Page 42 of Taken By the Savage Highlander

“If that happens to ye again, I can get ye a tincture from the healer,” Tilly offered, using her hand to keep Miss Crusoe from crowding her siblings away from the dish. “Or I can just bring ye a glass of whisky. I’ve heard that a wee bit before ye lie down for bed will help ye sleep like a bairn.”

“Perhaps I will try that the next time I am struggling to fall asleep,” Margo said, laughing at Treasure nearly tumbling face-first into the feeding bowl.

When the kittens finished eating, Tilly helped Margo get ready for the day. As the maid straightened her gown and fixed her hair, Margo’s eyes kept drifting toward the door connecting her chambers to Cameron’s. There was a certain pull to the passageway that she could not deny.

The fact that she could hear Cameron pacing long after the rest of the castle had gone to sleep only made her more curious. Part of her had expected him to appear. It was that same part that was sure he’d come through the door any moment now, to explain away the kiss they had shared or pick an argument to put some distance between them.

“Are ye sure ye’re feelin’ well enough to dine in the Great Hall?” Tilly asked as she stepped back.

“Of course I am,” Margo assured her, giving her the best approximation of a carefree smile she could muster. “Though, I may come up and rest after I eat.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, me Lady,” Tilly said approvingly. She glanced at the kittens once more before gathering the empty bowl and heading toward the door.

Margo followed her without another word. In the corridor, she glanced at Cameron’s chambers. She hadn't heard him once this morning. She looked for him around every corner, and when they reached the Great Hall, Margo was almost disappointed to see he was not dining with everyone else.

“Tilly said she was going to feed the kittens fish this morning,” Eleanor said, leaning in close as Margo took the seat next to her. “Did they like it?”

“They were tiny beasts,” Margo reported, a genuine lightness settling over her. She was not sure she would have survived the noise in her mind if her sister weren’t here. “Ate their entire meal so quickly that I hardly realized they’d finished.”

“I would like to watch them eat at their next meal,” Eleanor said decisively.

“Then you may,” Margo replied as she was served. As the servant stepped away, she asked her sister, “Have you seen the Laird this morning?”

She did not know why the words came out. Her curiosity felt as though it were an insurmountable problem. It bypassed her conscious mind, seeming to force her speech and actions.

Eleanor hummed pensively, the thought apparently running through her mind the entire morning. “No,” she said finally. “I have not seen him.” She leaned in, flashing Margo a private grin. “Are you looking forward to seeing him?”

“It’s not that,” Margo said quickly, grabbing onto her fork with more force than necessary. She took a moment to eat a mouthful of haggis, letting the savory flavors ground her. When she swallowed, she felt more in control of herself. “I suppose I was a bit… cheeky with him yesterday. I am expecting to be… spoken to about the nature of my teasing.”

Eleanor raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t make sense. What makes you think he is going to chastise you? Has he done so before?”

“Not exactly,” Margo said, unable to articulate the reasoning behind her feelings. “And perhaps that’s not correct. I just have a strange feeling, that's all.”

“You are thinking too much,” Eleanor said, breaking off a morsel of her bannock. She popped it in her mouth, a poor display of manners that she would never get away with back in England. “You had a bit of fun, and now you think he is going to fault you for it. I do not think he’s anything like Father.”

Margo’s entire body froze, her breath catching in her throat. She had not even considered that she had been comparing the two men, and she wanted to dismiss the idea as soon as possible. When she opened her mouth to do so, no sound came out. She swallowed hard, then held her sister’s gaze.

“When did you get so smart?” she asked, everything else feeling like it revealed too much.

Eleanor ducked her head, the compliment shifting the conversation. Now that Margo had the high ground, she playfully poked her sister’s side, making the girl giggle. She didn’t stop until Eleanor swatted her hand away.

“I am worrying too much,” Margo admitted with a sigh. “But someone has to do it.”

“But must it be you?” Eleanor asked, scooting away before Margo was able to tickle her again.

Though the two giggled together, Margo knew that the question would haunt her.

CHAPTER TWENTY

“Is he ignoring me now?” Margo asked Miss Crusoe.

The kitten was sitting on her knee, watching her with an unsettling amount of interest. Not only had Margo not seen Cameron the entire day, but the kittens had followed her relentlessly. They had stayed in her quarters while she rested after breakfast. Then, when she had wandered the grounds, the kittens found a way to stick by her.

“Has he kicked you from his study, then?” she pressed, speaking to Miss Crusoe as though she could truly answer.

Miss Crusoe blinked at her slowly before whipping her head around to where Friday was attempting to scale the curtains. With a sigh, Margo put Miss Crusoe on the floor and rose to her feet. Carefully, she plucked Friday’s claws free from the fabric and put his orange body back on the stone.

“If you are so bored, perhaps you should go bother Eleanor,” she told the creatures.