Page 75 of Taken By the Savage Highlander

“Margo—”

“You never loved us.” She sounded so sure of herself. It was because she was correct, Cameron realized. “You never sacrificed anything but other people. Nothing you ever did was for our protection or our benefit. You jumped at the first opportunity you were given to use us for your own personal gain.”

Cameron could feel the anger radiating off of Margo in waves. If he imagined himself as a storm battering the cliffs, she was the sea that created the winds and formed the clouds. For a flash, he was sure that she was going to strike him, her body coiling as she came to stand beside him.

“Every single good thing that has happened to me,” she continued, her tone more deadly than Cameron had ever heard it before, “every single good thing that has happened to Eleanor. It has not happened because of you. It has happened despite you.”

Her chest heaved as she positioned herself directly in front of her father. Glaring up at him, she stood her ground. It was a blatant provocation, the kind that made Cameron shift on his feet and prepare to intervene. Lord Abbott seemed to be a burning beacon of anger, his face troublingly unreadable.

Ye’re testin’ yer luck now, lass.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Margo was still breathing heavily, unable to take her eyes off of her father. She knew who he really was now, and saying everything out loud, telling him that she was aware of how twisted he was, rewrote every single memory she had of him. It wasn’t until his hand was already cocked back that she realized he was about to strike her.

“That’s enough!” Cameron said, moving within the blink of an eye. He caught Lord Abbott’s wrist, the grip unrelenting. “Ye have done more than enough, Lord Abbott.”

“She does not know what she’s saying!” her father cried, sounding crazed.

Margo wondered if he truly believed his lies. Perhaps the man had deluded himself with all his self-aggrandizing and wild schemes, that he truly thought he was being generous to his children. He might think wholeheartedly that Margo and Eleanor were ungrateful because he could have chosen to give them nothing.

“I am inclined to believe Margo is tellin’ the truth,” Cameron growled, using his free hand to push her back a few steps, to keep her from becoming collateral damage in any potential fights. “We’ve all seen proof that ye are a liar, Lord Abbott. Nothin’ ye say will change the minds of those gathered here.”

Cameron dropped his hand, turning toward Gavin. His man-at-arms released Nicolas, the solicitor not daring to move. It was either the stark reality of the truth or the fear of what might happen to him if he were to dissent against the rest of the group that kept him frozen. It did not seem to matter which to Cameron. He nodded once, a sharp gesture of approval.

“Find a room suitable to hold Lord Abbott,” Cameron said, taking a step back, his arm brushing Margo’s elbow, and sending warmth spreading through her body. “And I will need someone to take Nicolas’s statement. We willnae be leavin’ until everythin’ has been collected.”

“There was stationary remaining in the study,” Gavin said, narrowing his eyes at Nicolas. “I can take yer statement.”

Without saying another word, Cameron grabbed onto Margo’s elbow with a gentleness that surprised her. His solid presence soothed her, and she felt as if she could truly breathe again for the first time since her father appeared in the courtyard at Glen Carrick. She let him lead her through the castle halls, too exhausted to pay attention to where he was leading her.

As soon as they stepped inside, Cameron walked over to the hearth. Less than a minute later, a fire made from the old wood piled in the grate was burning warm. It cast a homey, orange glow over the room, illuminating a few candles on a nightstand. As soon as they were lit, their soft glow revealed the grand Master Bedroom that had not been touched in just as long as the rest of the castle.

“Yer cheek,” Cameron said, walking her over to a chair by the hearth. When she sat, he knelt in front of her, nearly touching her kneecaps. Gently brushing his knuckle over the soft swell, he murmured, “He hurt ye.”

“It’s not all that bad,” Margo muttered, knowing that it sounded placating. “It feels better by the minute.”

“I shouldnae have never let ye out of me sight; not even for a single minute,” he said under his breath, the statement directed more at himself than her. His jaw clicked as it tightened, his throat working around a swallow. “Are ye hurt anywhere else?”

“No, there’s nothing that will be any worse than a bruise,” Margo assured him, cupping his face in her palm. “It is only because of you that I was able to get free.”

“Nay, ye were well on yer way to takin’ care of that all on yer own,” he said, the corner of his mouth twitching upward in a flash of pride.

“There were still the guards,” she remarked, rubbing her thumb over his face; stubble caught the ridges of her fingerprints. “I am fast, but I do not think I am fast enough to outrun several men.”

“It was only three,” Cameron said, his delivery serious even though there was an almost playful spark in his eye. “But perhaps ye are correct. They did give me men a wee bit of trouble.”

She giggled, a soft thing. It was the first step toward normalcy, whatever that would mean for her now. Her hand dropped to her knee, and she was surprised when Cameron covered it with his own, his palm dwarfing hers.

“Now that we have proven all of his contracts were created under fraudulent pretenses,” Cameron said, his voice suddenly serious, his fingers tightening around hers, “they will all be invalidated. From what I understand, the inheritance will legally pass to ye through yer mother. What ye do with it, is your choice.”

“It is for our future heir,” Margo said, blushing as she spoke the words aloud. “And for the two of us. Our people. I want any money I own invested toward restoring any lands that my father may have destroyed.”

A beat passed before Cameron pulled her into a kiss. This one was unlike any other they had shared before. It was passionate, but unhurried. There was something reverent about the way his lips moved against hers. She sighed into the contact, melting against him as she accepted the feeling he could not seem to bring himself to say.

When he reluctantly pulled away, he rested his forehead on hers. For several long, indulgent moments, they shared the same breath. Finally, he said, “Ye are incredible.”

“I simply want to right his wrongs,” Margo replied, raw and vulnerable. “I’d like to fully earn the trust of the clan. I… I am incredibly grateful for everything they have done for me. I would like to give back to them as much as I can.”