Wedded to the Twisted Highlander (Taming the Kilmartins #3)

Chapter 8

8

“ M elody, dinnae get too far ahead,” Astrid called as the sun peeked through the afternoon clouds.

“Och, she’ll be fine,” Eileen said, popping up around the rosemary bush. “Let the lass spend some of her energy. I’m sure it’s been a while since she’s been able to just be.”

Astrid couldn’t deny that fact. She couldn’t remember the last time she let Melody chase after the butterflies. A tentative peace settled in her heart as she plucked the herbs she needed for her tonic.

Although there was nothing she could do to help the Laird’s father get better, she was going to make him as comfortable as possible.

“Do ye have any ginger over there? Or perhaps some cloves?” she asked as she searched through the Marigolds and various flowering plants.

“I’ve got rosemary, thyme, and… Och, wait, here. I’ve found the chives,” Eileen said, pulling a bushel.

“Nae chives, cloves,” Astrid corrected as Melody came rushing back, her little face lighting up like the summer solstice. “They have a pungent smell.”

“What do ye do wit’ them?” Eileen asked, much to Astrid’s disappointment.

There was no way Astrid would be able to describe the herb she was looking for if Eileen had never seen it before.

“I dinnae think ye have them here,” she said. “We had them in our previous residence. I just assumed everyone did.”

“Maybe we can ask around. There are many people who are well-versed in botany around here. Maybe I can talk to Hugh or Liam.”

Astrid shook her head as if she knew exactly who Eileen was talking about. But if they knew anything about medicinal herbs, then she might have a chance to prolong her stay at McFair Castle.

“That would be wonderful. I ken of a few things that would help ease yer faither’s pain,” she said as she turned her attention to Melody, who’d been plucking the petals of a flower.

Eileen’s mood shifted. Her happy-go-lucky energy that flowed like a never-ending waterfall evaporated. Astrid glanced at her as she nodded her head toward the side doors.

The Laird stood in the doorway like a sentinel bound for war, his wide shoulders filling the frame. For a split second, Astrid wondered if she was looking at her Scottish Hercules.

“Braither,” Eileen greeted, a hint of irritation in her tone. “What brings ye out here at this hour? Arenae ye usually tied up wit’ other matters? What is it that ye always say to me? Aye, that’s right, ye dinnae have the time.”

“And I dinnae,” the Laird said as his gaze fell on Astrid.

Her heart fluttered wildly. She wondered if he could even tell. Pushing the feelings down, she tried to figure out exactly why he had such a strong effect on her. It was as if every nerve ending in her body came alive.

Caution, a small voice whispered from the deepest recesses of her mind. She shivered as if it were as loud as thunder.

Danger. That’s what it is.

Astrid studied the Laird as he crossed the garden with barely a glance in her direction. It was clear he was on a mission. For what exactly, she didn’t know.

As she plucked the last herb on her list, she noticed that he stopped at the edge of the garden. He stood staring at the tall hedge before turning abruptly and starting in the other direction.

“Should I be concerned about the Laird?” Astrid asked as she watched him stroll toward the last row of hedges and stop again.

“What does he want now?” Eileen grumbled.

She rose to her feet and wiped her hands on her apron before she strolled over to her brother.

How Astrid wished she could join her and listen to his voice again. There was something about his husky voice that sent a delicious shiver through her body. It was a sensation she’d never felt before.

“Is everything all right?” she asked as the weight of doom rested on her shoulders.

“I dinnae ken,” Eileen answered honestly as she walked away.

Feeling uneasy, Astrid glanced over at Melody. The need to have her closer was so overwhelming that she jumped up and stepped between Melody and the Laird.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Her senses were heightened as she watched Eileen like a hawk.

“Look, there’s a little ant. Do ye see it? It’s right there,” Melody said, completely oblivious to what was going on around them.

“Aye,” Astrid answered, straining her ears to hear what Eileen and her brother were talking about. For all she knew, they were talking about the weather.

However, with the Laird constantly glancing over Eileen’s shoulder at her, she started to wonder if maybe there was a spar Of interest there. After all, laird’s didn’t typically stare at anything unless it had caught their attention. But was what she noticed in the depths of his gaze desire or yearning? It was a slippery slope, one Astrid wasn’t ready to go down.

“Are ye sure this is what ye want?” she heard Eileen ask as her gaze met the Laird’s. Her heart fluttered wildly as his eyes bored into hers.

“Aye,” the Laird answered with a nod of his head. “’Tis the only way.”

Swallowing hard, Astrid tried to keep her emotions in check. After all, hadn’t he already agreed to protect her?

Her heart pounded against her ribs as she watched Eileen’s expressions shift.

The girl was as unpredictable as the weather. It was only when a wide smile split her face that Astrid let out the breath she had been holding.

“What’s goin’ on?” Astrid asked as Eileen skipped toward her.

“Melody,” Eileen called. “Did ye nae say ye wanted to learn to play the piano? I can take ye to the music room if ye want.”

“Eileen, what is goin’ on? Why are ye takin’ Melody away?” Astrid asked as the Laird approached her.

He was a formidable man, one who could strike fear in people’s hearts and intimidate lesser men in an instant. But Astrid had dealt with far worse.

“Ye had better tell me right now what is goin’ on,” she pressed. “Nay one just comes up and takes me child away. I dinnae care who ye are.”

“Melody will be safe, I give ye me word,” the Laird said.

“And what exactly is that worth, when I’m surrounded by yer people and walls?”

Astrid’s eyes flicked to Melody as Eileen escorted her to the castle. Panic shot through her as the Laird stopped inches away from her, his eyes narrowed. She glanced around, noticing the lack of armed men.

“I ken this must look a bit odd, but I needed to speak wit’ ye alone,” the Laird began.

Astrid didn’t like the turbulent feelings swirling within her. She felt like an animal trapped in a hunter’s pit with no way out.

“And ye couldnae have asked me to come to yer study? Ye have to take Melody from me…” Her eyes widened. “He’s here, is he nae?”

“Who?”

“Laird Chalium,” she whimpered.

“He’s nae here. ‘Tis just ye and me. But now that ye brought him up, I have a proposition for ye.”

“I’ll nae return to him. And I swear to ye, I’ll get Melody. Nay matter where ye take her, I’ll find her. Ye’ll nae keep me from her.”

“Easy,” the Laird said in a soothing voice that made Astrid question his motives. Surely he’d concocted some vile plan. “I have nay intention of keepin’ ye from Melody. I did, however, agree to keep ye safe. It seems that Laird Chalium has summoned ye.”

“I kenned it,” Astrid said, hiking her skirt, ready to run.

But before she could take off, the Laird’s hand fell on her shoulder.

“Be still,” he said in such a harsh tone that she froze.

She stared at him, fighting back tears as she considered where she could run next. There wasn’t a place in all of Scotland where Laird Chalium wouldn’t find her. No, if she was to really break free from him, she was going to have to disappear.

The Laird’s voice faded in the background as her mind skipped and danced over various plans and courses of action. If Laird Chalium was aware of her presence at McFair Castle, then that was the last place she wanted to be.

“So? What says ye?” the Laird asked as he stepped back.

The question hung between them and pulled Astrid out of the bowels of her thoughts.

“I’ll nae go back,” she answered, much to the Laird’s irritation.

He pressed his lips into a tight line. “Aye, ye’ve made that clear,” he said. “And I have nay intention of lettin’ Chalium touch ye or Melody ever again. Then we have a deal. I’ll have the paperwork drawn up. We can have all this behind us by nightfall if ye’re so inclined.”

Astrid’s thoughts skipped like a stone over a placid lake. She understood that something had just taken place, but what, exactly, she wasn’t certain.

Judging by the confident air around Laird McFair, they seemed to have struck another deal. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he gave her a sharp nod.

“I’ll ensure that everything is taken care of,” he continued. She stood there, bewildered and stupefied. “And I’ll have Melody returned to ye now that we’ve come to an understanding.”

Understanding? What happened?

Astrid wasn’t sure. All she knew was that the fear that had festered within her seemed to be draining from her like muddy water down a clear creek. She watched as the Laird disappeared into the castle, and seconds later, Melody came rushing out.

“Is it true?” Melody asked.

The question only drove home the point that something had taken place between Astrid and the Laird and that she still didn’t know what it had been about. All she knew was that Melody was once again at her side, and that was all that mattered.

“Is what true?” Astrid asked back.

“That ye’ve agreed to marry Laird McFair!” Melody squealed as she clapped her little hands together.

Astrid’s heart dropped and continued to plummet as if it were a stone in a bottomless pit.

“What?”