AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her father went to the window on the other side of the door and gripped the shutter edge. He looked like he wished he could slam it right on Aidan’s face. “It’s not right that he comes here in the evening. It’s bad enough I have to see him at daybreak, shirtless as a pirate, flaunting those shameful scars. ”
“Hush, Father. ” Her cheeks burned with rage. “It’s not his fault he was kidnapped. ”
He shook his head, tsking. “MacAlpin blood is sour, girl. ”
She saw Aidan’s silhouette, approaching their doorstep. She frantically put a finger to her lips, trying to silence him. “Hush! You hush now, Da. ”
But he only crossed his arms at his chest, no sign of stopping. “They’ve always run about like a pack of demons. ”
“Hush,” she hissed, feeling the agony of it. Why did her father persist in being so dreadfully opinionated?
“It mightn’t have been his fault he was taken,” he continued, “but it was his mother’s fault, letting those children run about so. ”
“That’s a horrible thing to say. ” She wished he’d close the shutters. Aidan’s shadow was at the door now. “Please, Da. He’s a good man. It’s a good family. You just stop now. ”
“Don’t shush me, lass. Someone needs to spare my only daughter from blackguards like that MacAlpin. ”
“I will shush you, so long as you persist with these ridiculous assertions. ” Her whispers had turned venom
ous, shocking for a girl who’d always prided herself on being tractable, obedient, and respectful. “You’re being prejudiced and narrow-minded. ”
There was a knock at the door, and she froze. Neither of them moved to answer it.
Her father scowled at her, visibly taken aback. “You can use all the fancy words in the world, lass, but mark this: if Aidan MacAlpin hadn’t been as filthy and classless as an urchin, he’d never have been mistaken for one. ”
The door opened as her father had spoken the words, revealing Aidan standing there, rigid as a statue. He glared unabashedly at her father and said, “The urchin has arrived for his lesson. ”
Chapter 15
Achilles ran to the door, wagging madly, and Aidan bent to give him a distracted pat on his head. Satisfied, the dog went to the fire, turned a few circles, and plopped down, dropping into a sound and instant sleep.
Aidan looked at Elspeth, his face softening. “Sorry to burst in, luvvie. I heard raised voices and was concerned for you. ”
Relief washed over her like a cool wave. He wasn’t scared off by her father’s words. She could handle her father’s parochial ways, so long as she and Aidan were on the same side.
Her father sneered. “I’d never lay a hand on my daughter. ”
“Then it seems we’ve something in common after all. ” Aidan strode nonchalantly to the fire, making as though to warm his hands, though she could see by the sweat at his neck and arms that he was already warmed through.
Her father followed, standing behind him at the hearth. “You’re spending too much time ‘helping’ my daughter. ”
Aidan turned to face him, towering over the much older man. “And you’re not spending enough time helping her. ”
“Oh, hush, both of you. ” Elspeth sprang from her chair and went to the sideboard, fetching a cup of milk. “Here,” she said, handing it to Aidan. “I’ve been cooling it in the shade. ”
“So he drinks our milk now?” her father asked. “All you do is harp about money, money, money, and you’re giving him the milk for free?” He glared at Aidan. “That best be the only thing she’s giving away. ”
“Da!” Elspeth was mortified. She knew her father was overprotective, and that he clung to set ideas and old ways, but this was too much. “It’s time for our lesson. Now, if you’ll please leave us. ”
“I’ll be doing no such thing. ” He kicked a bench against the back wall and sat down defiantly.
She sighed. “You may stay, Da, but please be polite. ”
He only glared in reply, sucking thoughtfully at his pipe. The smoke drifted lazily out the open window.
She went to retrieve her small worktable from the corner, her face burning. Her father had the habit of putting the lion’s share of responsibility on her shoulders, until it didn’t please him, and then he’d treat her like a girl who didn’t know better.
Why did he insist on watching them? He was acting as though Aidan might steal something. And what had they to steal anyway? A cup of milk? Some oats?
