Page 17 of In Bed with a Highland Liar

“If she wanted ye dead, ye would be,” Cameron said, drawing a frustrated growl out of Aaden.

It took Aaden several hours to get over the shock of the arrow flying by his face, but eventually, he decided there was no point in holding a grudge. Lilith wouldn’t apologize to him, Cameron had already told him what he thought, and if anyone else had found out, they surely didn’t think to comment on Aaden’s miraculous escape and survival.

Now, more than ever before, he was determined to get what he wanted from Lilith. She was so sure of herself, so certain that Aaden was nothing but a philanderer who wasn’t worth her time or affections, and Aaden was determined to prove her wrong just so that he could show her she wasn’t as hard to get as she wanted to think. Besides, until Aaden came up with a better plan to save his mother, he had no choice but to do as Ruadh commanded.

In the end, they all caved. In the end, Aaden always got what he wanted, simply because he was determined to work for it.

Dinner with the Stewarts was a lengthy and awkward affair. Though Cameron wasn’t there that night to glare at Evander, Aaden still had to hear his cousin and Freya whisper to each other, surely professing their undying love, while Laird Stewart sat at the head of the table, his gaze never leaving the two of them. He didn’t seem to trust Evander at all, and Aaden couldn’t blame him for it. After all, he was right to suspect his motives.

On the other hand, he didn’t seem to hold any suspicion for Aaden, or if he did, he certainly didn’t care. Aaden couldn’t blame him for that either. Why would he worry when Lilith was so good at thwarting all his attempts, when she had made it so clear to everyone that she wanted nothing to do with him?

It was only towards the end of the dinner that Laird Stewart turned his attention to Aaden, forcing his lips into a facsimile of a smile. “Is everythin’ tae yer likin’ here, lad? Is there anythin’ ye need?”

Whether the laird truly cared to know or if he was trying to start a conversation just for the sake of it, Aaden didn’t know. Either way, he smiled politely and nodded. “Och aye. Everythin’ is great, me laird.”

“I’m glad tae hear it,” the man said and the briefly glanced at Lilith, who refused to meet her father’s gaze. “An’ me daughter? I dinnae see ye spend much time together.”

“I am busy, faither,” Lilith said then, before Aaden could even think to answer. “I dinnae have the luxury tae entertain our guests an’ besides, Freya is more than adept at that.”

“An’ what is it, dear daughter, that is so important that it must be done while our guests are here?” Laird Stewart asked. Trapped as Aaden was between them, he had no choice but to stare down at his plate and wait for this conversation to end, the entire time wondering why they couldn’t have it in private. “I think yer sister has plenty tae dae with Evander. Aaden must be quite lonely. Are ye nae lonely, Aaden?”

As much as he didn’t want to answer that question, Aaden saw this as his chance to push Lilith a little. If her father instructed her to spend more time with him, then perhaps she would finally listen.

“I cannae say I am lonely,” he said with a small shrug. “Cameron has been a gracious host, too. But it would be nice tae spend more time with Miss Stewart, as both me cousin an’ Cameron are often busy an’ I dinnae ken any other people in the castle.”

“I’m sure ye can meet them,” Lilith said with chilly politeness. “A maid or two perhaps?”

“Lilith. That’s quite enough.”

Laird Stewart’s voice, though quiet, carried the kind of authority that no one could refuse. For the first time ever since Aaden had gotten to that castle, he saw her lower her gaze in shame, as though a quiet reprimand from her father was all it took to silence her.

Undeterred, Aaden looked at her with a smile and said, “I’d rather have ye as company.”

Though Lilith glared at him from the corner of her eye, Aaden could tell her father was pleased. She wasn’t the only one he was trying to impress. If he could impress her father, then all this would surely be easier for him.

Aaden exchanged no more words with Lilith during dinner, but rather made small talk with the laird, getting to know more about the Stewarts and their lands. Whenever Laird Stewart asked him questions about his own clan and his family, Aaden responded as vaguely as possible while still satisfying the man’s curiosity, never giving too much away.

To his relief, Evander was too busy with Freya to even listen to them as they talked. By the end of the dinner, Laird Stewart had taken a liking to Aaden, Evander had managed to get Freya even more enamored with him—if that was even possible—and Lilith was stewing in her anger as she listened to them in silence.

When dinner finished and Laird Stewart started heading to his study, Evander followed close behind, claiming he needed to speak with him in private once more. Aaden decided to follow the two girls to the drawing room, having nothing better to do. For a moment, he considered seeking out Cameron, but it was better to spend as much time near Lilith on their own as he could, he figured. Maybe if he treated her like a spooked animal, trying to get her used to his presence, she would change her attitude towards him.

Aaden took a seat on a grand, velvet couch under a large set of windows that overlooked the courtyard and Freya made to sit across from him, but Lilith shook her head.

“Ye must practice first,” she said, beckoning her closer. “Ye still havenae memorized the steps.”

Aaden wondered what she was talking about as the two girls stood side by side.

“Must I practice every day?” Freya said, dragging her feet as she moved. It didn’t take long for Aaden to see that what they were about to practice was a dance, the two of them assuming the starting position. “I’m sure I will remember when the time comes.”

“The ball will be soon,” Lilith said, much to Aaden’s surprise. He didn’t know there was going to be a ball, though perhaps it would be to honor the two marriages they were expecting. “An’ ye will be asked tae dance, so ye must ken the steps.”

“Ye dinnae ken how tae dance?” Aaden asked, eyebrows raised up to his hairline in surprise. He would have thought that if one of the sisters didn’t know how to dance, it would be Lilith, not Freya.

“I never learnt,” said Freya.

“She never paid attention,” said Lilith at the same time.

Aaden chuckled, trying to stifle the sound when he received a scathing look from Freya, one that made her look eerily like her sister. For a moment, it was as though there were two Liliths in front of him and that thought filled him with dread.