Page 36 of A Bride for the Kilted Beast

“Aye, is there any real proof that Lennox has Miss Maddison? If ye pardon me sayin’ so, m’laird, ye seem tae be taking an awful gamble. What if he disnae have her after all?” asked Dougal.

“I’m pretty sure, although ye’re right, I cannae prove it. But if Odhrán comes, that may give me a chance tae try tae find out fer sure, by worming it out of him.”

“So, are ye saying ye welcome an attack, m’laird?” Dougal asked. “That ye deliberately provoked it by stealing Lennox’s bride out from under his nose?”

Diarmaid felt his anger rising at that. “I didnae plan any of this, if that’s what ye’re asking, Dougal, but if ye want tae ken if I’ll dae anything tae get me sister back, then aye, I will.” He brought himself back under control, wanting tae be away from them all and their judging eyes.

“That’ll be all fer the moment. But be on alert in case any of the scouts come back with news.”

With that he dismissed the meeting, making sure he and Ciarán were the first to leave, leaving the councilmen muttering in low voices behind them.

Lillie woke up suddenly, surprised to find she was alone. Fragments of what had happened the night before gradually floated back to her as her mind cleared from sleep. The moisture and a slight aching sensation between her thighs reminded her of what had happened with Diarmaid.

She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, as it all came flooding vividly back. She remembered the way he had kissed and caressed her all over her body, in all her most intimate, secret places, where no one had ever been before.

And she remembered how much she had enjoyed it, moaning under his touch, begging for more like a harlot! A giant wave of shame crashed over her, and her whole body suddenly felt hot, as if it were blushing from top to toe.

How could I have behaved so wantonly?

She felt fresh anger towards Diarmaid then, though part of her knew it was unjustified. When she considered it further, she realized she was really angry with herself for the way she had acted. It was not as if he had violated her. They were married after all, and he had not forced her or hurt her at all, as he had promised.

In fact, quite the opposite. He had shown her that he had not been lying when he had told her there could be pleasure between a man and a woman. But the fact that she had responded to him, that he had revealed the depths of her own desires to her, seemed almost unforgivable. She could not think of herself in that light at all. She silently pledged to pay him back for it somehow.

She lay there for a while longer, wondering exactly how she could get her revenge on Diarmaid when Penny came bustling into the room, wishing her a bright good morning.

“Och, ye look tired and pale, me lady,” the maid announced, placing a tea tray on the nightstand. “Did ne nae get much sleep?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye. Lillie did not take the bait. She pushed herself up on her elbows and sat against the pillows, while Penny poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her.

“Thank ye,” Lillie murmured as Penny examined her. “Would ye like tae bathe, me lady?” she asked.

Feeling the soreness between her legs once more, Lille thought she should.

“Aye, please, Penny. That would be nice,” she told the maid with a weak smile.

“Right enough, I’ll be away and order the hot water fer ye,” Penny said, turning for the door.

“Penny, d’ye ken where the laird is?”

The maid shook her head. “I ken there’s a council meeting going on. D’ye need tae send him a message?”

Lillie shook her head. “Nae. I just wondered, that’s all. It doesnae matter.”

Penny went off, and Lillie leaned back and sipped at her tea, trying hard to put thoughts of the night before from her mind. Instead, she thought of her brothers and how happy they would be when they received Diarmaid’s letter telling them she was all right. And married to him.

What will they do when they find that out, she wondered. Both Aiden and Darragh treated her very much as a young girl. The very reason she had gotten herself into this mess was because she had been trying to escape the limitations of freedom they insisted inflicting up on her.

Now, she understood why they had done that and wished she had obeyed them instead of going her own way. Shame washed over her afresh at what she had put them through.

She wondered if they would recognize her marriage to Diarmaid. It had not yet been consummated, so it could, in theory, still be annulled. Think of that! Annulled. She could go home and just be herself again. Maybe be they would try to kill him. She dismissed that notion quite quickly. He had bought her at the auction as Morin McIrving, in good faith, so he could not be blamed for being honorable enough to rescue her and wed her.

Her mood had shifted from one of shame to hopeful and excited when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” she said hesitantly, pulling the covers around her more firmly, wondering who it could be. She was very surprised when one of the guards from her escort put his head around the door.

“Excuse me, melady, but Finian the healer is asking tae speak tae you.”

Finian? What did he want to speak to her about? Had he found the herbs missing from the jar and worked out she had stolen them? Feeling slightly panicked, she nodded to the guard.

“Would you tell him I’ll be along tae see him as soon as possible, please?”