It hurt morethan it should have.
Why does it hurt?Ye shouldnae care who he wants. Ye shouldnae want him at all.
But she did care.No matter what the situation was, she did.
"Lady Laura, that's enough."Aisla stood. "Ye have nay business here."
"I have every business,"Laura interrupted. "I'm goin' to be the Lady of this castle. I'm goin' to be Ewan's wife. And I willnae have some plump little prisoner thinkin' she can take me place."
"Me faither would never beinterested in a hag like ye."
The young voicecut through Laura's tirade like a hot knife in butter.
Maia spuntoward the door to find a small lad standing there, maybe ten years old, with dark hair and eyes that reminded her sharply of Ewan. He was glaring at Laura with an expression of pure disapproval.
"Kian,"Aisla said warningly, but her tone was quietly approving.
"It's true!"The boy—Kian—stepped into the room, his small hands balled into fists. "Me faither thinks ye're annoyin'. He told Leon so. I heard him."
Laura'sbeautiful face twisted with fury. "How dare ye speak to me that way, ye insolent little boy."
"I'll speak howeverI want. This is me home." Kian's chin jutted out stubbornly. "And ye're nae welcome here."
"I amexactlywelcome here,"Laura hissed, advancing on the child. "And once I become yer stepmaither, ye'll learn to watch that tongue of yers. I'll have ye sent to the servants' quarters where ye belong, locked away where ye cannae embarrass me with yer presence. Ye'll barely be let out, and when ye are, ye'll?—"
Something inside Maia snapped.
She'd spentsix years being locked away. Six years of being told she was worthless, too plump, too much. Six years of listening to her uncle threaten and belittle and crush any spirit she had left.
She wouldn't—couldn't—stand here and listen to this woman threaten a child with the same fate.
"I'm his betrothed."
The words burstout before Maia could think them through. Before she could consider the consequences.
Three pairsof eyes swung toward her—Laura's furious, Aisla's shocked, Kian's hopeful.
"What?"Laura's voice was dangerously quiet.
Maia's hearthammered in her chest, but she forced herself to meet Laura's gaze steadily. "I said I'm Ewan's betrothed. So I daenae ken why ye think he'd marry ye instead of me."
The lie hungin the air between them, impossible and ridiculous and completely, utterly mad.
But Maia didn't takeit back.
Laura's facehad gone from pale to flushed red, her hands clenching at her sides. "Ye're…lyin'."
"Am I?"Maia tilted her head, channeling every ounce of confidence she didn't actually feel. "Why else would he bring me here? Give me such a lovely chamber? Promise to take me explorin'?"
"Because ye're his… prisoner!"
"If ye say so."Maia kept her voice level, though inside she was screaming at herself.
What are ye doin'?This is madness! He's goin' to be furious!
But she couldn't seemto stop. Couldn't back down now that she'd started.
Laura staredat her for a long moment, rage and disbelief warring on her beautiful face. Then, without another word, she spun on her heel and stalked from the room, slamming the door behind her with enough force to rattle the frame.
