Aiden cleared his throat, and for the first time since she had touched Fergus’s chest, Jeane remembered she was in Lottie’s room.
“Me Laird,” Aiden said calmly, “ye havenae eaten.”
Fergus glared at Aiden for a moment. “I will eat when I’m ready.”
Aiden raised his hands. “All right, but Aileen will have yer head.”
Fergus grunted at the mention of the cook, but something in his expression had changed. He walked over to Lottie, patting her on the head and making her grimace.
He did not even glance back at Jeane before leaving the room.
She huffed out another breath, and Lottie giggled.
Jeane turned to her. “What’s so funny?”
“Me brother,” Lottie said, a grin still on her face. “He’s never argued with anyone like that.”
“We werenae arguin’,” Jeane lied.
“Uh-huh,” Lottie hummed. “He usually just tells Aiden to get out when they have a disagreement. Seems like he enjoyed arguin’ with ye.”
Jeane felt her cheeks heat up, and she looked down at her hands.
“The Laird doesnae seem to like me very much,” she mumbled.
“Nay, he likes ye well enough,” Lottie said easily, and Jeane just figured the girl was trying to make her feel better.
She sighed. “I will take me leave.”
Lottie nodded. “Ye will be back tomorrow?”
“Aye.”
The two women smiled at each other, and then Jeane left the room, heading down the hallway with dragging footsteps. She had to avoid him from now on. She couldn’t keep going like this.She wanted him, but she couldn’t reconcile that fact with the fact that the Laird had kidnapped her. Forced her into servitude. Tried to force her to marry him.
And the worst part was she wanted Fergus to like her. That was the rub.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jeane rattled around the castle like a ghost. Fergus was off interrogating potential attackers who had been caught trying to get onto the castle grounds.
Which was good because Jeane was avoiding him. She didn’t know how to talk to him, how to tell him…
Tell him what, exactly?
Jeane was confused herself about what she was feeling. She knew that she wanted him, but was she ready for marriage and all that entailed? Hadn’t she been fighting her whole life against that?
But Fergus was different from Lord Fraser and all the other suitors that Jeane had seen come and go.
Jeane trailed by Lottie’s room, and she peered inside. Lottie was sitting on the edge of the bed, braiding flowers into her hair.
Jeane smiled and knocked on the open door.
Lottie looked up, startled, but then she smiled. “Come in, Liliana.”
Jeane had to stop herself from wincing. She hated having to lie to Lottie, especially now that they’d become friends, but she had to keep this secret.
She stepped inside and stood in front of Lottie. “I like yer hair.”
