She went still, and he was grateful. It had taken him eight long days to arrive, and he was exhausted. He did not have the strength to keep fighting with her.
It was a marvel that no one came out of their house to stop him, but he moved quickly to the carriage and tossed her inside. Once he locked the door, he pounded on the roof, and the carriage immediately lurched into motion. Tamhas knew not to wait.
“Ye could try throwing yerself out of the carriage, but I daenae believe ye’re ready to break yer neck,” he drawled.
“How dare ye treat me so?”
“I would have treated ye with more dignity, but ye forfeited the option the second ye scampered out of the window like a street urchin,” he answered. “What were ye thinkin’?”
He was furious with her for putting herself in danger. If anything had happened to her…
He didn’t even know what would happen to his inheritance, and he would hate it if his cousin’s solicitor blamed him for her death.
“I was thinkin’ of escapin’ yer plans to use me for financial gain,” she hissed. “Breaking me neck is only a small price to pay for freedom.”
Darragh did not even realize he had moved. One moment, he was on his own side of the carriage; the next, he was grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.
“Is yer life that unimportant to ye?” he asked furiously. “Is marriage such a terrible fate that ye would rather die? Why can ye nae trust that we only want what is best for ye?”
He was furious with her for making him behave in such an undignified manner, furious still with himself for wanting to kiss her at that moment.
They were both breathing hard, and in the foray, her hair had come loose, enticing him to fist his hands in it. She was glaring hard at him, and her skin had flushed a delicate red that teased his tongue.
It would be too easy to pull her into him and kiss that sweet, infuriating mouth of hers, but he turned away from her, willing reason to return.
She was his responsibility now and the key to taking care of his clan. He would not let carnal desires keep him from the treasure trove that awaited him.
“Contrary to what ye may believe,” he started, turning to look at her now that he had tamed his lust. “I am nae doin’ this to hurt ye or to exert authority. I am doin’ this for both our sakes, and someday ye will thank me for it.”
“I would thank ye to stay away from me,” she fired back. “Ye may be doing this for us both, but ye’re the only one who’ll benefit from it.”
“Ye’re young, which is why ye say that now. But in twenty years, when everyone ye ken is married and happy with the lives they’ve built, what will ye do?” he asked coldly. “Ye will be left alone, an old spinster with her herbs and oddities.”
He had meant to strike a chord, but seeing her face fall struck him deeply. Grief and anger painted her face a dark hue that pained him, but he did not allow himself to feel guilt for choosing this path.
When Mr. McCain had mentioned the inheritance, hope had flooded through him like a spring. He had been making a list of the repairs to be made to the crumbling parts of the castle, and with each part he added, his despair had grown.
The amount he would receive would not just repair the castle, but would also help him maintain some of the farmsteads and storehouses around the castle. He would even be able to make some investments that would tide them over for years afterward, and if he managed to secure her a match with a prominent laird, his clan would be protected for good.
“Marriage is the only way to ensure ye have a future where ye’re happy.”
She may not like his brashness, but she was the key to achieving his goals. He would do his best to ensure that whoever he chose for her would make her happy.
4
“Are ye that uncomfortable?” Darragh asked, drawing her gaze to him.
His voice surprised her, since they had gone straight to ignoring each other after his last hurtful words.
She hated him, it was a quick thing to decide, and she had resolved to make their journey as terrible for him as possible. She had not even realized he had been watching her all the while.
She had been squirming in her seat, her back and rear sore from bumping against her seat as the carriage traversed the rocky roads.
“Ye couldnae have put more cushions here?” she asked with a frown. “I feel as though I am sitting on rocks.”
“I daenae believe any more padding would have made the journey more comfortable for ye,” he answered in a mocking tone.
Talia glared at him again, but then looked away quickly. She could not bear looking at his handsome face for too long without her thoughts drifting.
