Page 88 of The Highlander's Virgin Widow
“I am certain she will come around.” Arthur interrupted his spiraling thoughts with words that, although encouraging, grated on his nerves at the moment.
“Ye are certain?”
“Something tells me she will,” Arthur insisted.
Evander scoffed and turned around. “I dinnae have time for this.”
With that, he proceeded back to the castle and right to Keira’s quarters.
His feet dragged as he walked, ignoring the maids who acknowledged him with either more curiosity or surprise in their eyes as they walked past. He ignored all of them. There was only one thing on his mind now, and that was Keira.
He stopped before her door and knocked gently, his feet restlessly tapping on the floor. “Are ye ready to let me in now, Keira?”
Silence greeted his words.
At first, he thought she must have left the room in his absence, but then he heard footsteps, and a shadow briefly filled the space beneath the door.
“Keira?” he called again, his voice strained.
“Go away,” Keira’s voice rang out, albeit muffled by the wood. “I dinnae want to talk to ye.”
“Ye have to, Keira.”
“Right. Because ye’re me husband now.”
“Keira—” Evander began.
“Are ye going to force me to open the door? Or do ye plan to break it down again? I cannae afford to keep calling the servants to fix the door, so please, I am begging ye—leave me alone.”
“Ye have nay idea how sorry I am, Keira. I should have been there for ye. If I’d kenned what Arthur was planning, I wouldnae have let him do it. Or even come to the cèilidh. Let me in, please, and we can find a way to fix this.”
“I said, go away.” He heard a sniffle. “I have been shamed enough for one day.”
“Keira—”
“I was a widow. I was fine on me own. If I didnae find a husband at the cèilidh, I would have found one later and nay one would have minded. I would have returned to me room and been completely fine on me own. Now, people would think I am some philandering wench who used ye to—” She broke off.
Evander could hear it, the pain in the silence that settled between them. It tortured him immensely.
He leaned against the door and sank to the floor, not caring that someone might walk past and see him in such a state. Now was not the time to worry about that, and for now, he did not plan to.
“So, ye do want to marry someone else? Is that the issue? Anyone but me?”
Keira sniffled again. “Ye still dinnae understand, do ye? Me previous marriage was a loveless one. The only thing that saved me was that it didnae last long enough for me to realize it. It is happening all over again. With ye. Ye dinnae intend to marry me. This will just be another marriage of duty.”
“But I gave ye back yer castle. That should count for something, should it nae?” Evander pointed out.
Well, maybe not the entire castle, but he gave her the most of it.
“Ye condemned me to a loveless marriage, Evander. One I never even agreed to in the first place.”
Evander sighed, beginning to slowly understand the problem. No matter how hard he wished he could make it all go away, they were both in it now, and they would have to face it together.
“We’ll find a way around it, I promise. I will do well by ye as yer husband, and ye’ll get used to it.”
Silence again, almost intrusive, almost too thick to assume a physical form. Then, Keira’s sigh followed.
“Go to bed, Evander. We have a long day tomorrow.”
