hurt anyone, I might have let ye keep the castle. But now, I cannae.”
A tense silence swept across the courtyard, and he could feel their eyes on him, all waiting for him to speak, as if he had a cannon he needed to drop right in the middle of the field.
“I will be back tomorrow,” he finally said, before turning to Lady Blythe, his gaze sharp and unflinching. “I willnae be this merciful.”
He could see it in her eyes again, the helplessness. He watched as her maid moved closer to her and they started to talk, at first in hushed whispers. Then, the wind began to carry more of their conversations to him. They were discussing her chances of survival if she handed the castle over to him.
For a second, he allowed himself to feel sympathy for her. He was throwing out a woman. A woman who seemed to have nowhere to go.
That was never his intention. It was never what he had planned to do, but unfortunately, he was left with no choice. He had to do what he had to, and if it meant standing his ground, he would.
“I will probably find a place on the streets,” he heard her mutter.
“M’Lady, ye cannae live on the streets,” her maid protested. “I cannae let ye do that to yerself.”
“’Tis nae exactly like I have a lot of options, Stella, do I?”
Stella heaved a sigh. “I understand, but the streets arenae safe, especially nae for a lady like ye.”
Evander watched Lady Blythe ponder her maid’s words, the cogs turning in her head. She looked almost anywhere but in his direction, determined to be stubborn to the last moment.
A mild scoff escaped his lips at the thought.
“What about the cave?” he heard her ask.
Stella narrowed her eyes. “What cave?”
“The one by the waterfall.”
Evander had to interrupt this time. He could not let this go on for much longer.
“Where the witches live?” he asked, trying his best to mask the concern in his voice.
Lady Blythe turned to him, a scowl resting on her face. “Ye are quite enjoying this, are ye nae?”
He shrugged. “I dinnae think the witches would be as welcoming as the people on the streets.”
“And I dinnae think I quite appreciate the tone ye are using with me.”
“I am merely stating?—”
“Ye should learn to state yer facts to me with respect then, because as satisfying as it may be to ye…” Lady Blythe hissed, moving closer to him.
Evander noticed Hudson reach for his sword one more time, a cautious expression on his face. The corners of his lips quirked up in a smile, but that did not deter the lady from continuing to speak.
