Page 53 of It’s in his Highland Kiss

It seemed as though Eiric was happy to just lie there next to her, the two of them in each other’s arms. He shifted a lot, which alerted Marion to his level of pain, but once they managed to get comfortable, he seemed to relax once more.

“So . . . does this mean that ye want to be with me?” Eiric asked, much to Marion’s amusement.

“I think so, yes,” she said as she smiled at him, a hand coming up to brush through his fiery hair. “I thought that it would be more obvious after what we shared.”

“I only wanted to be sure,” Eiric said, laughing against Marion’s neck as he placed his head in the crook of it. “Ye willna wake up the morrow and regret this, will ye?”

Eiric sounded so scared about that possibility that it broke Marion’s heart. She never wanted him to think that she would regret what they had done, that she would stop loving him. “Of course not,” she assured him. “I am yours now, Eiric. I am yours as long as you’ll have me.”

“I’ll always have ye,” Eiric said, and then he mumbled something else, something that Marion didn’t quite catch. When she asked him to repeat it though, she realised that he was already fast asleep.

It was a good thing, Marion thought. After all, Eiric needed his rest, and she was more than happy to stay there, sharing his bed with him. They had all the time in the world to talk, to decide how they would break the news of their relationship to the laird and Adaria, and to everyone else in the castle. For that moment, they could simply be, just the two of them existing in each other’s arms.

Soon, Marion found herself falling asleep, as well, even though she tried her best to stay awake. She liked listening to the steady rhythm of Eiric’s heart. She liked looking at him while he slept, looking so peaceful, like she had never seen him before. She just enjoyed being next to him, and she wanted to spend as much time as she could awake, just so she could relish his presence.

But sleep was sweet too, and when she closed her eyes, Marion knew that she wouldn’t be opening them again for a few hours.

Had she known what was coming, though, she would have done her best to stay awake and enjoy the time she had left with Eiric.

Chapter Twenty-Four

When Marion awoke the next morning, it was still early, and Eiric was sound asleep. She didn’t wish to wake him, so she stood up quietly, making as little noise as she could as she put on her clothes painstakingly slow, piece after piece until she could finally leave the room.

She wasn’t surprised to see that, even though it was still early, the castle was already full of people, mainly servants who were going about their days. When she made it down the stairs, though, she frowned at the sight in front of her.

The laird and Adaria were both standing at the bottom of the stairs, conversing quietly with a man whom Marion didn’t recognise. Behind him, there was a small army of men, all armed and patiently waiting for the man to finish his talks with the laird and the lady.

“What is going on?” Marion asked as she approached them, her heart racing in her chest.

They were English, that much she knew. Could they have come there for Eiric? Were they looking for him? No, it couldn’t be. He had done nothing wrong. If anything, the English were those who had captured him for no reason.

“My lady, you must be the one I am looking for,” the man Marion didn’t know said, bowing to her. “I am John Forbes, Commander in Her Majesty’s Army. Your parents informed me of your whereabouts. Is it true that they are holding you against your will here?”

Marion looked at the commander, then at the laird, eyes widening ever so slightly. Then, her gaze met the commander’s once more, and she nodded. “That’s right,” she said. “I was told that I would stay here for six months and learn to be a good wife to my future husband, but it’s been far more than six months, and they still haven’t returned me to my parents.”

“We were goin’ to return her soon,” the laird said with a small shrug. “But ye can have her noo since ye’re here already.”

“I don’t think it’s so simple, Lord MacLeod,” the commander said.

“Laird,” said the laird.

“Lord?”

“Laird.”

The back and forth between them continued for a few moments, with the laird trying to get the commander to pronounce his title the way that he wanted, much to Marion’s amusement. She knew exactly what the laird was doing: he was trying to frustrate the commander so he would leave without making a fuss about the entire situation.

“Well, either way!” the commander exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation. “This woman has been held here against her will!”

“Would ye have me send her home on her own?” the laird asked, cocking an eyebrow at the commander. “Nae one of me men was goin’ to England, so I didna send her. Once one of them would, I’d send her with him.”

The commander didn’t seem convinced. He looked at the laird, eyes narrowed and suspicious, but the laird gave him nothing else, so he had no option but to pretend, at least, that he believed him. Marion doubted that the man would want to start an incident by insulting a laird.

“Very well,” he said. “But now that I am here, we shall be on our way, with the girl.”

“Marion,” said Marion, who didn’t appreciate being called girl when she was right there. She had a name, and the commander could use it.

“Yes, yes, Marion,” the man said, suddenly a little flustered.