Page 6 of Kilted Sins

Laird MacDonald, on the other hand, could have been a common—if handsome—soldier, with his tousled dark hair and the jagged scar that ran from his left brow all the way to his cheek. He looked like a man forged for battle, from the sharpness of his nose and jaw to his large hands, the skin calloused by years of training with a sword.

“The pleasure is all mine, Miss MacLeod,” said Duncan with a smile. “It was about time we had a breath of fresh air in this castle. Life becomes incredibly dull when one spends most o’ one’s time surrounded by men who converse exclusively about diplomacy and war.”

Despite herself, Enya smiled, intrigued by this man. From the corner of her eye, she saw Archibald roll his as though unimpressed by his friend’s comments.

“Miss MacLeod, please take a seat,” said Laird MacDonald in a tone so gentle that at first Enya didn’t know who had spoken. For a brief moment, she stared at him in surprise, before she slowly made her way over to his desk to sit across from him—and then she saw it. Right there, next to all his important documents, was an inkwell filled to the brim with ink. “I wished tae apologize fer last night. It is nae excuse fer me behavior, but⁠—”

Enya hardly listened to anything Laird MacDonald said, too focused on her task as she swept her arm over the desk while sitting down, effectively spilling the ink all over the laird’s documents. Immediately, Laird MacDonald shot up from his seat with a cry, desperately grabbing whatever papers he could before they were soaked in the ink, as Archibald rushed to help him. Duncan’s inaction didn’t escape Enya’s notice, nor did the smirk that spread over his lips as he watched his two friends battle the ink with everything they could—their bare hands, their sleeves, scrap pieces of paper, all of it drenched in black.

“Och, I apologize, I am so clumsy sometimes,” she gave a false apology while trying her best not to laugh at the mess.

It didn’t take long for Laird MacDonald to give up, though, after salvaging what little he could. When he realized there was simply too much ink for him to save anything else, he took a deep, shaky breath and stared at Enya from under his brows, his grey eyes boring right through her.

“What ye have done?” he asked, his voice a growl so low she could barely hear him. “All these documents… ruined! Dae ye understand how much time ye have wasted me?”

When Enya did nothing but stare with false regret, Laird MacDonald slammed his palms on his desk, the wood creaking with the force of the blow. At the sudden sound, both Enya and Archibald jumped, startled, Enya’s fingers curling instinctively around the armrest of her chair.

“Dae ye have naething tae say?” Laird MacDonald demanded.

Enya hesitated for a moment. “Dinnae ye have copies, me laird,” she said then, this time entirely unapologetic.

“I have nae copies!” Laird MacDonald roared, losing all his composure within moments. “I only just wrote these!”

Enya had to fight back a smile at the sight of the man enraged like this, a vein pulsing in his forehead, his eyes almost bulging out of his skull with disbelief at her unapologetic manner. So far, her plan was going well. She simply had to infuriate him as much as possible. “’Tis good tae make some. Ye never ken what may happen.”

“Naething would have happened had ye been more careful,” said the laird.

“Cillian… ‘twas a mere accident,” said Archibald gently, placing a hand on Laird MacDonald’s shoulder. “I remember the plans. I’m sure ye remember them, too. We will simply write everythin’ down again an’—”

“Dinnae patronize me,” Laird MacDonald hissed as he turned his glare to Archibald. It was only then that Enya felt a pang of guilt, as not only was Archibald innocent in this, but he also seemed like a kind man. The last thing Enya wanted was to get him in trouble, but what other choice did she have? She had to make sure Laird MacDonald would hate her. “Look at the mess, Archibald! Look!”

“I am lookin’,” said Archibald with a weary sigh, a hand coming up to thread through his blonde hair. “I understand why ye’re upset but⁠—”

“Upset?” asked Laird MacDonald, his gaze turning almost murderous as he glared at Archibald. “Upset doesnae even begin tae describe what I am!”

Looking at Laird MacDonald, covered as he was from head to toe in ink, his face a deep shade of red as his fury bubbled out of him, Enya had to stifle a laugh. After his treatment of her the previous day, he deserved this and more, and Enya could only find amusement in his anger.

“Ye shouldnae be so angry, me laird,” said Enya calmly, almost foolishly, as she gave him an innocent smile. “It isnae good fer yer health an’ it doesnae become a man o’ yer rank.”

It was that which infuriated Laird MacDonald past any reason, and everyone in the room seemed to sense it. Archibald took a step forward and even Duncan stood a little straighter, his hawk-like gaze watching the two of them carefully.

“Miss MacLeod, perhaps it would be best if we left the laird in peace fer a while,” said Archibald, but Laird MacDonald was not as diplomatic in his response.

“Get out!” he roared, pointing at the door.

“But I wished tae speak with ye⁠—”

“I said get out!” he repeated. “An’ never come back in here. Ye’re nae welcome in this room!”

Though Archibald gave Enya an apologetic look, he didn’t dare speak another word, and neither did Duncan. It suited Enya just fine, though. She had already finished her task for the day, and she had angered the laird to the point of not only madness, but incredible rudeness, just as she had planned. With her goal achieved, she didn’t have to spend another moment in that room.

Standing, she gave the men a curtsy and once again, she acted as though she was entirely oblivious to the issue, as though she hadn’t heard a single thing Laird MacDonald had told her. “As ye wish, me laird. I will come back tae see ye later.”

With that, she left the room, closing the door behind her. Almost immediately, a crash echoed from the other side of the door, as if someone had thrown everything on the desk down to the floor.

It took Enya plenty of effort to muffle her giggles once more, but once she was a safe distance away, she laughed and laughed and laughed.

CHAPTER FOUR