Page 43 of Bewitching her Highland Savior

CHAPTERNINETEEN

“Come in.”

Muriel paused as her father's booming voice came through the door, despite his invitation to enter. She had kept her calm up until that point, telling herself over and over that no matter what happened, she and Liam would be fine. But now that the time had come for her to confront her father, she wasn't sure she could do it.

Liam gently squeezed her hand, possibly sensing her hesitation. Muriel inhaled deeply and reached for the doorknob. She didn't have much of a choice. She couldn't stand it, waiting in front of it all night.

Her heart almost stopped when she saw her father. It had been a long time since she had seen him, and he had grown older since then; the passage of time taking its toll on him. His dark hair was thinning at the crown and deep wrinkles creased his brows over bushy brows. He even appeared tired, with dark circles under his eyes.

His study, on the other hand, had remained untouched; it was exactly as Muriel remembered it. It was a large room with rich wine-colored walls and a mahogany desk strewn with papers. Bookcases lined the wall behind him, the spines of his books cracked and faded from all the frequent reading.

When her father saw her, his lips stretched into a thin line and the quill in his hand stilled.

“Muriel… what are ye doin’ here?” he asked and though his voice was calm, Muriel detected a hint of anger in it, the first signs of which she had learned to recognize years before. “Ye should be in Lewis by noo, isnae that right, Mr. McAlpine?”

“Did ye ken that Laird Macleod is a bad man, Faither?” Muriel asked; not giving Liam a chance to answer first. “Did ye ken that he is cruel to his servants? Did ye ken that he brings women to his bed every night and hurts them?”

Laird McNeil stayed silent for a long while; looking between Muriel and Liam and Muriel knew the truth before he even confirmed it. Her bottom lip began to tremble and nausea gripped her as her eyes welled up with tears.

Her father didn’t care about any of it. Even if he knew her accusations were true, none of it mattered when Macleod could offer him riches. He was willing to give Muriel to him; he wanted her to be the perfect wife for a man who wouldn't even show her respect, let alone love.

How was she supposed to feel anything for Macleod other than resentment?

“Many men bring women to their beds every night, Muriel,” he said. “And it doesnae concern me what he does with his servants. He wouldnae dare hurt ye. I made that clear to him.”

“Do ye truly think that he wouldnae hurt Muriel just because she’s yer daughter?” Liam asked. “Perhaps she would be fine at first but men like him can never control themselves for long.”

“Dinnae speak to me as though ye ken anythin’, lad,” Laird McNeil roared; hands slamming onto his desk as he stood. He locked his gaze on Liam and Muriel feared her father would kill him right then and there. “What is it to ye anyway? Ye were hired to do a job.”

“I couldnae let her suffer there,” Liam said.

Laird McNeil watched him carefully, before he let out a humourless laugh. “I see,” he said. “Ye fell in love with her, did ye nae? And ye?” he asked, turning to look at Muriel. “Did ye fall in love with him, too?”

Muriel swallowed around the knot in her throat. “Aye. I did.”

It was pointless to pretend or deny it. After all, they had come to ask for his assistance, and as terrifying as it was for Muriel, she couldn't hide her feelings for Liam from her father.

“Then ye’re both fools,” the laird said, throwing himself back down into his chair. “Why did ye come here? Did ye think that I would help ye?”

“I hoped that ye would, aye,” Muriel said. “I hoped ye would see that sendin’ me to Macleod was wrong. Do ye nae care that I wouldnae be happy with him? Does it nae matter to ye at all?”

“Muriel, do ye ken anyone who has a happy marriage?” her father asked with a roll of his eyes. “Marriages are nae about happiness; they’re about wealth – power. Ye’d be happy once ye had a bairn.”

“It’s nae the life I want for meself,” Muriel said. “If ye had asked me, if ye had listened to me—”

“This isnae about ye,” her father said dismissively. “It was never about ye. I made a decision that would best benefit the clan and ye were too selfish to do as ye should.”

Muriel regretted allowing herself to hope even for a moment that her father would be understanding. His words confirmed what she already knew and feared the most — he cared about his wealth more than he cared about her and nothing she could ever do or say would change that.

I should never have come here. Liam and I could have fled; we could have gone somewhere where nae one would find us again.

The only thing that had held her back was the thought of her mother – all alone for the rest of her life. She couldn’t have left without her.

“Weel, the marriage is ruined noo,” she said; hurrying to find a way to get what she wanted from her father. “So ye may as weel let me marry Liam. His clan is powerful, too. An alliance with the McAlpines would suit ye.”

Laird McNeil laughed but there was no mirth behind the sound. “The lad’s nae a laird, is he?” he said. “What good is he to me if he’s nae a laird?”

“He has close ties with Laird McAlpine,” Muriel pointed out. “Ties that go beyond blood. He’s his right-hand man.”