Chapter 13
The silence in the room after Laura's dramatic exit felt deafening.
"Well, that was entertainin'," Aisla commented, and there was definitely laughter in her voice now.
Maia stared at the closed door, her heart still racing, her mind spinning with the enormity of what she'd just done. She'd lied. Boldly, brazenly lied to a woman who clearly had expectations regarding Ewan, and now—
Maia's face burned with embarrassment. She covered her cheeks with her hands, mortified. "I cannae believe I just, I dinnae mean to, it just came out!"
"Ye told Lady Laura ye're betrothed to the laird," Aisla said helpfully, as if Maia might have forgotten in the last thirty seconds.
"I ken what I said!" Maia wanted to sink through the floor. What had possessed her? She'd stood there in front of two strangers and a child and claimed to be engaged to a man who'd kidnapped her. A man who was only keeping her here as leverage against her uncle.
Though even as the embarrassment flooded through her, even as she wished she could take the words back—
She didn't regret them.
Not if it meant standing up for that little boy. Not if it meant stopping Laura from threatening him with the same isolation, the same imprisonment that Maia had endured for six years.
She'd do it again. Even knowing the consequences. Even knowing she'd have to explain this disaster to Ewan.
"Are ye really goin' to marry me uncle?"
The small, hopeful voice made Maia's stomach drop.
She lowered her hands to find Kian standing right in front of her, his dark eyes, so like Ewan's, wide with excitement. He was practically vibrating with energy, a huge smile on his young face.
"I—" Maia's throat tightened. "Kian, I—"
"I'm Kian," the boy said, as if she hadn't just used his name. "Kian Byrne. Me faither is raisin' me 'cause me parents died when I was wee. He's me cousin but he says I can call him Faither. And ye're goin' to be me new maither!"
"Oh nay," Maia whispered. "Nay, sweetheart, I—"
"Ye're so much nicer than Lady Laura," Kian continued, completely oblivious to Maia's distress.
"She's always tellin' me to be quiet and to stop runnin' and to act more like a proper heir.
But faither says I'm perfect just the way I am, and I think ye'll say that too because ye stood up to her and told her she's wrong! "
The pure joy on his face made Maia want to cry.
"Kian," she started gently, trying to find words that wouldn't crush that happiness. "I need to explain somethin'—"
"Can I call ye Maither? Or should I call ye Maia first and then Maither after the weddin'? Leon says I should call ye 'me lady' but that sounds too formal for someone who's goin' to be me maither, daenae ye think?"
Maia looked helplessly at Aisla, silently begging for help.
Aisla's expression had softened, sympathy replacing amusement. "Kian, why daenae ye run along and let Maia get settled? She's had a long journey."
"But I want to talk to her!" Kian protested. "I want to tell her about the castle and show her all the best places to explore and introduce her to me pony."
"Later," Aisla said firmly. "Give her some time to rest first, aye? Ye can talk to her at supper."
Kian's face fell slightly, but he nodded. "Aye, all right. But ye'll come to supper, will ye nae?" He looked back at Maia earnestly. "faither usually eats in the great hall, and ye can sit next to him since ye're betrothed, and I can sit on yer other side."
"Kian." Aisla's voice held a warning note.
"Fine, fine, I'm goin'!" The boy gave Maia one last brilliant smile.
Then he was gone, running out of the room with the boundless energy of childhood, leaving Maia feeling like she'd been trampled by a very small, very enthusiastic horse.
"Oh God," Maia breathed, sinking back into her chair. "Oh God, what have I done?"
"Ye've made a wee boy very happy," Aisla observed. "Though I suspect ye've also created a rather complicated situation for yerself."
"I have to tell Ewan." Maia's hands twisted in her lap. "I have to tell him what I said and apologize and…he's goin' to be so angry."
"Possibly," Aisla agreed. "Or possibly he'll see the humor in it. The laird has a complicated relationship with Lady Laura. She's been pesterin' him for years, tryin' to convince him to marry her."
"She said he wants her."
"She's delusional." Aisla's tone was flat. "The laird has made it abundantly clear he's nae interested. But her father is on the council, so he has to tolerate her presence. Or he did, until now."
Maia looked up sharply. "What do ye mean?"
"I mean ye've just given him the perfect excuse to make her leave him alone." Aisla's smile was sly. "Hard to pursue a man who's already betrothed, isnae it?"
"But I'm nae really, we're nae actually betrothed."
"I ken that. And the laird kens that. But Laura doesnae need to ken that, does she?" Aisla leaned forward conspiratorially. "Between ye and me, I think this might work out rather well. For the laird, anyway."
Maia wasn't so sure about that. She was fairly certain Ewan would be furious with her for overstepping, for making claims she had no right to make, and for complicating an already complicated situation.
"I need to tell him," she muttered again, standing on shaky legs. "Right now. Before this gets any worse."
"He'll be in his study," Aisla said. "I'll take ye there."
"So ye actually did it."
Leon's voice was filled with barely suppressed amusement as he lounged in the chair across from Ewan's desk. "Ye actually stole away MacMahon's niece."
"Aye." Ewan didn't look up from the reports he was reviewing. "I told ye I would."
"I ken ye said ye would. I just dinnae think ye'd go through with it." Leon leaned forward, his expression turning more serious. "She's really that important to him? Important enough to make him come to terms?"
"She's the only blood relation who can challenge his claim to the lairdship.
" Ewan set down one report and picked up another, scanning the contents.
"Accordin' to their clan laws, if she marries, her husband becomes the next laird.
MacMahon's been tryin' to keep her unmarried for years.
The maid that helped me get to her told me. "
"By lockin' her in a tower." Leon's voice had gone hard. "Six years, ye said?"
"Aye."
"Christ." Leon was quiet for a moment. "That's nae right. Even for a bastard like MacMahon."
"Nay, it's nae." Ewan's jaw tightened, remembering the bars on Maia's window. The way she'd looked at the world during their ride, like she was seein' it for the first time. The pure joy on her face when she'd touched the lake water.
"So what's yer plan?" Leon asked. "Send him demands? Threaten to keep her until he meets yer terms?"
"Aye." Ewan pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill.
"I want ye to prepare a missive. Tell him we're willin' to return his niece, unharmed, in exchange for reparations for the raid.
Full compensation for the livestock, the cottages, the lives lost. And a sworn oath that he'll never set foot on McGill lands again. "
"And if he refuses?"
"Then he can consider his niece a permanent guest of Castle McGill." Ewan's voice was cold. "And we'll see how long it takes before his clan starts questionin' why their laird is lettin' his blood relation rot in enemy territory."
Leon nodded slowly. "I'll draft somethin'. Have it ready for ye to review by tonight."
"Good." Ewan turned his attention back to his reports, trying to focus on grain stores and border patrols and all the mundane details of running a clan.
But his mind kept drifting back to Maia.
To the sound of her breathless laughter when she'd spotted those deer. To the taste of her lips when he'd finally given in to temptation and kissed her.
She's a means to an end. Nothin' more.
He'd been telling himself that for two days now. Was starting to suspect it might be the biggest lie he'd ever told.
"Ewan."
Leon's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "What?"
"I asked if ye're sure about this. About keepin' her here." Leon's expression was serious now, all traces of amusement gone.
"I'm sure.”
"Just be careful," Leon said quietly. "She's MacMahon's niece. His blood. And when this is all over, she's goin' to have to go back to her clan. Ye cannae keep her."
Why nae?
The thought rose unbidden, unwanted. Ewan shoved it down ruthlessly.
"I ken what I'm doin'," he said firmly. "Now go prepare that missive. I want it sent out before—"
A knock at the door interrupted him.
"Come in," Ewan called out, grateful for the distraction from Leon's too-perceptive observations.
The door opened, and Aisla stepped in, followed by—
Maia.
She looked nervous, her hands clasped in front of her, her grey eyes wide with apprehension. The green dress looked good on her, highlighting curves that Ewan was trying very hard not to think about.
"Me laird," Aisla said, her tone carefully neutral but her eyes dancing with suppressed amusement. "Miss Maia needs to speak with ye. She says it's important."
Ewan raised an eyebrow. "Ye've only been in yer chambers for what, ten minutes? Ye cannae possibly have gotten into trouble already."
Maia flinched, and he immediately regretted the sharp tone. "I—I dinnae mean to, it just sort of happened—"
"What happened?" Ewan leaned back in his chair, studying her. She looked genuinely distressed, which made something protective stir in his chest. "Aisla, did someone bother her?"
"Ye could say that," Aisla said, and there was definitely laughter in her voice now. "Lady Laura paid a visit."
Ewan's expression darkened. "What did that woman do?"
"She was just—" Maia took a breath, then the words came tumbling out in a rush.
"She said ye wanted her and that I shouldnae get any ideas about ye, which I wouldnae anyway because I ken I'm just yer prisoner, but then Kian came in and she started sayin' terrible things to him about how she'd lock him away once she was his stepmaither and I couldnae, I just couldnae let her talk to him like that, nae after—nae after everythin'. "
"Slow down, lass." Ewan held up a hand, trying to follow her rapid-fire explanation. "What did Laura say to Kian?"
"She threatened to send him to the servants' quarters and barely let him out." Maia's hands clenched into fists. "She was goin' to do to him what me uncle did to me, and I couldnae, I wouldnae let that happen."
Something cold and furious settled in Ewan's chest. "She what?"
"And so I—" Maia's cheeks flushed red. "I told her I was yer betrothed.
That ye'd never marry her because ye were already engaged to me.
And now Kian thinks we're gettin' married and he's so excited and I cannae tell him the truth because it would break his heart and I'm so sorry, I ken I shouldnae have said it but I couldnae let her… "
She stopped abruptly, breathing hard, looking like she expected him to start shouting.
Ewan stared at her.
Then, despite himself, despite the fury at Laura's behavior and the complicated mess Maia had just created, he felt his lips twitch.
She'd claimed to be his betrothed. Had lied to Laura Nicolson's face, just to protect Kian from the same fate she'd suffered.
It was reckless. Foolish. Completely inappropriate.
It was also rather brilliant.
"Well," Leon said into the silence, his voice choked with suppressed laughter. "This just got interestin'."
Ewan shot him a quelling look, then turned his attention back to Maia. She was watching him warily, like a deer ready to bolt.
He should be angry. Should reprimand her for overstepping, for making claims she had no right to make.
But looking at her flushed face, at the defiant tilt of her chin even as she apologized, at the genuine concern for Kian in her grey eyes—
He found he wasn't angry at all.
"If ye wanted to be married to me so badly, lass," he said, keeping his voice grave though his lips wanted to curve into a smile, "ye could have thought of a better ruse than this."
Maia's mouth dropped open. "That's nae it. I was just tryin' to protect Kian!"
"Were ye now?"
"Aye!" Her cheeks flushed darker. "I daenae want to marry ye! I just couldnae let that horrible woman talk to a child that way, and it was the first thing that came to mind, and I daenae regret it!" She lifted her chin higher. "Even if ye're angry, I'd do it again."
And there it was. That fire he'd glimpsed during their journey. That core of strength beneath all her softness and chatter.
God, she was magnificent when she was defiant.
"I'm nae angry," Ewan said, and watched surprise flicker across her face.
"Ye're—ye're nae?"
"Nay." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "Laura's been pesterin' me for years. Her father's on the council, so I've had to tolerate her presence. But if ye've just given me a way to make her leave me alone..." He let the sentence trail off meaningfully.
Maia blinked. "What are ye sayin'?"
"I'm sayin' ye'll continue to pretend to be me betrothed." Ewan kept his tone matter-of-fact, as if this were a perfectly reasonable business arrangement. "At least until Laura gets the message and moves on to some other poor bastard."
"But Kian –"
"Will be told the truth eventually," Ewan said dismissively. "He's a clever lad. He'll understand."
"He'll be heartbroken!" Maia protested. "He's so excited about havin' a maither, and when he finds out I was lyin', he'll nae be fine."
"Then I suppose ye'd better figure out how to handle that, hadnae ye?" Ewan picked up his quill, signaling the conversation was over. "Since ye're the one who got us into this mess."
"But—"
"I'm busy, lass. I have work to do." He didn't look up from his papers. "Aisla will show ye back to yer chambers."
He could feel Maia's glare burning into the top of his head. Could practically hear her mentally cursing him.
"Fine," she said finally, her voice tight with frustration. "Fine! I'll figure it out meself!"
The door slammed behind her with satisfying force.
Leon waited until the sound of footsteps had faded down the corridor before he started laughing. "Ye're enjoyin' this," Leon said, his tone knowing. "Enjoyin' teasin' her, enjoyin' makin' her blush, enjoyin' the way she stands up to ye."
"She's entertainin'," Ewan admitted. "That's all."
"If ye say so."
But as Ewan returned his attention to his reports, he couldn't quite shake the image of Maia's flushed cheeks, her defiant eyes, the way she'd defended Kian without a thought for her own situation.
Or the way his chest had tightened when she'd said she was his betrothed, even knowing it was a lie.