“I…”She said, her fingers tightening in the fabric of her new gown. They weren’t the only two in the library, and even if they were, there was always a chance of someone walking in. “Could I speak with you somewhere more private?”
“Aye,”he said, his face hard.
He offeredher his arm and stared at her expectantly. She hesitated, fearing what people might think if they saw them walking that way. Then, she decided that it was too late. If rumors were already flying, then this wouldn’t make things any worse.
“Ye’re nae in danger,are ye?” Ryan asked as he took off. “I daenae need to alert me men?”
“Not any more thanI already was,” Margaret said, thankful that he’d adjusted his pace to accommodate her.
Ryan chuckled under his breath,and she couldn’t help but smile slightly. He was the only person she’d ever met who liked her jokes. Most of the time, they fell flat and made situations more awkward. Not with him, though.
As soon asthey were within the safety of Ryan’s study with the door closed behind them, he let go of her. She stalked away from him, letting herself collapse into a plush armchair. He leaned on the edge of his desk, crossing his arms over his bare chest.
Musthe wear that blasted shirt? I blame it for all of this trouble.
“All right, lass,”Ryan said when she didn’t explain. “Ye need to tell me what’s got ye so worked up. Ye said ye’re nae in danger, but ye’re actin’ like ye are. Ye ken I said I’d protect ye.”
“Well,I was walking around the castle this morning, and all the maids were whispering among themselves,” she started, folding her hands in her lap and looking down at them as she spoke.
“Aye, they enjoy their gossipin’,”Ryan said with a nod. “But that doesnae explain why ye’re pale as a ghost.”
“Someone saw us!”she exclaimed without thought. And when Ryan lifted his eyebrow in question, she couldn’t stop herself from continuing. “And now there are rumors that there’s an heir on the way! I think it’s been spreading like wildfire. Cali says they’re all excited, and it’s only among the servants, but what if it gets out?”
“What if it does?”he asked.
“Well,if it gets out, my future will be destroyed, Ryan! I’ll be known as a ruined woman,” she said, lifting her head and fixing him with a fiery gaze. “Everyone thinks that we’ve… that I’ve let you…”
She groaned,dropping her head down into her hands. His silence only fed into the storm swirling in her mind. It would be different, she thought, if they were truly married. Then, at least, the rumors wouldn’t be so scandalous.
“And my aunt!”Margaret cried, throwing her hands in the air. “She’ll kill me if she learns something like this has happened—with a Highlander no less! She raised me better than this. And now… now others’wordsare going to destroy me.”
“Lass—”
“It doesn’t even matterthat nothing but a kiss happened between us. It’s all gotten so out of hand.”
“Sassenach—”
“And whoknowshow the rumor will grow. It’s already out of hand, and we didn’t evendo?—”
“Margaret,”he said, his voice a low growl as he stepped away from the desk and knelt in front of her, cutting off her words, “I understand ye’re upset, but all this hollerin’ isnae goin’ to help.”
“Nothing will help,”she said, her breath stuttering to a stop when one of his hands rested on her knee.
The warmth seepedthrough the fabric. His strength was steady, and after a beat, she was able to draw in her first complete lungful of air since learning what was happening. Ryan watched her, waiting until she didn’t look so wild before speaking.
“There’s a simple solution, Margaret,”he said, leveling her with a serious expression. “And it was going to happen, regardless.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,”he told her, his brown eyes boring into hers, “that we will get married.”
“I—”
“The weddin’will be in three days,” he continued, cutting her off.
“We weren’t supposedtoactuallyget married,” Margaret objected, a different kind of panic taking hold of her. “It was just supposed to be for show.”
“I said I was marryin’ye,” Ryan said, his hand tightening on her knee. “I meant that, Sassenach. Ye wanted me protection in exchange for being me wife.”