Page 33 of A Kilted Marriage of Convenience

“Considering the fact that she was a young lass then, I believe it was indeed a long time ago. Still, it seems yer words that day touched her so much that she still remembers as if it was yesterday.” She sipped her tea, watching Darragh’s thoughtful expression.

“I suppose ye are right. I should thank her for spreading good stories about me, it seems,” he said, smiling brilliantly and seeming to shake off whatever thoughts he had just been having.

Ciara decided to give up and hoped her words would at least spark something the next time he looked at her.

Ciara poured herself another cup of tea and did the same for Darragh even before he offered his cup.

“I assume my brother has told ye that he plans to marry ye...” the man began again, changing the subject and going in a direction Ciara hadn’t been expecting. “How dae ye feel about that?”

It seemed he was feeling her out. Although she had been pretending that she was hesitant about the marriage since her father would not want it, she decided to be somewhat honest this time.

“Yer brother confuses me,” she admitted as she finished topping off Darragh’s cup. “I ken that we didnae meet under the most romantic of situations, but I find myself confused about my feelings toward him now. Even though I am supposed to be a prisoner here, I like the time I spend with him.” She spoke tentatively, not wanting to give away too much. She glanced up at Darragh and saw that he was watching her expression, and she laughed nervously.

Darragh humored her with a chuckle and sipped his tea. “Although my brother’s reasons for deciding to marry ye dae include getting revenge on yer father, I can assure ye that he will treat ye well. Ye willnae regret wedding him, despite the current circumstances.”

Ciara shrugged. Of course, she knew that, that was why she had manipulated him into wanting to marry her in the first place. “Still, I find yer brother very confusing. Sometimes he seems like he is interested in me, and other times he closes off completely.” She remembered how he had refused to stay with her and felt a pang in her heart.

Darragh had a troubled look on his face, and it seemed he had an idea of what she was talking about. “My brother… There are certain things he keeps even from me and my sister. He tends to want to dae things on his own. Ye will just have to wait until he opens up to ye on his own, I suppose.”

Seeming to think he had spoken too much, Darragh threw back the rest of his tea and bowed to her slightly. “It is late now, lass. We should both be heading to bed. However, it was lovely to speak with ye, and I look forward to having ye join my family… in good time,” he said politely before hurrying out of the kitchen as though someone held a torch to his rump.

Ciara sighed and leaned back against the kitchen table. Well, that was cryptic. Darragh had tried assuring her, but his words had left her with even more questions. It seems I will just have to learn everything on my own.

Reaching her chamber, she realized there was a second set of footsteps echoing along the long corridor. She paused and listened.

The sound was coming from further up the corridor, where Aidan’s room was. Careful not to make any noise, she quietly walked toward the sound.

There he was, walking the hallway in his nightshirt. She was about to speak but realized there was something a little odd about him. She paused and cocked her head to the side to get a better look at him.

He was walking, but there was no life in his gait. He seemed a bit wooden, like a doll come to life. His eyes were also half closed, and he was barefoot. She stepped right in front of him, but he walked by her as though she was a ghost. It was eerie watching him move around like that, as though his body had been overtaken by something else while he slept.

Is he... sleepwalking?

Her question was answered when he began to walk toward one of the windows in the hallway without any signs of stopping. At this rate, he would fall off. With her heart in her throat, she stopped herself from screaming and startling him. Instead, she rushed to him, and carefully snagged his arm by looping hers through his elbow. She swung him away from the window with her body weight just in time to keep him from falling.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She was both relieved and terrified.

Is this why he didnae want to sleep beside me last night? Was he being cold because he wanted to keep his sleepwalking a secret?

Ciara was at a loss. Would it be appropriate to wake him? She was certain he didn't want her to know. But before she could finish her thought, a loud crashing sound cut through the night air, causing her to jump reflexively toward the sleeping Aidan. She threw him to the ground while her arm was still looped around his, and she was pulled down right on top of him.

The fall woke Aidan up right as a distress horn blew into the night.

“Enemies have broken into the castle! Be on guard! Enemies in the castle!” a guard shouted outside while Ciara and Aidan, faces inches away, stared at each other in shock.