“What? Ye think I am goin’ to let ye run out of here and disgrace me? Nay. Ye’re stayin’ right here. For both our sakes.”
“Ye dinnae get to tell me what to do,” Lavina shot back.
The words were out of her mouth before she could reel them in.
Who did she think she was talking to? She had never dared speak in such a way to her father. Yet, the words came out like lightning from her tongue, striking the Laird.
“Is that so? Ye are me wife,” the Laird pointed out, his voice silky smooth but sharp. “Ye stood before God and swore an oath. Ye’re bound to me now.”
Lavina swallowed hard, trying to find some way to defuse the situation.
It was clear the Laird was no man to threaten. It was at that moment that she saw the killer lurking beneath the handsome facade.
She stepped back, fearing for her life.
“I was just thinkin’ of me sister. She’ll be alone tonight in a strange place. Perhaps if I spend one more night with her…” she trailed off.
“Ye walk out that door and I promise they will be the last steps ye ever take on me land again.”
The Laird moved to her. His footsteps were harsh on the wooden floor and thundered in her ears as he drew closer. She held her breath, her body tensing, anticipating the impact of his hand on her.
“Ye can test me if ye want, but I am a man of me word. I promised safety for ye and yer sister, and I gave ye me conditions.”
“Me Laird, I’m sorry. It must be the wine.”
“There was nay wine served,” the Laird murmured in her ear. She hadn’t realized he was so close. Her body stiffened as he towered over her, reaching for the pillow on the bed. “And I ken when I’m nae wanted. Rest easy, dandelion, I willnae be touchin’ ye. Nae now, nae ever.”
Lavina had to wait for her muscles to relax. It was the sound of the doors closing that pulled her out of her stupor.
She turned to find the room empty. Wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt, she tried to wrap her head around what had just transpired. It was as if the world had tilted on its axis.
There was no punishment for her disobedience or her anger. The Laird wasn’t the man she had made him out to be. Where was his cruel nature that fed on torment and pain? From what she could tell, he was merely a man expecting the respect due a husband.
She paced the length of the bed, not sure what to do. The fact that he had left her alone in the room was more than a shock to her.
She tiptoed to the door and carefully pulled it open, expecting to find a guard. But all she saw was an empty hallway and the soft glow of torches leading back to the Great Hall.
She closed the door and leaned against it as the war raged within her. Everything she had believed about him just wasn’t adding up to the man she had just married.
She pressed her fingers to her lips and turned as she slid down to the floor. Her eyes flicked to the balcony doors as the memory of his lips on hers flashed through her mind.
Her eyes remained on the balcony doors as if they were snakes ready to strike. Every nerve in her body tensed, making it nearly impossible for her to find any solace in her loneliness.
He’s tricky. I cannae believe a word he says.
Panic shot through her as her thoughts shifted to Maisie.
After all, Maisie would be all alone tonight. She’d be vulnerable without Lavina by her side.
A horrid, dreadful thought crept into Lavina’s mind. Before she could push it away, it had already sunk its claws into her heart.
“Maisie,” she whimpered, jumping to her feet. “He’s keepin’ me in here so he’s got an alibi when he kills her. Then, he’ll finish me off. Oh, Maisie.”
Without a second thought, she threw the door open and raced for the Great Hall and straight to Maisie. By the time she reached the hall, it was as if nothing had happened. If it weren’t for the lingering aroma of salted pork and the embers still burning in the pit, she would have thought it all a dream.
“Maisie?” she called as she spun around the empty hall.
There was no telling which direction Laird McGowan’s men had taken her sister.
