Page 54 of Taken By the Savage Highlander

“She’s been with me,” he said, gesturing at the gray kitten’s smug little face. “I woke up with her on me pillow. She hasnae left me side since.”

“Then all is well,” Margo said. She then looked around the room, seemingly deep in thought.

He realized with startling heaviness that if Margo had been in this room, she would have seen the letter he had received from her father. It had been moved and shoved back in the envelope in a way that suggested someone had opened it. Something that felt like guilt settled on his shoulders, and a sharp pang of defensive anger shot through him at the idea that doubt could have been planted in her mind.

“I assume ye saw the⁠—”

“I would rather not talk about your poor organization skills right now,” Margo said, though she looked as if it pained her to put off the conversation.

It must hurt to see evidence that her father would lie so boldly.

“Of course,” Cameron said. For a moment, the two were quiet, though he could practically hear the hum of her mind working. Finally, he asked, “Would ye like to take Miss Crusoe to Eleanor? I am sure she’s missin’ her.”

“No, she looks quite comfortable in the basket you made for her,” Margo said, a soft and genuine smile settling on her face.

“Perhaps I should make one for Eleanor’s chambers,” he said, unsure of where the offer had come from. “Then the cats willnae have to spend the day with me to use it.”

A surprised giggle fluttered from Margo’s lips. She pulled it back almost immediately, schooling her face back into a careful seriousness. With a huff, she said, “I’m sure that Eleanor would love that. She’s often annoyed that they will not sleep in her chambers the entire evening.”

“Then I will get to work on it,” Cameron said, his tone final, though not dismissive.

The air around them seemed to warm up. He felt it slip through the new barricades he had put up around himself to keep his own savage desires at bay. His hands clenched, his body stiffening with the effort to keep him from stepping any closer.

It doesnae matter what I do. She is always goin’ to test me control.

“I will keep it a secret from Eleanor,” she said finally, taking a step back toward the door without turning her eyes from him. “You truly do not have to if you have other duties to attend to. She would appreciate it, but I do not want to trouble you.”

“It’s nae trouble,” Cameron said. He welcomed the task. Having something to do with his hands, an activity that kept both his mind engaged and his hands full, was the kind of project he craved for. “Doin’ somethin’ for me people is never trouble.”

He heard Margo’s breath hitch; he saw the way she faltered. Then, as her face turned a brilliant shade of pink, she said, “Then thank you. In advance. For that.”

When she turned and practically fled from the room, Cameron let out a huff. Something about the way she had left sat wrong with him. Though he assumed she knew about her father’s sneaky ways, he could not help but feel the seed of doubt had not just been sewn, but had already taken root in her mind.

Perhaps she dinnae read it.

Even as the thought flashed through his mind, he knew that it was not true. Bending down to pick up Miss Crusoe, he let out a breath that sounded more like a growl than an exhale. Stroking the creature’s soft fur did nothing to calm the choppy tide of his uncertainty.

Does she think the worst of me now?

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“We will be ridin’ in this carriage together,” Cameron told Margo when she and Eleanor joined him in the courtyard.

“There’s room for me as well?” Eleanor asked, leaning slightly to scrutinize the small chaise. “I do not believe that.”

“Ye will be ridin’ with me,” Gavin said, speaking up from the escort detail behind Margo and Cameron’s carriage. “Well, ye will have the carriage to yerself, and I will be ridin’ alongside ye.”

Eleanor huffed before saying, “I suppose some time alone will be good for my mind.”

“If ye’re that opposed, I can get someone to ride with ye,” Gavin offered, opening the door and waiting for her to join him. His eyes met Cameron’s for a moment. “Surely someone is assisting with the luggage that could accompany her.”

“If that is what she wishes,” Cameron said, though the allowance was a deviation he hadn’t planned for. He was determined to let this trip be a positive experience for Margo and, by extension, her sister. “The weather is pleasant. We shouldnae have to worry about winds.”

“Oh, I am just teasing,” Eleanor said, blushing in the same way Margo did when she was overwhelmed. “You do not need to rearrange anything for me.” Then, as if to stop any further discussion on the matter, she accepted Gavin’s outstretched hand and climbed inside the carriage. She reached for the door herself, stopping to look between Gavin, Cameron, and Margo before saying, “Though I do appreciate your willingness to do so.”

When she closed the door, Gavin looked at Margo incredulously. Taking a few steps toward her and lowering his voice so Eleanor would not overhear him, he said, “She’s in rare form today.”

“She is excited to be invited,” Margo said, her entire demeanor seeming to soften. “She could not stop talking about it. I think she has fallen in love with the Highlands.”