Page 61 of A Bride for the Kilted Beast

’Tis best tae keep quiet about this. I’ll nae call fer help but find a way out by meself.

But the minutes passed, and try as she might, she could not find a way out. Certain that people would be looking for her by now, she was wrestling with herself as to what to do when she heard rustling up above, and the crunching sound of approaching footsteps. She looked up. And looking down at her was the face she least wanted to see at that moment.

Diarmaid swore colorfully as he crouched at the edge of the pit, shaking his head. The thunderous beating of his heart quieted instantly, and a tide of profound relief washed through him as he looked down upon his wife. Her face was upturned, her cheeks blazing. Unusually, he noted, she had nothing to say for herself.

With deep sigh, Diarmaid lay full length on his belly and reached an arm down to her. Lillie grasped his wrist, and he easily pulled her up, into his arms, kissing her mouth with a passionate intensity she quickly returned.

“We cannae keep meetin’ like this,” he told her when they eventually stopped kissing. “I’m gonnae havetae tie ye tae me leg if ye dinnae stop getting into trouble.”

What he really wanted to say was that his heart was hurting because he knew he was about to lie to her horribly and that she would soon believe he had betrayed her. He wanted to beg for her forgiveness.

“I have some good news fer ye,” he told her instead, taking her hand as they made their way back to the field. “I finally had a letter from yer braither, and he’s confirmed everything ye told me. They’ve been searching fer ye everywhere, out of their minds with worry.”

“Och! That’s wonderful, Diarmaid! I’m so happy. I cannae wait tae see them both.” She clapped her hands like an excited child and kissed his cheek, linking her arm in his as they approached the open field.

“I’m sorry I didnae believe ye sooner, Lillie,” he apologized. “I shouldnae have made ye marry me afore writing tae yer braither first.”

She just smiled at him and said, “’Tis nae matter now, Diarmaid. I’m glad we’re wed.”

“D’ye think yer braithers’ll be angry about that?” he asked, fervently hoping the opposite would be true. He did not want a war with the MacDonald brothers as well as the Lennoxes. He’d done some finding out about Lillie’s brothers, and they were clearly not men to be trifled with. It made him a little nervous on top of everything else he had to worry about, like lying through his teeth to her.

“Nay! Nae once they see how happy I am,” she assured him. “I’ll tell them it was all just a big misunderstanding that’s worked out perfectly in the end.”

“So, I’m gonnae take ye home. We’ll be leaving in the morning… for Castle MacDonald.”

She stopped him just before they emerged from the trees and looked up at him with a trace of worry in her eyes.

“Thank ye, Diarmaid, but just fer a wee visit, eh? To see them and explain everything.”

He could not help himself. Despite everything he was about to do to her, he still craved to hear her say the words.

“D’ye nae want tae go back tae yer old life now?”

“Whatever fer?!” she cried, hugging him tightly. “I love ye, and I want tae stay with ye—we’re married, are we nae?”

Elated and wracked by guilt at the same time, Diarmaid embraced her and showered her with heartfelt kisses.

“Aye, bonny lass, we are,” he agreed, the guilt becoming overwhelming when she looked up at him, radiating love and trust.

I cannae bear lyin’ tae her. I dinnae care about the risks, I’m gonnae tell her the truth.

He opened his mouth to speak.

“Miss Lillie! There ye are! The whole castle’s been lookin’ fer ye!” Rufus yelled. Accompanied by a chorus of relieved shouts from his companions and the other searchers nearby, the children ran towards them. Lillie squealed in delight to see them, and Diarmaid shut his mouth. The moment was gone, and he ended up saying nothing.

They started out early, in fair weather, and made good time. Lillie rode side by side with Diarmaid at the head of a small party of armed men. She was almost bursting with happiness and excitement at the thought of seeing Aiden and Darragh, her beloved brothers. Not to mention Ciara, who had saved her from her first kidnapping in MacNeil Castle and then married Aiden. And Lara, who had also been kidnapped by Ciara MacNeal’s father and was now married to Darragh. And Hannah of course, her dear friend.

It would seem strange to be home again at Castle MacDonald again now she was so used to being Lady Kincaid. It had been almost a month since she had seen them all, and so much had happened since then. She knew they had all been worrying terribly about her during her disappearance.

Yet there was one cloud on her sunny horizon, and it concerned Diarmaid’s somewhat puzzling demeanor. Since they had got back to the castle the day before and the search for her had been called off, he had been alternately loving and affectionate and very subdued and distracted, as if something was on his mind.

During the evening, there had been times when she had spoken to him but he had appeared not to have heard her, and she had been forced to repeat herself. At other times, she had found him staring fixedly at her, only to smile and gaze at her almost wistfully when she caught him. He had made love to her with an intensity that gave the impression it was his last day on Earth. Not that she was complaining, but still…

However, her own preoccupation with going home had caused her to smooth over the wrinkle of concern she had been feeling, and they had fallen asleep in each other’s arms as usual.

Morning preparations had kept them both busy, but since they had been out on the road after a hasty breakfast, his peculiar behavior was becoming impossible to dismiss.

In her excitement, she had naturally been trying to engage him in conversation throughout the journey, to make him laugh and joke with her as usual. But though he always acknowledged her, his replies were limited to a few words, accompanied by a smile and a languishing look that was quite unlike him. It was bizarre.