Sacrificing his Highland Heart by Kenna Kendrick
Chapter Twelve
Dinner was a sufficiently awkward affair. Rose knew she would have to repay Siobhan tenfold for agreeing to stay and dine with them. It would have been less embarrassing if Euan had appeared less nervous or agitated. She couldn’t decide which emotion he was feeling at that moment, for his expression was inscrutable.
He was so confident before when he grasped me, holding me tightly against his body, and now? He looks at me so heatedly, as if he wishes to either bring me close again or for me to leave?
“I hope we shall see very much of each other in the years tae come, Lady Rede. It is fine time that my friend has gotten himself married.” Walter was the only one who seemed perfectly happy and comfortable at the dinner. It was almost as if he enjoyed the awkwardness and tension.
“Do you? Well, that is a good thing then. Are you married, Laird Prestone?”
“Call me Walter, please. And nae, nae as of yet.” She watched with interest as his eyes drifted to Siobhan just for a few seconds. “Nae one among my clan has caught my eye, as it were.” Quickly, he returned his gaze to Rose, and she smiled back at him, tucking away what she saw to be discussed at a later time with an angry Siobhan, no doubt.
“Well, that is too bad. Perhaps you too will have such luck in future,” she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm, even though she didn’t intend it. Euan shot her a dark look as a reprimand, but her tone only seemed to entertain Walter further.
“Perhaps, perhaps. But I do feel a bit of shame, for young Euan is two years younger than me and already a wedded man.” He let out a low whistle. “If my parents were alive, they would be ashamed.”
“How far is your clan land from here?”
“A day’s ride. But with a wagon, it takes at least a day and a half. Nae far, but with the war, we couldnae see each other as often as we’d liked. As children, our fathers were good friends, and whenever my family visited, they often let me stay much longer.”
Rose was touched by the genuine friendship between the men. “Well, I think I can speak for all that it is a good thing the war is over, and old friendships can return to the way they were.”
“Certainly,” Walter agreed and cut into his pork. Rose wondered why Walter seemed to harbor no ill will for her heritage, while Euan did his best to make sure she knew just how much he despised her. But she supposed she must be grateful. She was in a strange land amongst strangers. It would be a difficult thing if they were all unkind as well.
After a few more seconds, Rose stood. “Well, I think I am for bed. Siobhan, I will show you to a chamber if you would like to stay the night.” Siobhan eagerly jumped to her feet. The men stood as well.
“Good night, ladies,” Walter said cheerily. “Until tomorrow.” Again, his eyes lingered a little longer on Siobhan before they turned back to Rose.
“Aye, good night,” Euan grumbled and gave Rose that strange, heated look again. What did it mean? Was he angry about something? She couldn’t think of what it would be. It was not she who had purposefully put them in even closer physical proximity than they needed to be.
The ladies curtsied and left the room arm in arm. Once they were out of earshot and going up the stairs, Siobhan hissed, “I shall ask for great recompense for that, Lady Rede.”
“I know, I know,” Rose soothed, laughing at the same time. “But I’m very appreciative. I’m not sure that I could have borne that dinner alone. And my dear friend, I think that Laird Prestone holds you in great affection. He tried many times to engage you in conversation, and even looked your way a few times when you were not looking.”
“Only tae laugh at me, I am sure.”
“Certainly not. I think he was disappointed that it was only I who was responding to his remarks. I think him rather charming.” She smiled while Siobhan sulked.
“So does every woman. I will nae be one of them and fall intae his trap. He is nae used tae women of sense, I think, and so I will nae just be added tae his list.”
Rose sighed. She understood the feeling more than Siobhan knew. What she didn’t seem to realize was that she didn’t deny having some affection for the man. That could be prodded at later. “Well, I am sorry, but I hope you rest well. You know your usual chamber.”
“Aye. Good night, Rose.”
“Good night, Siobhan. Try not to think of Laird Prestone too much tonight.”
Siobhan growled, and Rose hurried into her room and shut the door behind her, laughing. It was an odd night, but at least somewhat entertaining.
The next morning, Rose felt like a ride. It would be the perfect day for one, and she had not ridden since her arrival at the castle. It would be a chance to feel a little bit more freedom as the new lady of the castle. She could finally go and spend time on the shores, her embarrassment having slightly waned at seeing her husband’s naked body there.
She was the first to breakfast, as Siobhan had left early, Walter was still abed, while Euan was hard at work, training with the men. She was glad for the time alone. Yesterday had been hectic, and now she could take some time to think and ponder what to put in her next letter to Henry. When she arrived at the stables, the young boy at hand was not there, but there was a horse already saddled and ready, and being a fair rider, she chose him and jumped astride. It was not proper for her to ride on a man’s saddle, but she felt a streak of rebelliousness.
“This is also my land now, and I will do as I please. No Mrs. Drummond to feel afraid for me or remind me of my modesty.”
Once Rose was free of the stable, she set the horse into a gallop and raced up the closest hill, feeling the wind on her face and fresh air pumping through her lungs. It was exhilarating, and the horse picked up so much speed that she was almost fearful a few times throughout her ride. Each time, however, she was able to steady him again. She was almost at the top of the hill when the horse, spooked by something, lifted up on its front legs, neighing wildly. She cried out, trying to hold her grip tightly onto the reins, but she could feel herself slipping. Her heart clenched in fear, and her breath stopped as she realized the gravity of the situation.
No, I cannot die like this. Not like this! In a strange land with a husband who hates me.
But then she heard a rush of hooves, and a strong arm snaked about her waist and without effort pulled her away from where she was dumped onto a man’s lap. Her horse eventually calmed without an occupant, and then she had the chance to look her rescuer in the eye.
“Ah, Euan,” she breathed, caught in his blue eyes as he looked at her as if he was ready to kill.
* * *
It is the first time that she has used my first name in all these weeks.
Even though he was furious at how much danger she’d just put herself in, he was softened by the sound of his name on her lips.
He decided to copy her. “Rose, what the hell are ye doing, lass, taking that horse? He is one of our wildest ones, and only the most experienced riders can handle him.”
His hand was about her waist, and her bottom lay squarely on his thighs. When he tightened his grip on her, it pulled her closer, atop of his length. While the feeling was pleasant, it only made it harder to concentrate.
She squirmed, trying to get free, and he nearly groaned with the way it made him feel. He clenched his jaw. “I am not a child, Euan. I know very well how to ride. And the horse was saddled, and the stable boy was not there! I thought I was allowed to take any horse that I liked? Do you remember saying that to me? Or have my freedoms now been restricted?” She crossed her arms, which drew his attention to her surprisingly large breasts, pushed up by her forearms.
Focus, lad. Ye will need yer strength tae deal with her.
He breathed out, trying to steady himself. He was trying to take Walter’s advice, be nice to the lass, and get to know her a little bit, not start another fight. Walter’s talk of an heir made him nervous that he could lose everything that he’d worked for if the gossip were to reach Henry Sayer’s ears. It would have to be done at some point, even if the two of them found it difficult to talk to one another without harsh words.
“Nae, they are nae restricted, but I should have told ye which would be best-suited tae ye. Some are for a lass yer size and of a gentler disposition.”
She stiffened but said nothing. He grinned, using her silence as a way to gain a bit of an advantage. “I see ye were riding astride. Is that how Englishwomen ride?” he teased.
Her cheeks flushed, and he knew that he had struck the mark. While her attitude didn’t always reveal it, there was no doubt that Rose Sayer had been raised with religious rules aplenty. “Certainly not, but I am not bound to those rules any longer. I am the lady of the clan, am I not? I enjoy the freedom and wish to live as I please.”
Euan was continually impressed by her confident way of speaking and her strange beliefs. She had been brought up in a conservative home with strict relatives. Yet, she was feisty and knowledgeable, constantly pushing for her independence. He found it rather attractive if he was honest. She was more like a Scotswoman than how he and his kinsmen had grown up to believe English people to be. He pulled her toward him so that their faces were close to touching. She let out a small gasp and placed her hands on his chest and pressed gently.
“Why do you hold me so?”
“I am yer rescuer, wife, of course.”
“Well, I am rescued now. Your job is now complete. Surely, we can get down and enjoy the view?”
She was attempting to be calm and confident, but he could feel her tension, see her pulse fluttering at a rapid pace.
“Aye, my lady, I have come tae learn that ye are a connoisseur of good views.”
He couldn’t help the deep satisfaction he felt at the sight of Rose’s wide eyes and steadily reddening cheeks. “I should thank ye tae let me go, Laird Rede.”
“Whatever my wife wishes.” Chuckling, he let go, even though it disappointed him to have the heat of her body out of the range of his touch. He jumped down and turned back to grab her tightly about her waist to help her down. Her lips thinned with anger, but she accepted his help gratefully. However, she snatched her hands away from his shoulders as soon as her feet met the ground. Her gaze turned towards the view from the hilltop, and she paused.
A soft breeze blew between them, and Rose lifted her hand to brush away a stray lock of dark hair curling toward her mouth. Euan was utterly entranced by her. Her mouth was open a little, and her eyes were totally fixated on what lay beyond the hill. He had dropped his hands from her waist, but he wanted to pull her back again, pull her close, breathe in the fresh scent of her once more.
“It is a beautiful place, your country,” she said in a reverent whisper, still not turning to look at him.
All the kindness and sincerity in her tone started to melt the ice around Euan’s heart when it came to the English. She was English, and yet she could now see what many English did not see.
“It is,” he said. His voice, thick. “Rose, I have a question tae put tae ye.”
She tore her gaze away from the view and looked directly at him, her green eyes bright and fierce. “What is it?” she asked, all reverence gone, replaced with wariness.
He wished he could take back his words, but they were already out now, and he couldn’t back down. He had to be strong. “Would ye accompany me tae the Beltane festival?” he asked. His heart pounded, making him think of the first time he spoke to a woman he was interested in. He had been young, foolish, and full of nerves then, and now was just the same.
“But if there is a festival, surely I would already be there as yer wife?”
Euan winced a little. She was right enough, but since they’d hardly spent time together as a married couple, he didn’t feel like they were married at times. “Och, aye, of course, but this festival doesnae take place in the castle, so ye would have had the choice tae come or nae. I am putting it tae ye now.”
She looked down. “I am afraid I do not know this festival. What does it mean?”
He smiled, and he lifted her chin with his finger to keep her from her shame. “I will tell ye all about it.” He held out his arm. “Will ye walk with me?”
Rose watched his arm for a few moments before she took a breath and slid her arm inside.
