Page 44 of In Bed with a Highland Liar

“I ought tae kill ye where ye stand,” said Aaden through gritted teeth, hands clenching into fists.

Ruadh laughed, as though the threat meant nothing to him. “But ye willnae, because ye’ weak. It is a wonder ye acted as such a hero, savin’ the lass when all ye are is a coward.”

Aaden’s hand flew to his knife as he started advancing towards Ruadh, but the man raised his hands as if in surrender. “Soon, I’ll have me gold an’ ye’ll have yer maither. It would be unwise tae kill me now.”

The mention of his mother gave Aaden pause once again. He had to keep reminding himself that killing Ruadh wasn’t worth it, not yet at least. Even if he didn’t care about his own life, the life of his mother was precious to Aaden and he refused to do anything that would put her in danger. Putting up with Ruadh for the rest of his stay there would be far from easy, but he had to at least appear polite in front of everyone else. If the truth was revealed, then Aaden, too, had much to lose.

“That’s right,” Ruadh said. “Ye willnae dae anythin’ that endangers yer maither, will ye?”

Aaden didn’t respond, but he didn’t need to for Ruadh to know he was right. There was nothing he could do until Ruadh had what he wanted.

“Control yer son,” Aaden spat at Ruadh for lack of anything better to say to him. “He has almost ruined this fer us both an’ Freya doesnae seem as fond o’ him as she was. Dinnae fash about me an’ what I dae… fash about Evander.”

“Me son kens what he is doin’,” Ruadh said, but his previous smugness was absent from his tone. Though he spoke confidently of Evander’s abilities to keep Freya interested in him, he didn’t seem to quite believe it.

How could he? O’ course he kens his son is failin’. He saw how Freya is treatin’ him now.

Silence stretched between them for a few long moments. Then, without saying another word, Ruadh headed back inside, leaving Aaden alone once again on the balcony. Simply having the knowledge that he had managed to rattle Ruadh brought a small smile to Aaden’s lips. It wasn’t much, but at least now Ruadh would be thinking about that for a few days.

With a sigh, Aaden rested his forearms on the ledge, staring up ahead at the dark horizon. He didn’t feel like going back to the great hall just yet—in fact, he didn’t feel like going back at all. Not only would he have to be near Ruadh again, but he would have to face Lilith once more while knowing that he was deceiving her.

I cannae continue tae lie tae her like this. But what else can I dae?

He could never tell her the truth; not if he wanted to keep her.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Rain pattered against the castle walls, turning the courtyard into a field of mud. Lilith had woken up early that morning to dress and prepare for the special day of the feast that was to be held for the two couples about to be wed—her and Aaden, and Freya and Evander. That day, though, Freya didn’t seem to be as excited as she was.

Something between her and Evander had gone terribly wrong in the past few days and Freya refused to tell Lilith what it was that had caused this fallout. Things were still tense between her and Freya, the strain of their arguments over Evander still visible in their relationship, but Lilith desperately wanted to ask her if she was alright, if there was something, anything that she could do to help her. She had reassured Freya time and time again that she didn’t have to marry Evander, but she could tell there was something that held her sister back from canceling the engagement. Whether it was a sense of duty or a fear that she was already in too deep in the relationship, Lilith didn’t know; she only knew that Freya was wasting away and there was nothing Lilith could do to stop it.

Lying on Lilith’s bed, Freya stared at the ceiling in silence while the servants helped Lilith dress. She had made no effort to get ready for the day, going as far as to refuse to let the servants help her, and she was still in her sleeping garments.

“Freya, will ye nae dress?” Lilith asked as she smoothed the deep blue fabric of her dress with her hands. It was one of the more opulent garments she had, decorated with lace and golden needlework around the sleeves, brought to her recently by her father for the specific purpose of wearing it for such an occasion. Freya had a similar dress prepared for her, draped carefully over a nearby chair.

“I will,” Freya said, though she sounded anything but excited by the prospect.

A sigh escaped Lilith as she walked over to the bed and offered her hands to her sister. Freya looked at her for a moment, remaining motionless, but then took her hands and stood.

“I thought ye would be happier today,” Lilith said. Only a few days prior, she would have been certain that Freya would be excited for this day, her wedding approaching, but after seeing how her relationship with Evander had changed, it didn’t surprise her that Freya had lost her enthusiasm.

Lilith could only hope that meant she wouldn’t go through with the wedding. There was still time for her to back down. Their father wouldn’t force it on her.

“So did I,” Freya said, lips twitching up into a small, sad smile.

Lilith, though, was entirely serious. “There is still time. Ye’re nae wedded tae him yet.”

Freya paused. Though she said nothing, Lilith knew her well enough to see that she was considering it, her eyebrows drawn into a soft frown. She prayed for her to see reason, to call the wedding off right that instant, but in the end, she only shook her head.

“I will dress fer the feast,” she said. “If ye wish tae go now, I’ll find ye soon.”

There was no point in arguing, so Lilith gave Freya’s hands one last squeeze before she let go. As she headed to the door, Freya finally allowed the servants to help her dress and forced a smile on her face as she looked at herself in the looking-glass, as though she was practicing looking jovial.

It was the first time Lilith had seen a fake smile on her sister’s face and the sight was as jarring as it was upsetting. She never had a reason to fake her joy until now that she had been snared in Evander’s net.

When Lilith entered the great hall, the guests for the feast were already gathered there. The music swelled over their conversations, the wine flowed freely, and the tables seemed to buckle under the weight of all the food that had been placed on them. Her father had spared no expense for the feast, and Lilith couldn’t imagine how much more he would spend for the one that would follow her and Freya’s weddings.

Her arrival caught the attention of everyone in the room, but most of all, it was Aaden who cut his conversation with Cameron short to stare at her as she walked through the room, his gaze never straying from her as she approached. The moment she was near enough, Aaden reached for her and pulled her close, snaking his arms around her waist, and Lilith couldn’t help but smile, her heart fluttering in her chest as though she was a young girl with her first infatuation.