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“I’ll go,” Damon said. “But I daenae want to listen to ye goin’ on about her. Understand? We’ll hunt, and let the day drift by us.”
Conner pulled in a deep breath and stuck his hand out. “To lettin’ the day drift by.”
Damon flashed a crooked grin as he scrambled to the stables to ready the horses. Every fiber of Conner’s body screamed at him to stay. After all, Olivia was now his wife. But he knew he couldn’t keep her under lock and key. Nor could he let his feelings and insecurities trap her as they did him.
Glancing to the castle, he caught a glimpse of Olivia standing in the bay windows of the library. Her face looked somber and sullen. It was clear she was lost in thought and he wanted to know what it was that drew her lips into a pout. He wanted nothing more than to ease the sorrow resonating off her.
As he stepped closer to the window, he heard the clomping of hooves trekking through the gravel path. Shifting his attention off Olivia, Conner found Damon leading two horses behind him.
“Are ye ready then for a day of excitement and escapades that is sure to steal yer sanity?” Damon asked as he jerked back on the reins and stopped before Conner.
Conner moved to the horse and climbed into the saddle. “Nay debauchery. I’m a married man.”
“Aye, well, a little chaos is good for the spirits,” Damon said as he rammed his heel into the horses flank and took off.
Settling in the saddle, Conner caught Olivia’s gaze. He flashed her a pitiful smile and a sharp nod before kicking his heel into the horse and riding off to catch up with Damon.
She’ll be alright. Tis nae like there isnae several people there to keep her safe. Nae to mention, she’s proven she’s nay helpless lass.
Chapter 12
Olivia’s fingers curled into the fabric of the curtains as she stared out the bay window. Her heart sank into her stomach as time seemed to pause for her. In the courtyard, she spied Conner with Damon and watched as they mounted their steeds. Where they were going, she didn’t know. All she knew was that her first real interaction with her husband wasn’t what she expected.
Pain pricked her heart and she swallowed hard as they faded into two small dots on the horizon. Olivia’s mind reeled as she wondered what it was she said to him to cause him to run from her. She thought they had made a connection last night. After all, she gave herself to him completely. Yet, it was she standing in the library and pining for him as he rode off.
Dropping her head, she pushed back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. It wasn’t as if she expected them to remain in bed all day. Nor did she think he’d coddle her, but some sort of kindness, or time with him would have been nice. After all, she was his wife now. She wasn’t some paid practitioner or actress that could be bought and forgotten.
Rolling her shoulders back, she lifted her head high and cleared her throat. So what if he left abruptly? Perhaps he had business he had forgotten about. Or maybe there was a clan dispute he had to deal with at this particular moment. Olivia pursed her lips, trying to wrap her head around why Conner had bolted from her room as if she had some incurable illness.
“M’Lady?”
Olivia turned her head ever so slightly, refusing to take her eyes off the horizon but didn’t want to ignore the servant that called her.
“Is everythin’ alright?” The girl’s soft voice pulled Olivia from her troubles and she turned to face her.
“Ana,” Olivia said in a cool, steady voice. “And how are ye today?”
“All is well, M’Lady, but why are ye in here alone?”
“Dae ye ken where the laird has gone off to today?” Olivia asked as she released the curtains from her death grip.
“Nay, did he leave?”
“Aye,” Olivia answered as her eyes slipped from Ana’s toes to her head. “I just saw him off.”
“I daenae ken where he might have gone off to. But ye ken the laird is nae one to tell me much.”
Nodding her head, Olivia realized it was a strange thing for a servant girl to know the errands of a laird. Stepping forward, Olivia tried to push aside all thoughts of Conner. She knew if she was going to be productive today, she’d need to get her head straightened.
“What is it that yer doin’ today?” Olivia asked as she rubbed her sweaty hands over her skirt to clear away the moisture from them.
“What is it M’Lady wishes?”
Olivia’s shoulders twitched as she stood straight as a board. “We have work to dae, ye and I. I think I’d like to start wit’ this room.”
Ana’s eyes shifted to the bookshelves and paintings that hung on the walls of the library. A smirk drifted across Olivia’s lips as she noticed Ana’s confusion.
“And what is it ye want to do?”
