Page 39 of In Bed with a Highland Liar

An’ what if he doesnae feel the same? He insists on courtin’ me but what if he, too, only seeks me fortune?

“Lilith, I⁠—”

A knock on the door interrupted Aaden. They both looked at it and then exchanged a glance, suddenly remembering where they were and what they had just done.

Lilith threw herself out of bed, gathering her clothes in a manic sprint. As she tried to put them on, there was another knock and she cursed quietly, heartbeat racing and head swimming with the fear that they would be discovered. It was bad enough that Evander had seen them together that night. If anyone walked in right at that moment, there was no hope of keeping what they had done a secret.

“Aaden?” Her father’s voice carried through the gaps in the door and made her freeze on the spot, terror washing over her like a bucket of cold water. “Yer uncle is here. He would like tae see ye.”

“One moment, please!” Aaden called and turned to Lilith, but they were both just as startled, their minds scrabbling to catch up. He gathered his own clothes and dressed haphazardly, while his gaze searched the room frantically for a hiding spot. In the end, he pointed under the bed, hissing, “Go!”

Half-dressed, Lilith grabbed what she hadn’t yet put on and crawled under the bed, making sure that nothing was sticking out of the confines of its frame. Aaden went around it, pulling down the covers at all corners to make sure she was entirely hidden, and then the mattress above her dipped as he lay on it.

“Come in,” he said, and Lilith prayed to God she wouldn’t be discovered.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Aaden was still struggling to catch his breath when the door opened, but he hoped he could blame that and the redness of his face on the pain of the injury. In his panic, he had hardly processed what Laird Stewart had told him and now that Ruadh stood there, right in front of him, his expression painted with fake concern, Aaden could hardly keep himself from scowling.

What is he doin’ here? Did he come tae see if I am succeedin’?

“Nephew!” Ruadh said, voice booming through the room. “It is good tae see that ye are well. I heard about yer encounter with the brigands an’ I had tae come see ye.”

Aaden knew there was no way Ruadh could have made it there so soon, so it could only mean he was already on his way when the attack happened. Perhaps he was even nearby, laughing delightedly when his men returned.

“Uncle,” Aaden greeted, tilting his head. “Forgive me fer stayin’ in bed, I am afraid the healer ordered me tae remain like this until the morrow.”

“Ach, nonsense,” Ruadh said, waving his hand dismissively. He was the perfect picture of a concerned guardian, so much so that he could have fooled Aaden too if he hadn’t known any better. “Stay in bed, lad. We will have plenty o’ time tae discuss everythin’ once ye recover.”

“I wasnae expectin’ ye. Tae what dae we owe the pleasure o’ yer visit?” Aaden asked, unable to hold the question back. He itched with curiosity, and if he came across as a little rude, then he could blame that, too, on the pain.

“I came tae see the brides, o’ course,” Ruadh said. “I heard Evander an’ the young Miss Stewart are very much in love. I can only hope it’s the same fer ye.”

It was a threat, no matter how well-veiled. Aaden knew what Ruadh was truly saying, but he wouldn’t get an answer as long as Laird Stewart and Lilith were in the room. It was a relief, at least, that Laird Stewart was with him. Had Ruadh thought he and Aaden were alone, he could have revealed much to Lilith while she was hiding under the bed.

“It is,” Laird Stewart said.

“It is?” Aaden asked with a frown. Despite the hushed confession Lilith had made only moments prior—the confession he hadn’t had the chance to respond to—he didn’t know if very much in love was an accurate description for what Lilith felt for him. He didn’t allow himself to get his hopes up like that.

“O’ course,” Laird Stewart said. “An’ I came tae tell ye that ye have me permission tae ask fer her hand in marriage. I cannae thank ye enough fer savin’ me daughter’s life, Aaden. If anyone deserves me daughter as his wife, it is ye. I ken ye will protect her.”

Aaden was speechless, but neither Ruadh nor Laird Stewart seemed to care, too busy congratulating each other on a match well done. He had almost completed his task. All that was left now was for Lilith to agree to this marriage, though perhaps that was more easily said than done.

Will she wish tae wed me? Or will she reject me, too?

“I kent ye two would wed the moment ye sang fer her,” Laird Stewart continued, a fond smile spreading over his lips.

“He sang fer her?” Ruadh asked. He raised his eyebrows as he spoke, and Aaden could see the effort it took him to keep the mockery at bay.

“He did,” Laird Stewart confirmed. “I used tae dae such things fer me wife, too. Crazy things just tae make her laugh. I think that’s what Lilith needs, lad. Someone tae make her laugh like that.”

“Aye,” Aaden said rather dumbly, for lack of anything better to say. It had all come as a shock to him: the sudden appearance of his uncle, the two men barging into the room, the permission to ask Lilith for her hand. He didn’t even have the chance to celebrate Read’s presence, too unnerving to allow for any sort of joy at the news.

“It seems like ye’re tired,” Laird Stewart said, misinterpreting Aaden’s surprise for weariness. “We’ll leave ye tae rest.”

For that, at least, Aaden was grateful. With the two of them gone, he could take a breath and try to make sense of everything. If he proposed to Lilith, would she agree? If she did, would that save his mother? And what would Ruadh do once the two of them were married?

“I’ll see ye soon,” Ruadh told him as he and Laird Stewart left the room. Aaden didn’t respond before the door closed, finally leaving him alone.