The man then moved with casual assurance to a chair and sat down, his eyes never leaving her.Ailith’s heart raced, every instinct on high alert.The room felt too small, the walls too close, his gaze too intense.
Then, he simply smiled, a curve of the lips that did not reach his eyes.“Well, did ye enjoy spying on Hamish?”
“Why did ye bring me here?”
Finally, he spoke, his voice a low rumble in the quiet of the chamber.“What reasons might a lad have to bring a bonny lass to a bedchamber?”His tone was light, teasing, yet it held an edge that struck a chord within her.
Ailith felt a jolt, as if a bolt of lightning had surged through her.This unfamiliar, lightning sensation left her momentarily breathless.The implication of his words was clear.Under any other circumstances, she would have bristled with indignation, scoffed, and stormed out, but this time she hesitated.
The realization dawned on her, creeping slowly.There was something about him that intrigued her.
Ailith gathered the shreds of her dignity.“Ye jest at a time like this?”she scoffed, her voice steady despite the chaos of her thoughts.“Ye think it prpoper to make light of me virtue?To insinuate that…”
He met her challenge with an impassive expression, though the corners of his eyes crinkled ever so slightly.Was it amusement?Admiration?Mockery?Ailith couldn’t tell, and that was the most infuriating part of it all.
“I should return to me faither,” Ailith declared.“He will be wondering where I am, and this… this game ye play is most inappropriate.”
The tension was a palpable presence in the room.
Her words hung in the air.She may not understand what was happening, but she would not lose sight of why she was really here.
She was the daughter of a nobleman, about to be engaged to another, and no matter the state of her heart or her confusing emotions, she would not forget her place.“I am to be betrothed,” she said, putting emphasis on the wordbetrothed, as if she herself was unsure of its meaning.“To Laird MacCullach,” she added, her voice lowering into a murmur.
He studied her for a moment, his gaze piercing yet not unkind.Then, breaking the silence with a measured tone, he replied, “Hamish, aye.A bampot if there ever was one.Ye shouldnae pay him any mind.”
The casual dismissal of a laird, a man of considerable power and influence, as abampotcaught Ailith off guard.Her brow furrowed in confusion.
“Are ye close with him then, if ye can speak so freely?”
His expression shifted at the question, a shadow of discomfort flitting across his features.She saw him wince.
“Hamish is me cousin if that’s what ye’re askin’.”He let out an incredulous laugh.“Close, though?Nay, we’re nae close.Blood ties us, but little else.”
She could see the truth of his words etched on the tightness of his jaw, the way his eyes seemed to harden at the mention of his cousin.
Ailith stepped closer, driven by a need to understand, even a little.
“Why do ye say that about him?Why even tell me this at all?”
She gritted her teeth.The man before her was a riddle, she couldn’t figure him out.
“Because ye ought to ken the truth if ye’re to be tied to him.”The man looked away for a moment, his gaze settling on the window.“Hamish… he’s nae a man kenned for his virtues.He’s led more by whim and desire than by duty or decency.”
His words hung heavy between them, and she knew it was true.Hadn’t she just seen Hamish with another woman?
Ailith absorbed his words.“What about ye, then?”she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.“What leads ye?”
That question seemed to catch him off guard.He turned back to face her, his eyes searching hers as if looking for a sign, a clue on how to proceed.
“Maybe I’m just partial to little, lost lambs like ye.”
Ailith grew hot behind her ears.“I am nay lamb!”
“Me mistake,” he said, shooting her a smirk, all the while holding her gaze.
Ailith felt her cheeks flush red and she tried to stop her pulse from thundering with speed again.
The man’s gaze was steady, unflinching and Ailith feared he would see her scar when he focused on her like that.Would he jest me just like the other men I have met in the past?
