Abi swallowed. She again felt Domnall’s body pressing against her, smelled his fetid breath in her nostrils. She shuddered. “It’s not your fault.”
“Aye, it is. I am the lord of this castle and ye are under my protection. But Domnall Maguire willnae bother ye anymore. Once we catch him, he will face justice.”
She looked at him, and Reid stared right back. Silence fell between them, thick and laden with things unspoken. She’d not spoken to him since she’d seen him intimidating those villagers.
“I haven’t seen you around for a while,” she said.
“Nay, I’ve been busy.”
“With what? Bullying more peasants? Torching more buildings?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
Reid’s eyes blazed. He threw himself to his feet and stalked over to the window where he stood looking out. “Ye weren’t supposed to see that and ye wouldnae have if ye’d remained in the castle as I’d ordered ye to.”
“Ordered me?” she snapped. “Who do you think you are?”
He spun to face her, jaw clenched in fury. “I am the lord of this castle. And ye will do as I say!”
She jumped to her feet and faced him. “And what if I don’t? What will you do then? The same as you did to those villagers?”
“Dinna push me, woman. I am not in the mood.”
His voice was low and dangerous, but Abi was beyond caring. Only now did she realize how much what she’d seen had hurt her. She’d been beginning to see another man beneath the mask Reid Campbell drew around himself and she’d begun to really, really like what she’d found. But seeing him that day had made her question all of that, question whether she’d been mistaken and the mask, the hard, cold thug, was the real Reid after all.
So she didn’t back down, despite the warning in his voice. She was too angry for that. Hadn’t she always been told that her mouth was often two steps ahead of her brain?
“Don’t threaten me!”
“I’m not threatening ye—”
“Yes, you are! You’re trying to intimidate me, just like you did with those villagers. I suppose you thought you could push them around too, because you’re bigger than they are. So much for the honorable warrior!”
“It must be nice,” he growled. “To be so damned self-righteous, to fling out yer accusations and yer judgments when ye dinna have the first clue what is going on. How nice for ye that everything is so black-and-white. Is it a good view from yer moral high-ground?”
Abi opened her mouth and closed it again. His words stung her into silence.
“Okay, if I don’t have a clue what’s really going on, why don’t you tell me?” she said, crossing her arms and glaring at him.
He glared back just as hard. “I dinna owe ye any explanations.”
“Fine!”
“Fine.”
Abi seated herself on the end of the bed with a toss of her head, her arms still crossed in defiance. After a moment, Reid resumed his seat on Whitefoot’s other side. The dog hadn’t stirred, but his breathing was deep and even. Abi hoped that was a good sign.
Neither of them spoke for a long time and a cold silence filled the room, punctuated only by Whitefoot’s breathing. Abi fiddled with the hem of her dress and took the opportunity to study Reid’s room. She’d never been in here and she was surprised to find that it was not as well appointed as her own. Being the lord of the castle, she’d expected him to have the largest, more sumptuous room, but this looked like any standard bedroom. Not that large, with only a few tapestries covering the bare walls and a small fireplace in one corner, the only luxury was the large, four-poster bed on which she sat.
She stole a glance at Reid. He wasn’t looking at her. His attention was focused on Whitefoot as he gently stroked the dog’s head. Lines of worry furrowed his brow and crinkled the corners of his eyes. His hair was swept back from his face in messy tangles.
“I shouldn’t have lost my temper,” she said. “You’re right, you don’t owe me any explanations.”
He raised his eyes to meet hers. “Ye want to know the truth?” he snapped, anger still throbbing in his voice. “Ye want to know what I do all day when I’m out of the castle? I’m pacifying the countryside, as my laird has ordered me to. So aye, that means bullying villagers and making sure they know who is in charge. But none of them has been harmed, not a single home has been torched, no woman has been raped, nor will they be while I have breath in my body. And do ye know why I do this? Because, when Laird Campbell comes here with his army, his men will do all of that and worse should any of the local people show the slightest bit of resistance. So aye, I’m a bastard, I’m the thug ye think I am, but I have my reasons for being both. I’m sorry if that isnae good enough for ye.”
Abi said nothing. She was thinking back to what she’d seen at the village that day. Domnall Maguire had grabbed a woman but Reid had put a stop to it.
She had to remember that this was not the twenty-first century. It was a harsher, more brutal time, and Reid was trying to do his best with what was handed to him.
“I’m sorry,” she said at last. “I should have given you the chance to explain.”
