Chapter 18
“I’ll be home soon,” Daniel promised as he oversaw the packing of cases onto the back of the carriage that he and Darragh would be sharing on their trip to one of their allies.
“I understand,” Melissa said in a slightly sulky tone, pouting like a child that had not gotten her way. She hated being alone, even more so now that she and Daniel and just begun to connect. His absence from the castle would provide her with far too many hours to brood.
“Ye can visit Beitris or even Avery while I’m away.” He laughed when he caught sight of the pout on her lips.
Her irritation grew quickly again when she realized he was laughing at the way she was acting. “I can entertain myself, thank you very much. I am a grown woman, after all.”
“Aye, that ye are.” He lowered his voice as he took a step toward her. “Perhaps we can finish yer training once me business with the other laird has been settled,” he said in a low voice that only she could hear.
“I may just surprise you with a few moves of my own,” she whispered back before checking to see that all of the servants had left them alone.
His lips curled into a smile as he placed his forefinger under her chin and tilted her face toward his until their lips were almost touching.
Parting her lips slightly so that her breath could escape, she waited in anticipation for the kiss as her heart began to pound in her chest. There was something incredibly attractive in the way he held her gaze and confidently asserted his dominance over her.
She never thought she’d be comfortable with a man as confident as Daniel, yet their relationship was proving to be exciting for her.
“I’ll take that as a challenge for when I get back,” he growled against her lips as their bodies drew closer.
Melissa could feel the tension changing between them as their bodies softened and melted into one another. His eyes suddenly took on a tender quality that she’d never seen before.
“I want ye to be safe until I return,” he whispered, his lips lightly brushing against hers. He gently gripped her forearms. “Dinnae get yerself into any trouble.”
“I highly doubt there will any trouble when you aren’t around,” she shot back in a sultry tone. “I only ever get into trouble when you are in the vicinity.” She parted her lips even further and waited for him to respond as his hot breath mingled with hers.
“I beg yer pardon, Me Laird.” Ewan coughed into his fist.
“What is it, man?” Daniel barked at him as Melissa jumped back, feeling guilty for displaying so much affection and passion in the open, where everyone could see what they were doing.
“Everything is ready an’ packed,” Ewan said as he winced away from him. “Laird Ramsay is already waiting for ye, Me Laird,” he said respectfully as tiny beads of perspiration began to form on his brow.
“Very well.” Daniel’s mannerisms changed back to the harsh demeanor that he seemed to use on everyone else. “I’ll be back soon.” He looked into Melissa’s eyes as if he wanted to continue what they had started.
“I’ll be waiting for you here,” she said and attempted a smile to lighten the mood. His advances on her had wiped the pout off her face and made her realize that he needed to go.
“Aye.” Daniel returned her smile and winked before walking past Ewan and climbing into the carriage.
Melissa noticed how Ewan seemed to squirrel away whenever Daniel passed by or paid him the slightest bit of attention.
She hadn’t spent time with the man or even said more than a ‘good day’ and ‘goodbye’ to him, but there was something about his oily demeanor that made her skin crawl.
His unkempt beard and messy hair looked as if they hadn’t been washed in quite a few days.
The sound of horses’ hooves beating on the gravel drew her attention back to the carriage as it jolted forward and began its journey down the winding road that led away from the castle.
Heaving a heavy sigh, she watched the man she loved leave her behind as she warred with her conflicted feelings and the fact that she did not know if he loved her back.
His possessive nature and the strong passion he displayed toward her made her think that it was a possibility, but he was a notorious rake.
“Oh!” She turned around, startled by the smiling face of Ewan McCollin. “Was there something you needed?” she asked when he continued to smile at her with a creepy look in his eyes that set her nerves on edge.
“Just wondering if ye needed me assistance for anything, Me Lady.” Ewan gave her a dashing smile with his crooked teeth, which had the opposite effect than what she assumed he had intended.
“No…” she said hesitantly as she wondered what the strange man had in mind.
She hadn’t really thought much of him on the day they had met in the orchards, and she hadn’t had the occasion to chat with him since.
“I think I am all set for now,” she added as she took a step forward with the intention of leaving.
“It’s just…” He quickly moved in front of her, blocking her way. “It’s just that the Laird has given me strict instructions to look out for yer well-being, Me Lady. I am therefore at yer service should ye need anything at all.”
Melissa found it strange that Daniel would have asked the man to look out for her when he hadn’t seemed to like him at all. “Like I said, I think I am all set for now,” she reiterated and took another step forward in an attempt to get her point across.
“Were ye nae intending on paying yer sister a visit?” He matched her step and blocked her path once again.
“Because if ye were, I think I should accompany ye on yer ride, in case anything was to happen to ye along the way. It’s best to have a man at yer side in the highlands,” he explained with a wink that made her stomach churn.
Melissa realized for the first time that his mustache boasted a variety of crumbs, whether they were there from breakfast or a few days prior, she didn’t know. All she knew was that she wanted to get as far away from the man as possible.
“I think I’ll actually go and pay Beitris a visit,” she said in a firm tone, hoping to convey her intentions.
“Lady Ramsay’s castle is a bit far. I think I’ll leave that visit for tomorrow,” she finished and began to walk in the direction of the cottage, not giving him another chance to block her way.
She winced inside when she heard his hurried footsteps coming up from behind.
“Surely you do not need to accompany me to the healer’s cottage,” she almost snapped when he caught up to her.
“Nae, Me Lady,” he responded quickly, almost panting from the short sprint he had done to catch up. “I feel it is part of me duty to inform ye that Beitris isnae in her cottage today.”
“Where is she, then?” She stopped and looked him in the eye, feeling her annoyance growing exponentially with the curious man.
“She’s gone to pay the villagers a visit, Me Lady,” Ewan quickly explained. “She goes down every so often to ensure that people who cannae come up to her cottage dinnae need her help.”
“Very well,” she said with a shake of her head, accepting his explanation. It made sense that Beitris would do something like that. “I guess I will go and ask for a carriage to take me to Lady Ramsay’s castle then, after all.” She turned around and began to walk back to the castle.
“Me Lady!” Ewan called after her as he once again ran to keep up with her hurried strides.
“What is it now?” she snapped at the man in the same manner that Daniel had done.
Ewan looked slightly sheepish as he stopped at her side, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “Me Laird has taken the carriage with Laird Ramsay.”
“Surely there is more than one carriage available at the castle?” she asked with a frown.
“I beg yer pardon, Me Lady,” he began again. “What I meant to say was that Me Laird took the only working carriage at present, the other is currently having one of the wheels replaced. I was told that this will take several days.”
“Fine,” she huffed as shut her eyes and shook her head. “I guess I’ll go and find something to do inside the castle.” The day was shaping up to be far more tiring than she’d hoped it would be.
“If ye would allow me to give ye another suggestion, Me Lady,” Ewan said in a kinder voice. “It is possible for me to take ye there with one of the wagons instead of a carriage. It willnae be as comfortable as what yer used to, but ye will at least be able to see yer sister.”
Feeling slightly guilty at the way she was treating the man when it seemed as if he wanted nothing more than to help her, she decided to put her aversion aside and accept his help. “Thank you,” she said with a forced smile. “I would be very grateful if you escorted me to Lady Ramsay’s castle.”
“At once, Me Lady.” He seemed to perk up as he trotted away toward the castle, but not before calling over his shoulder, “I will meet ye in front of the castle in just a few minutes with the wagon.”
Melissa watched Ewan go, happily running away as he went to fetch the cart. It suddenly occurred to her that she’d have to spend a few hours with him chattering in her ear, but she realized that it was far too late to back out now. She’d be spending the afternoon with Ewan McCollin.
The cart rattled over some rocks in the road as Melissa held on for dear life. They had been traveling for a few hours, and she hadn’t recognized any of the scenery that they had passed. She was beginning to wonder if they were headed to Darragh’s castle, at all.
“Are you sure we are headed in the right direction?” she asked as her fingers gripped the wooden bench beneath her bottom.
“Aye,” Ewan said happily as he urged the horses between a few trees. “This is a shorter way to the castle. I never use the usual way meself. There are fewer travelers in these parts.”
“It doesn’t look that safe to me,” she complained as she glanced around at the passing trees and hidden caves that naturally formed from the rockeries in the forest.