Page 90 of The Laird’s Lost Wife

He stood there for a moment, his hands pressed against the closed door. Just on the other side of the wood, he could hear the shuffle of countless feet and the murmur of excited, disbelieving chatter.

He let out a long breath, closing his eyes. The noise wasn’t going to fade away soon, but hopefully his mother and Magnus would hurry up and disperse the crowd before they got too comfortable.

When he turned around, he found Daphne still perched on the edge of the desk, her gaze fixed unblinkingly on him.

“Marriage,” she said flatly.

“I didnae mean for that to happen,” Hunter murmured. “Please daenae think that I orchestrated it.”

“I daenae think that ye did.”

She eased herself off the desk, and he noticed that her knees shook a little. Her hands gripped the edge of the desk, white-knuckled.

“I didnae expect to see Ceana there,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “They were all there, all watching. I… It gave me a start, I willnae lie.”

“I think me mother meant to surprise us, but I daenae think that it was meant to be like that,” he admitted, scratching the back of his head.

“It hardly matters what she meant now,” Daphne responded, her tone still flat.

He tried to catch her eye. “Are ye angry?”

“Angry? Nay. I am… shocked, maybe. I’m glad that ye defended us, at least.”

He reached out carefully, as if she might bolt and scurry away at any moment, like a frightened rabbit. Gently, he hooked a finger under her chin, tilting up her head. She met his eyes, her gaze sharp and unblinking.

“Ye must see that it had to end this way,” he sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“Ye arenae sorry. But ye neednae worry. Ye are right. Now, I would… I would like to leave. I’d like to be alone.”

He nodded, releasing her chin, and stepped back, making sure that her way to the door was clear. “I reckon they’ll have cleared the corridor by now.”

She took a step forward, her gaze still fixed on him.

“I’ll always protect ye,” he whispered.

Her eyes widened, the expression fleeting and difficult to read. Then she glanced back at the door.

“Willow,” she stated simply.

“We’ll nae tell her tonight,” Hunter assured her. “We’ll explain what’s happened tomorrow. Together. What do ye say?”

She considered for a moment.

“I daenae ken if I could tell her what’s happened right now,” she confessed. “Me mind… I cannae focus. This was me fault, ye ken.”

Hunter flinched. “What?”

“I let this happen. I let ye… let ye kiss me. Touch me. If that hadnae happened…”

“It was me kiss that Mother saw. That was what damned us,” he answered quietly.

“All those people crowding in, hemming us in…” She closed her eyes, shaking her head. “I willnae lie, I’d begun to feel dizzy. A little sick, even. I ken it’s foolish.”

“It’s nae foolish.”

“I daenae ken what I would have done if ye hadnae been here.”

“But I was.”