He heard the sharp intake of her breath, saw the way her eyes widened slightly. Now, he was close enough to see the shimmering flecks in her eyes that reminded him of sea glass. He didn’t move away.
“Nay,” she said, her voice deadly quiet. “I willnae. Ye daenae need to ken any of that.”
“Ye willnae even tell me where ye’re from?” he asked, drawing even closer to her, barely a breath away.
His questioning, his insistence, only seemed to make her dig her heels in harder. He realized then that even if she wasn’t pulling away or backing down, she thought he was asserting his control over her. He supposed that, in a way, he was.
“I see,” he said before turning and walking toward the door. If he continued to push and let his irritation bleed through, he’d never get her to speak. “Ye will speak, lass. Just not tonight.”
As his hand landed on the latch, however, she spoke, the single word coming out in a breathless rush.
“Amelia.”
He stopped, his fingers still resting against the cool metal. The corner of his mouth tugged upward, but he quickly schooled it into place. Then, slowly, he turned back toward her.
She was rigid, her eyes wide as if she realized that she’d just betrayed herself. But she hadn’t shrunk a bit. Her back was still straight, her shoulders still squared.
“Welcome to Castle Fraser, Amelia,” he said after a pause. “A maid will come and get ye shortly.”
As he walked away, her name played over and over in his head. This should be something settled. With each step, though, Darragh couldn’t help but feel like this was only the beginning.
Chapter Five
“Ithink she’s cryin’ in there,” Jinny, the maid who had been assigned to Amelia, said. “I daenae want to bother her.”
“Leave her be,” Darragh agreed, every instinct in his body demanding that he barge in and ensure the girl was all right. “She’s just come from somethin’ terrible.”
“Ye’re right,” Jinny murmured, seeming just as anxious as he was to check on Amelia’s well-being.
“Have a bath prepared. She’ll sleep better for it,” he suggested. Then, after a beat, he added, “She’ll nae be pressed to join us before supper. Ye will bring meals to her in the meantime.”
If I make her think she’s confined to this space, she’ll end up resentin’ me even more. She’s nae me prisoner, even if that’s what she believes.
Jinny nodded before dashing off. She moved quickly, seemingly relieved to have a purpose. He waited until she’d rounded a corner to step closer to Amelia’s room.
For a moment, he just listened. Sobs tore from her throat, sounding just as powerful as he knew her to be. Even now, she wasn’t making herself small.
When there was a lull in the noise, he knocked against the door three times, then he waited as respectfully as he could. After a few tense seconds, she called out, her voice thick from the tears, “Ye may enter.”
He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him but staying near it. This was her space now, and he wouldn’t crowd her. She watched wearily, her eyes red-rimmed, her face splotchy.
“I’ve come to inform ye that a bath is bein’ prepared, then ye should attempt to sleep,” he said, his voice formal, using the same tone he would to deliver orders to his men. “I expect to see ye at supper. Yer maid will get ye and show ye where the great hall is.”
She didn’t respond immediately, her sharp gaze cataloging him. He kept his posture as non-threatening as he could muster, not looking away from her as he remained still. It seemed almost as if this distance he was keeping was disarming her far more than the borderline aggression he’d used prior.
“Is that all?” she asked finally, taking a slow step back from the center of the room.
“Aye,” he confirmed. “If ye find ye need anythin’ after yer bath, yer maid, Jinny, will be close by. She will ensure ye’re comfortable durin’ yer stay here.”
Her gaze softened slightly, still venomous, but the edges were dulled. He paused for a moment, waiting to see if she had anything else to say. When she didn’t speak, he left the room, passing by Jinny and the servants carrying the copper tub. He forced himself to keep walking, even when something primal in his chest told him to stand guard.
* * *
Amelia stared at the enormous tub, its steam wafting from the top of the water line to the rafters above. It was fragrant and thick. She thought she detected hints of lavender and other crushed herbs.
He seems to be goin’ out of his way for me.
She would not let that lower her guard. Despite the vitriol with which her father regarded her, he provided her comforts such as this.
