“I saw what you were doing,”she muttered, putting the brush on the edge of the easel, making herself feel more vulnerable. When Ryan cocked an eyebrow, she continued, “I overheard you saying that you’d starve a man you were going to throw in the dungeon. He was bound in the courtyard. You kicked him when he tried to get up.”
Ryan pinchedthe bridge of his nose, his eyes closed as he murmured under his breath, “This castle is full of nosy lasses who want to interfere where they shouldnae, and there’s nae a thing I can do about it.”
“Yet you were threateninghim in the courtyard,” Margaret replied, standing a little straighter, upset at the implication that she was being nosy. She may have sat back and watched, but that was never her intention. “I didn’t set out to see that, but I did.”
“I didnae say that ye did,”he said, dropping his hand to his side. “But I suppose I assumed that ye would be kept occupied inside the castle.”
“I wantedto spend time with you,” she admitted, ignoring the embarrassment she felt at speaking those words aloud. “I figured that since we were to be wed and stuck together for the rest of our lives, we should get to know one another better.”
Ryan smirked at that,and Margaret set her palette to the side, so she didn’t have to look at him. It felt as though she’d shared far too much, especially considering that he was violent, that she’d gotten a glimpse of it firsthand. When she turned back, he’d schooled his expression.
“That man that ye saw,”he started, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Me men are certain he’s the man who murdered me cousin.”
“Oh,”she breathed as the interaction replayed in her mind.
It was stillcruel and brutal, but she tried to put herself in Ryan’s position. When faced with her family being in danger of Duke Cunningham, she’d behaved in a way that she wouldn’t have before. She was still the same person she always was, kind and loyal…
I’d bea hypocrite if I let the way he deals with danger influence my opinion of him. I can’t keep denying that I’ve grown fond of him. I’m only making things more difficult for myself.
“We caught him stealin’from that inn ye and I visited,” he continued. “We daenae ken who he is. Someone hired him for the kill, and he must have decided to settle nearby. We’re tryin’ to figure out who paid him. We’re nae goin’ to starve him todeath, Margaret. We need him alive if we’re to figure out who was behind the plot.”
“I… I see,”Margaret said, her face burning with embarrassment. She realized now that she should have come to him directly after she’d come across the scene, but she’d come to her own conclusions and pulled away. “I suppose I owe you an apology.”
“An apology?”
“Yes,”she said, resisting the urge to grab onto her skirt. “I shouldn’t have judged you so harshly, especially because I didn’t know the full story. That wasn’t fair to you. You’re right. You’ve been nothing but respectful to me, and I should have given that more consideration.”
“Ye daenae need to apologize,”Ryan said, his features softening. “Ye arenae privy to the way we do things in the Highlands. Ye didnae ken the circumstances.”
She nodded,giving him a small smile. Even though she still felt a little ashamed of herself for the way she had behaved, he seemed genuine in his sentiments. He could have been upset with her; instead, he understood her fear and didn’t hold it against her.
Perhaps I should tellmy family where I am now. I’m safe from Cunningham, and the Laird is not a savage. He’s a good man; I’m just not used to the way that Highlanders operate.
“What is it?”he asked, leaning in and scanning her face. “Ye look as though ye want to say somethin’.”
“Well,I was just thinking that I might like to tell my family where I am,” Margaret said hesitantly. “I’ve let my cousin know that I’m safe, but I kept everything vague, so Cunningham wouldn’t be able to find me. Now that you and I are married, I’d like them to know where I am, so they don’t worry.”
“Aye, I understand,”Ryan said, glancing out the window as though he were searching for something. “Do ye have stationery to write them, or did ye use it all when ye wrote to yer cousin?”
“I still have stationery,”she said, nodding at the vanity where the supplies were on display. “I suppose I was worried that you wouldn’t want me telling them where I am.”
“I daenaecare if they ken where ye are. They’re yer family, I imagine they’re worried sick nae knowin’ yer location,” he said. Then, as an afterthought, he added, “Perhaps ye should invite them to the castle. English people think that all Highlanders are brutes, nay?”
Margaret giggled nervouslybefore she said, “Well, not all of them think that, but… I suppose that most do. My aunt does, especially.”
“I’d beglad to prove them wrong,” Ryan said, taking a step back from her. “We havenae hosted guests at Castle McGhee for over a year. Extend me invitation to them. I’ll show them that weScots are nae as brutish as the stories the English hear lead them to believe.”
“It won’t bedifficult to convince my cousin,” she said, unable to stop herself from getting excited at the prospect of her family visiting her here. A grin stretched across her features. “Eva’s always wanted to visit Scotland and never believed the stories that my aunt told us. She was a bit jealous of my adventure when I told her that I would be crossing the border.”
“It seems ye believed the stories,”Ryan said though he didn’t seem upset. In fact, he was smiling as though it were some joke she’d included him in.
“Perhaps I did,”she replied, tilting her head slightly. “But you’ve been doing an excellent job of proving me wrong.”
“And I’ll continueto do so,” he chuckled before turning around to leave her chambers. “Invite yer family. I willnae pretend I daenae want to meet the people that raised ye to be so fiery.”
Margaret blinked a few times,watching him stroll out of the room. When she finally came to her senses, she realized how warm her cheeks felt. They ached, too. She hadn’t stopped smiling since he suggested she extend an invitation.
Well,I suppose it’s time to write to them and let them know where I am. I’m sure that my aunt is going to go mad when she learns that I’ve married a Highlander. And Eva… she’s going to be quite pleased that she’s finally getting the opportunity to visit Scotland. Though I imagine she’ll be jealous.