Chapter 8
The next morning, Talia entered the Great Hall hours after breakfast, which she had opted to take in her room, where she would be safe from any embarrassment. She was half expecting it to be empty, but she found Darragh sitting at the head table, looking as grim as she felt.
She almost pitied him. There were dark circles under his eyes and stubble around his chin, as if he hadn’t bothered with his usual grooming. She wondered if perhaps her words had caused his disheveled state. He hadn’t even noticed her come in. That was how deep in thought he was.
She called to a footman and requested that tea be brought before she went to him, tray in hand.
“Did ye nae sleep well, me Laird?” she asked, drawing his attention.
She flushed as his eyes roamed over her face and then her body before returning to her face.
“I see ye at least put some effort into yer appearance today,” he commented. “‘Tis good, because I have arranged for a few more suitors to arrive today.”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes at his flippancy.
She had taken great care with her appearance that morning to hide the circles that had formed beneath her eyes from the lack of sleep, but rather than say anything kind, he insisted on infuriating her.
To think she had pitied him.
She set the tea tray down on the table with more force than she had intended and turned to leave.
“Since ye have nothing kind to say to me, I will leave,” she huffed, turning away from him.
He reached out and caught her hand. “Ye cannae leave.”
“Why ever nae?” she asked.
“I told ye that suitors are comin’ to meet ye today,” he answered.
“And ye will tell them that the bride they’re looking for has chosen to lock herself in her chambers.”
“Why must things be so difficult with ye?” he asked with a frown.
“And why is kindness so difficult for ye?” she shot back. “I came to offer a truce, but ye threw it in me face.”
“Yer truce is a tray of tea and biscuits?” His lips curled into a mocking smile.
She tried not to think of how dashing he looked, smiling like that, and cleared her throat.
“I can simply take it back to the kitchens if ye daenae want it,” she declared.
“Nay, nay,” he said. “I will take it. Thank ye.”
She wrung her hands, not knowing what to do with herself as he looked at her. Then, after a short moment, she moved to pour the tea.
He accepted a cup, and they took their tea in silence.
It was not one of those uncomfortable silences where one would hurry to fill it, but one where nothing needed to be said. She wondered how she could feel such comfort with a man who annoyed her endlessly.
“Laird McGhee?” a footman called out. “Laird Douglas is here to see ye.”
“Aye, show him in,” Darragh ordered, rising to his feet. Then he turned to her. “I would thank ye to wait outside until I call for ye.”
“Why? she asked. “Is it nae me he’s here to see?”
“Aye, but I realized after yesterday’s disaster that I must screen the men beforehand,” he said. “I want to see ye married and claim me inheritance, but that doesnae mean I will subject ye to a life of suffering, Talia. I willnae let that happen to ye.”
He regarded her with such intensity that she was inclined to believe him.
“I havenae agreed to marry yet,” she reminded him.
“I ken. I just hope ye keep an open mind when ye meet them. Ye may find a man ye could love in one of them.”
I highly doubt it, she wanted to say, but kept the words to herself and walked out before the first suitor was brought in.
From her position, she could clearly hear everything that was being said, and she had a clear view of Darragh as he welcomed the suitor.
Laird Douglas was tall, as tall as Darragh but broader in an almost frightening way.
Howevern his young, handsome face added a boyish charm to his intimidating looks.
His unruly blonde locks curled and fell over his forehead in a manner she found endearing.
He was dressed fashionably, with his plaid draped over his shoulder and pinned with a gold brooch that glinted.
Perhaps he would be more tolerable than the men she had met yesterday.
“Laird McGhee,” he greeted with a short bow. “’Tis a pleasure to see ye after so many years.”
“Indeed, Laird Douglas,” Darragh answered. “‘Tis good to see ye well.”
“I must admit that yer letter came at a most auspicious time,” Laird Douglas said. “As ye would have it, I am looking for a wife.”
“And how would ye treat said wife, Laird Douglas?” Darragh asked.
His expression was stony, from what Talia could see. If she did not already fear him, she might have actually shivered at the cold look in his eyes.
“I daenae ken what ye mean by that question, Laird McGhee,” Laird Douglas answered with a frown. “I thought I was here to meet yer ward?”
“Ye will, in time. If I find yer answers satisfactory.”
He scoffed, looking insulted. “I didnae come here for an interrogation, McGhee. I was promised a wife, and I will have what I was promised.”
“Ye were promised nothing but an opportunity to meet with her, and as her guardian, it is me responsibility to ensure she is courted by a man of high standing,” Darragh clarified. “And the decision lies partly with me, as she also has a say in the matter.”
“Now I believe ye’re mad, McGhee,” Laird Douglas snickered. “Ye’re lettin’ the lass make such decisions for herself? When have ye ever ken a woman to make sound decisions? Ye disappoint me, McGhee.”
“So I assume that when ye marry, yer wife will have nay say in the runnin’ of yer household?”
“Aye,” he answered. “Her role is to bear me heirs, and if she fails to do that, I will find another lass who can do so.”
Talia reeled back in shock, wondering if perhaps she had heard wrong. Even Darragh looked taken aback. His lips were parted in shock, but soon, he schooled his features into calm.
To think she had assumed yesterday was the worst. The first question had revealed a dearth of sense in the man she had considered handsome.
Honestly, if this was the kind of men Darragh thought to introduce her to, he needed to reassess his acquaintances.
“And how many children do ye wish to have, Douglas?” Darragh asked calmly.
“Oh, as many sons as possible,” Laird Douglas answered. “I want at least six, so when the elder is sickly, there are at least six others to take his place. I daenae want any daughters. They are good for naught but breeding, and they’re expensive to maintain.”
Talia’s mouth fell open at the casual way with which he spoke the words. Was it that he didn’t think or that he didn’t care how his words would be interpreted?
She shifted her gaze to Darragh, whose face had turned stonier than she had ever seen it. Knowing him, he was barely holding back from throttling the man.
“How often do ye and yer men go to town for drinks, Douglas?” he asked. “I am curious to ken how ye entertain yerself when runnin’ yer clan gets overwhelming.”
“As a man of passion, surely ye understand the need for sport and satisfaction,” Laird Douglas replied casually, uncaring that he was speaking to the guardian of the woman he was seeking.
“Indeed.” Darragh nodded. “Tell me more. I am curious to ken how ye get yer sport and satisfaction.”
Talia grinned at the jest and turned to watch Laird Douglas lean closer, like he was about to reveal a great secret.
“I daenae need to go to the village often, but when I do, there is an inn I favor because their barmaids are by far the bonniest on me lands,” he said, keeping his voice low.
But Talia heard every word. “If ye ever visit me lands, I will introduce ye to me favorite, a little buxom thing that is very good with her—”
“What do ye think yer estate is worth now, Laird Douglas?” Darrgah cut in. “Are ye in any debt?”
“Me estate is as old as me family name. As such, we need to do some repairs to restore it to its former glory,” Laird Douglas answered with a pompous look. “I may nae have much now, but with her dowry, I will rebuild me castle and be able to employ one or two servants to help her with the work.”
Talia’s eyebrows rose in surprise. It was only because she didn’t want to draw attention to herself that she kept from scoffing.
She had met and overheard her fair share of foolish men, but never had she witnessed such blatant foolishness that she was infinitely amused.
What an entertaining morning this turned out to be.
She looked at Darragh, whose jaw was tight with probably suppressed rage. As a stickler for propriety, it must hurt him to hear this man speaking so carelessly about his title and the woman he hoped to wed.
“What about yer farmers?” Darragh asked. “Surely they pay their rent.”
“There arenae so many as to do more than put food on me table,” Laird Douglas replied with a disgusted look.
“They started by complaining about the poor harvest, like I am responsible for keeping the land fertile. Then, when I increased their rents, they started to leave. But it matters nae, for when I am wed, they will be begging to return to me lands.”
Now, Talia didn’t know whether to laugh or to feel offended that someone so insensible had been considered a suitor. She turned to look at Darragh, and even he, who usually sported a blank expression, could not hide his horror and shame.
“I believe ‘tis time ye leave, Laird Douglas,” he announced, rising to his feet. “I have heard everything I need to.”
Even if he hadn’t told the man, she was more than ready to. For someone who looked so handsome, the words that had escaped his mouth were rotten. He was by far the most disappointing man she had ever had the displeasure of seeing.
She was grateful to Darragh for making sure she was not ultimately saddled with making conversation with such a man because even from a distance, she was nearly moved to violence.
“I beg yer pardon?” Laird Douglas spluttered, rising to his feet.
“I believe I have made meself very clear,” Darragh said with a frown.
“Ye promised me a wife, McGhee!” Laird Douglas snapped.
“And ye will get nothin’ from me,” Darragh declared with a calmness that she didn’t herself capable of.
“I willnae let this insult slide, McGhee,” Laird Douglas threatened. “I willnae let ye—”
Darragh shot the man a cold look that made the words die in his throat.
Talia’s emotions hovered between amusement at seeing a large man like Laird Douglas cowed by a mere look from Darragh and admiration at how effective one look from Darragh could be.
The man stormed out of the Great Hall in a rage that amused her.
Eventually, she approached Darragh, folding her arms across her chest. As amusing as she found the situation, he didn’t seem to share her opinion, and she almost felt bad for him.
He pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and heaved a deep sigh.
“To think that was a man ye considered worthy of me hand,” she tutted, coming to lean against the table he was sitting at. “I am almost offended that ye made the decision on me behalf. I would have liked to decide for meself.”
“Leave me be, Talia,” he sighed. “I am nae in the mood to talk about it.”
“I assumed ye wouldnae be,” she said. “I would feel embarrassed as well if I had invited him. I thought ye had looked into him before inviting him here.”
“Talia,” he growled in warning.
“To think such a handsome man lacks intelligence,” she said with a mocking sigh. “Imagine if I had married him. Our children would be lucky to inherit me intelligence. I would have blamed ye endlessly had—”
“For God’s sake, woman!” he snapped, turning to her. “Can ye leave me be? I already ken how much of an odious cad he is. May I mourn the waste of time that conversation with him was?”
She stared at him for a moment, but when she saw the twitch in his lips, she was unable to contain her laughter. It spilled out of her uncontrollably.
Her shoulders quaked from the effort, and she placed a hand on her belly to steady herself. But just as her laughter began to subside, she heard a lovely sound that drew her gaze to him.
He was laughing.
Darragh was actually laughing.
Talia’s heart rate quickened as the rich sound washed over her. Satisfaction flooded her veins. She had managed to make this usually brooding man break his habit. She smiled as she watched him.
His eyes found hers, and for a moment, the hall faded away. Talia forgot the annoying man who had just left, forgot the reason she was in this castle in the first place. All she could see at that moment was Darragh as he smiled at her. Her heart fluttered in a way it never had.
She was very aware of his heat and his scent as they enveloped her, and she watched the moment his eyes began to darken. He swallowed thickly and eyed her lips, and she eyed his in turn and felt her mouth go dry.
They were full and pink, and she wondered in that moment if he wanted to kiss her and what it would feel like to be kissed by him. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and his eyes darkened even further as he followed the movement.
He leaned forward a little, and her eyes dropped. But before their lips could meet, the door to the Great Hall swung open. They both sprang apart.
“My, my,” Orlagh said, stepping into the room. “Is that me son I hear? ‘Tis nice to hear yer laugh again. Thank ye, Talia.”
Talia looked at Darragh and was sad to see the grim look he always wore. He stepped as far away from her as possible, and she found herself missing his warmth.
“Good morning, Orlagh,” she greeted, turning to smile at the woman, hoping that her disappointment didn’t show in her voice. “How are ye this fine morn’?”
“I am well,” Orlagh answered with a broad smile, her eyes darting between the two of them.
Talia kept her expression neutral, but she could feel her cheeks flushing under the woman’s scrutiny.
“Will ye show me around the castle later today, Orlagh?” she asked, trying to distract her.
“Oh,” Orlagh gasped. “Darragh hasnae taken ye on a tour of the castle yet?”
“Nay,” Talia answered, sending a rueful smile his way in the hope of brightening his mood. “He has been too busy trying to find me a husband.”
Orlagh laughed. “Ye willnae blame him for his haste, dear Talia. Ye’re a rather lovely girl. It would be a real shame to keep ye to ourselves any longer. I will miss ye terribly when ye leave. Ye’ve become like a daughter to me.”
“As I will miss ye, me Lady,” Talia told her with a smile, and she meant it.
Growing up without a mother figure, Orlagh had all but assumed the role since Talia had come to the castle. And she was grateful for the affection the woman showed her, which was a welcome thing in this strange place where she didn’t know anyone.
“Oh, do ye have to be wed so quickly?” Orlagh lamented. “I am tempted to move with ye when ye marry.”
“I will be glad to have ye,” Talia assured.
Darragh turned to her with a small smile, and she read the gratitude in his eyes. She lowered her eyes as heat spread across her cheeks, but by the time she glanced back at him, the look was gone.