Page 12 of A Bride for the Kilted Beast

Diarmaid sat down at the edge of the pit, thinking he might have some fun too.

“’T’was nae very nice of ye, bein’ a well-born laird’s daughter and all, tae lie tae me like that, pretendin’ tae be all nice, tellin’ me”—here he put on a ridiculous falsetto in imitation of her voice—“‘Oh, I’ve accepted me fate,’ and all that, was it?” he complained in an aggrieved tone.

“Just get me out of here, will ye?” she demanded again.

“I mean, when I paid good money fer ye, nae man said anythin’ about ye being stark and raving mad, which ye clearly are.”

She crossed her arms and huffed loudly as she stared up at him, her eyes flashing in the moonlight.

“Ye’d be mad if ye’d been through what I’ve been through,” she shot back. “Ye’ve had yer fun. Now, get me out, will ye?”

He pretended to consider it before shaking his head and saying, “I just dinnae think ye deserve tae be rescued. I’m thinkin’ ye should stay down there a wee while until ye learn nae tae lie tae me.”

“Then away with ye and let me die in peace. Or maybe that Lennox fellow will come and find me. Likely, I’d be better off with him,” she said with an air of resigned finality.

That stung him. And it reminded him that they needed to move on with the dawn, lest Lennox was indeed tracking them.

“All right, I’ll let ye up. But dae ye promise nae to lie tae me again?”

“Nay,” she replied bluntly. He had to suppress a smile at her feistiness as he lay flat by the edge of the pit and reached down to her. When he gripped her wrist, and her hand closed partway around his, a strange, warm tingling sensation such as he had never felt before shot up his arm. Excitement stirred in his belly as he easily hoisted her out of the pit, standing up as he pulled her to her feet.

“Wheest, lass, ye’re covered with grass and stuff,” he told her, brushing at her hair to dislodge the debris from her fall. But she spun away from him, facing him, her expression distorted by anger.

“Dinnae dare tae touch me!” she snapped, brushing herself down.

“I was only tryin’ tae help ye,” he said, hiding his amusement.

“I dinnae need yer help.”

“Well, then, explain tae me how ye just got out of that pit?” he countered. She huffed in annoyance. He pushed her in front of him, and they slowly made their way back to the campsite.

When they arrived, Ciarán had stoked up the fire and was crouching next to it, adding tea leaves to a pot of boiling water.

“It’s dawn in an hour,” he said, grinning at them both as Diarmaid pushed the girl down onto her blanket and sat right next to her. “So, there’s nae point in tryin’ tae sleep again. Here, lassie, have some tea. It’ll warm ye up.” He passed the woman a small horn cup full of steaming tea.

“Thank ye,” she said with a civility that surprised Diarmaid as she took cup and blew delicately across the surface to cool the hot liquid.

“Here, Braither.” Diarmaid took the cup Ciarán handed him, curving his hands round it, savoring the warmth.

“Thanks,” he murmured. Something struck him then, and he turned to the girl. “What’s yer name again? Mirin, is it?” he asked. She looked daggers at him, and for a moment, he was afraid she was going to dash her tea in his face. But she appeared to control her anger.

“I’m nae Mirin McIrving, as I’ve told ye a dozen times already. Me name’s Lillie MacDonald.”

“If that’s the way ye want it, then Lillie it is,” Diarmaid said, wondering for the umpteenth time why she kept on insisting on what was clearly a lie.

“’Tis a very pretty name,” Ciarán said, smiling at her. For some odd reason, that irked Diarmaid. He suddenly threw his tea in the fire, making it hiss loudly, and set aside his cup before getting to his feet.

“Right, finish yer tea. Dawn’s comin’, so we’ll be moving on shortly,” he told them both, feeling unaccountably irritable. He ignored the strange look Ciarán shot him and picked up his blanket from the ground, rolling it up neatly as he stalked off. “I’ll see tae the horses. The quicker we get home the better.”

Wanting a few minutes alone to marshal his thoughts, Diarmaid led the horses down to the burn to drink. He sat on a flat rock and stared sat the fast-moving water, forcing himself to think ahead about what he would do when they reached home. It was imperative that he marry the girl as soon as possible. That meant today. As soon as they got back.

Because if Lennox did follow up on his threat to come and get her, the only way to outfox him would be if the wedding had already taken place. Not only, it had to be consummated too. If it wasn’t, Lennox might demand an annulment.

He envisioned the girl naked in his bed, her blonde locks spread over the pillow as she moaned with pleasure beneath him. The thought excited him more than he imagined it would. As he led the horses back to the camp, he admitted to himself that consummating their marriage was something he was very much looking forward to.

CHAPTER FIVE

The sun had not yet reached its zenith when they crested a meandering track that had led them up the craggy inclines of a valley, through a narrow glen, and up onto a rocky promontory. The top offered a spectacular, panoramic view into the neighboring valley below. The men halted the horses there for a few moments.