Page 54 of A Bride for the Kilted Beast

“What, man? Speak up, will ye?” Diarmaid threw down his quill and rubbed at his aching temples, looking expectantly at his distraught chief advisor.

“I cannae say, m’laird, but ye probably want tae get down tae the loch near the stables right away,” Andrew informed him urgently.

“What? Whatever fer?”

“’Tis nae me place tae tell ye, but I think ye’ll want tae get there as quickly as ye can.”

“Ach, the Wee Man preserve us,” Diarmaid muttered, realizing he would get nothing more out of the man. Swearing under his breath, he got up, took his coat from the back of his chair, and shrugged it on. Then, he went striding out of the room, heading outside, utterly perplexed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“Me lady, please, we beg ye nae tae dae this tae us,” the head guard said imploringly, his back turned to Lillie, who was standing on the narrow shingle shore of the loch. But Lillie merely shrugged, ignoring the other four guards, who were lined up behind their leader, red-faced and looking at everything but her.

“Why d’ye nae go away and give me some peace if ye dinnae want to watch?” She said matter-of-factly, standing in her bare feet and starting to undo the fastenings of her dress.

“But me lady, ye ken we cannae dae that. The laird’ll kill us if we desert our duty, which is tae guard ye,” the man pleaded.

“I cannae help ye. I’m going swimming in the loch, and ye can dae naething tae stop me.” She undid the last of her dress fastenings and began to peel it off her shoulders until the edge of her shift was on show. She paused, looking at them all and saw they were all averting their gazes.

She took down the top of her dress by inches, savoring the discomfort of the men. She figured that Diarmaid was probably on his way there already, so she would not need to go too far with her daring bluff.

She was down to her petticoat when she heard his voice, a loud, gruff exclamation and heard him running towards her before she even looked. When she did and he arrived at the water’s edge, flushed and puffing, their eyes locked.

Diarmaid made a gesture of dismissal with his hand, and the guard left them alone, breathing a collective sigh of relief as they retreated.

“What the devil d’ye think ye’re doin’, woman?!” Diarmaid hissed at her, his handsome features wearing a look of horror.

“What does it look like I’m doin’?” Lillie hissed back. “I’m takin’ a swim.”

“Ye were deliberately embarrassing the guards,” he said accusingly, “and making me look like a fool again.”

“I’m nae tae blame fer that,” she shot back. “I told them tae go away if they didnae want tae see. As tae you bein’ a fool…”

“This is yer way of getting back at me. But ye dinnae seem tae realize I’m doin’ it all tae protect ye!” He exclaimed, clearly exasperated. He moved closer to her, looking deeply into her eyes, deadly serious. “Ye’re in danger, Lillie, every minute of the day. Odhrán Lennox wants ye, and he’s going tae keep trying tae find away tae take ye. I have tae protect ye. And that’s what I intend tae keep doing, whatever ye dae.”

“What does it matter tae ye what happens tae me? Why should ye care if this Lennox takes me away? I’ll just be his prisoner instead.”

“Ach!” he groaned, raking a hand through his hair. “Ye have tae try tae understand, Lillie… I ken loss too well, because of what happened tae me family. I ken me braither told ye. Can ye nae see why I’m so terrified fer yer safety?”

Lillie was touched by his admission, but she was not quite prepared to give in.

“Can I at least ask ye tae stop keep makin’ me look a fool in front of me men?”

“Ye leave me little choice,” Lillie told him. “Ye say I must understand ye, but what about the other way around? D’ye understand me at all? D’ye nae see that ye have tae stop treating me like some sort of possession and more like yer wife. I’m suffocating!”

There was silence for a while, but their eyes remained locked on one another.

“Three guards,” he said presently.

Lillie shook her head. “One.”

“Nae.” He scratched his head and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Two is as low as I’ll go,” he said finally.

Lillie regarded him levelly. Then she said, “Two it is.”

In truth, the thought of even two men following her every move all the time was stifling and an invasion of privacy. On the other hand, she could not deny there was a threat, and Diarmaid’s plea to understand his overwhelming urge to keep her safe had deeply affected her.

The earnestness with which he had explained it all to her had made her realize that, in his own way, he cared about her. He wanted to protect her. That made her feel warm inside. So, when he said two guards, she accepted the mutual compromise.