She'd claimedto be his betrothed. Had lied to Laura Nicolson's face, just to protect Kian from the same fate she'd suffered.
It was reckless.Foolish. Completely inappropriate.
It was also rather brilliant.
"Well,"Leon said into the silence, his voice choked with suppressed laughter. "This just got interestin'."
Ewan shot him a quelling look,then turned his attention back to Maia. She was watching him warily, like a deer ready to bolt.
He should be angry.Should reprimand her for overstepping, for making claims she had no right to make.
But lookingat her flushed face, at the defiant tilt of her chin even as she apologized, at the genuine concern for Kian in her grey eyes?—
He foundhe wasn't angry at all.
"If ye wantedto be married to me so badly, lass," he said, keeping his voice grave though his lips wanted to curve into a smile, "ye could have thought of a better ruse than this."
Maia's mouth dropped open."That's nae it. I was just tryin' to protect Kian!"
"Were ye now?"
"Aye!"Her cheeks flushed darker. "I daenae want to marry ye! I just couldnae let that horrible woman talk to a child that way, and it was the first thing that came to mind, and I daenae regret it!" She lifted her chin higher. "Even if ye're angry, I'd do it again."
And there it was.That fire he'd glimpsed during their journey. That core of strength beneath all her softness and chatter.
God,she was magnificent when she was defiant.
"I'm nae angry,"Ewan said, and watched surprise flicker across her face.
"Ye're—ye're nae?"
"Nay."He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "Laura's been pesterin' me for years. Her father's on the council, so I've had to tolerate her presence. But if ye've just given me a way to make her leave me alone..." He let the sentence trail off meaningfully.
Maia blinked. "What are ye sayin'?"
"I'm sayin'ye'll continue to pretend to be me betrothed." Ewan kept his tone matter-of-fact, as if this were a perfectly reasonable business arrangement. "At least until Laura gets the message and moves on to some other poor bastard."
"But Kian–"
"Will be told the truth eventually,"Ewan said dismissively. "He's a clever lad. He'll understand."
"He'll be heartbroken!"Maia protested. "He's so excited about havin' a maither, and when he finds out I was lyin', he'll nae be fine."
"Then I supposeye'd better figure out how to handle that, hadnae ye?" Ewan picked up his quill, signaling the conversation was over. "Since ye're the one who got us into this mess."
"But—"
"I'm busy,lass. I have work to do." He didn't look up from his papers. "Aisla will show ye back to yer chambers."
He could feelMaia's glare burning into the top of his head. Could practically hear her mentally cursing him.
"Fine,"she said finally, her voice tight with frustration. "Fine! I'll figure it out meself!"
The door slammedbehind her with satisfying force.
Leon waiteduntil the sound of footsteps had faded down the corridor before he started laughing. "Ye're enjoyin' this," Leon said, his tone knowing. "Enjoyin' teasin' her, enjoyin' makin' her blush, enjoyin' the way she stands up to ye."
"She's entertainin',"Ewan admitted. "That's all."
