16
Brodie heard the knock on the door of his guest chamber and frowned curiously. As he went to answer it, he assumed that it must be Magnus or Maxwell, perhaps with some word from his mother about whether she would be able to attend the ceremony tomorrow—not that Brodie relished that idea, or the idea of the ceremony as a whole, for that matter. As far as he knew, he and Seamus had no further business to discuss prior to the ceremony. And it would be decidedly inappropriate for Isla to come and visit him since, given recent events, her father would certainly not approve of them being alone together.
It would be even more inappropriate for Margaret to visit him since they had run off together. But sure enough, when he opened the door, there she stood, looking stricken.
“Margaret!” His tone was sharp, but he ushered her in quickly nonetheless before someone caught her lurking there in the hall. “What are you doing here? Do you know how bloody dangerous this is?”
“Of course I do,” she replied, “but this could not wait! I have uncovered another vital piece of this strange puzzle, and I thought it would be best to inform you at once, in case it might somehow help you escape your engagement to Isla.”
“Very well, out with it, then,” he answered.
Margaret told him everything that Ainsley had said, and he listened with dawning horror.
“I suppose all of this makes a terrible kind of sense,” he admitted. “Still, do you feel that you can fully trust this girl? She would not make up a story such as this in order to make sport of you or make herself seem more important, would she?”
“That is not in her nature,” Margaret answered staunchly, “and at any rate, I trust her far more than I do Seamus at this point!”
“Fair enough.” He thought this over for a while, pacing the room. Finally, he said, “I wish this new information were enough to tip the scales, but truly, I do not see how it can. So far, we still only have the word of a scullery girl and—no offense—a maid, and that would not be nearly enough to challenge Seamus.”
“I feared as much,” she replied sadly. “Should I at least tell Isla and see if she believes me?”
“Aye, it may be worth a try. Then again, it might just as easily swing her in the other direction if she thinks you are making things up again in order to have me for yourself.”
“As if that would work. A maid, trying to marry a laird,” Margaret scoffed, but there was something questioning behind her tone and in the way she searched his eyes as well.
Brodie was at a loss for words. Naturally, he wanted nothing more than to contradict her, to tell her that it was for him to decide who he loved and married, whether the object of his affection was a queen or a servant. He wanted to tell her that he would defy his mother and the wishes of his clan for her, that he would break with tradition for her, that he would move heaven and Earth to ensure their happy union.
He entertained the thought of doing all those things. But as a man, he had to think of other people as well. He could not be selfish.
No matter how his heart burned for her, he had a duty to marry a woman of noble blood in order to satisfy his responsibilities as laird and strengthen his clan for generations to come.
No, the most he could truthfully promise her was that he would bring her back to the MacKenzie keep with him so that she might work as a maid there rather than continue to work under one so dreadful as Seamus MacLeod. But even that, he knew, would be cold comfort to her, for all of the reasons she had mentioned before. A lifetime of service while being forced to watch her true love married to another would be a dismal fate indeed for her.
The idea of it was so bleak that he was almost tempted to give up his struggle and simply submit to Seamus’s demands. What was the point of resisting any further? Whether he wed Isla or someone else, his marriage was doomed to be an unhappy one. Seamus had sprung his trap cleverly, and escape from it seemed impossible.
“Well, if I cannot even inform Isla of these latest revelations,” Margaret went on, “then I suppose I risked coming here for nothing.”
She turned to leave, but he reached out and took her by the arm, stopping her. He was acting wholly on instinct and uncertain of what he was doing or where it would lead him. His body and mind seemed beyond his control.
“It need not have been for nothing,” he said, pulling her close to him. “Now that you are here, I beg you, do not leave so soon.”
“It’s no use, don’t you see?” Margaret replied softly. “There is no future for us beyond this room.”
“Then I implore you, do not leave this room yet. Allow us to exist here just for a little while longer. Allow us to pretend that there is no outside, that the world ends at these four walls, and we are its sole inhabitants, with none to impede our desire for each other.”
“Those are pretty words indeed for a man afflicted with an urgent need.” Her tone was slightly mocking, but her face was still inching toward his. It seemed as though she was not in control of her actions either, as though some greater force were pushing them together too insistently for them to resist.
Even if they had wanted to.
One kiss. Was that truly all they had shared so far? How could that possibly be enough to satisfy them when they burned so intensely for each other? What if this meeting was the last they were able to have before Brodie was wed to another?
How could Margaret even consider leaving without letting their lips meet one final time?
They were all alone. No one would ever need to know.
Just…one…kiss…
Their faces were so close that Brodie could taste her warm, sweet breath on his mouth.
