Alastair turned stunned eyes even as William grimaced, and the English woman raised her brows. It was clear that Lain did not think before he spoke and didn’t even register a change in the air as he began to pull William away.
“Come, William, let us allow our friend to make amends. I see a bonnie lass ye havenae introduced me to before. Alastair, ye better make friends with Miss Baxendale because yer best friends like her already,” he said.
William gave them a helpless shrug even as Lain whirled him away, and just like that, Alastair was alone with the English woman. He met her gaze hesitantly, and immediately frowned at the smug look on her face.
“What are ye even doin’ here? How dae ye ken William?” he asked, knowing his voice was dripping with distrust.
She crossed her arms over her chest, and his eyes went to the creamy mounds pressed against the low neckline of her dress. His breath hitched, and he raised his gaze quickly, but she had already caught him looking, and her face was red while her eyes flamed with anger.
“My father and William are acquainted, and I am here as William’s guest. That is all you need to know, and I suggest that you curb your barbaric nature and treat me with the respect accorded your Laird’s guest,” she thundered.
Alastair had never met a more sharp-tongued woman. Did she just call him a barbarian? He was infuriated.
Barbarian? Of course, that is what she would call me. It's how they see us all.
"Aye, I am a barbarian because ye English are never barbaric yerselves," he spat bitterly.
She looked exasperated, throwing up a delicate hand.
"Oh, English this, English that. What exactly is your problem with my people?" she demanded
He stepped closer. "Me problem is that ye are an evil and self-righteous bunch. Ye think yerselves gods, as though ye were better than men like me." He pointed to enunciate each word.
She snorted derisively, "Well, I know that I am certainly better than someone who throws away all dignity just because of your flawed notions. Even if a murderous beast were to help me, I would thank it first, because it just might be misunderstood."
He laughed darkly. She certainly had a way with words, seeming never to lack what to say.
"Misunderstood? Ye think that yer people are misunderstood? Ye wee lass who's never left her faither's manor and has only just been weened. Ye need to see more of life before ye say such words to me," he spat.
Her face was so red it looked as though she might explode, her hands clenched by her sides.
"Is that so, oh wise and ancient one. If you know that I am so naive, why then do you judge me when I know nothing?" she asked, her voice full of sarcasm.
"Ye are all the same. Ye ken nothin', but ye have already decided that ye are better than me. Ye're nothin' but a self-righteous little wench," he added with venom.
For the first time, he saw her waver, and he almost felt guilty. Her fists were balled by her sides as though she meant to punch him, and for a moment he thought she would.
Instead, she yanked up her skirts and gave him a deep curtsy.
"Please excuse me, Mr. Bain," she said and walked away, headed for the balconies.
He had won the argument, but somehow he was no less distressed than she was. Indeed, he was sure he felt worse than she did. Grimacing with anger, he snatched a cup of wine from the tray of a passing servant and downed it in one go.
Bloody English lass! Me mood is ruined.
He spent the rest of the evening deeply disturbed, his conscience bothering him for how he treated her, even though he felt she deserved it. She did not meet his gaze for the rest of the feast, as though she were pointedly ignoring him.
This made him severely uncomfortable, and he could barely take his eyes off her all through the night. When the feast was over, and he retired to bed, all he could think of was her. Her bright eyes, which seemed like they could set his soul aflame, her fiery hair that he longed to run his hands through, and the creamy mounds of cleavage that her dress exposed…
He groaned at the direction of his thoughts, pressing a palm to his head in exasperation.
Lain wasnae wrong when he talked about bringing a woman to bed. It has been a while.
It had been almost a year since he had last been with a woman. It was usually at the bottom of his priorities as he was so busy with other things, and he was not the type to be flirtatious and outgoing. He was sure it was because he had put it off for so long that he was reacting to the English woman the way he was.
With his attraction to her sufficiently rationalized, he went to sleep a lot easier.
Chapter Five
Jane sat with a book in her hand. Although her eyes fixed on the pages, her mind was not on the contents. She was thinking of Alastair Bain. After their argument, she had walked away to find some air because she worried she might slap him.
A wench?! Me?!
She knew that she had called him a few choice names since they had met, but it was only because of the way he continued to address her rudely for no reason. She had done nothing to deserve his behavior, and his hatred for her was unfounded.
A frown creased her features, and she gripped the book tighter, absently flipping the page. She refused to look at him for the rest of the night, even though she felt the weight of his gaze. He was looking at her, and it made her skin tingle even though she was angry.
A blush stained her cheeks as she remembered how he had stared at her chest during their argument. It had only been a moment, but his heated gaze had felt like caresses on her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut as her face became hotter.
Shame on you, Jane, having such thoughts about a miscreant like that. He called you a wench for God's sake. Where is your dignity?
She chided herself harshly, shaking her head to try to clear her thoughts. She’d told Mary everything that had happened the next morning after the feast, and the governess had suggested that she steer clear of both Alastair and Suisan so as not to run into any trouble before she became the Lady. According to Mary, when she did become the lady, she could throw them out of the castle. However, the last thing she wanted was to become William’s wife and be insensitive to his people.
In her three days at the castle, she had learned that Lain lived there as did Alastair and even the annoying woman, Suisan. Lain had quickly become her friend and was the one who explained the living situation and the relationships of everyone in the castle. He was living in the castle because his father was the former adviser to the Laird and was William's friend. Alastair's case was almost the same, as he lived in the castle as best friend to the Laird as well but worked as William's right-hand man.
The woman, Suisan, lived in the castle because she had nowhere else to go. William's father had taken her in when she was a child because she was an orphan. Now, even though she was an adult, she still lived in the castle. A house was to be built for her to live and have her own life and family. However, things were too busy in the clan at the moment, and Suisan had never bothered anyone before.
Breakfast every morning was the only time she saw Alastair. As much as she did not want to admit it, she wished she could see more of him, even though she still felt insulted by how he had treated her. He was always brooding at the table, and though she avoided his gaze, she knew he was always looking at her.
At the table, she talked mostly with Lain, since William was always so occupied discussing essential things with Alastair. Her relationship with William was not too bad; he always greeted her and made small talk for the first five minutes of breakfast before he got lost in his conversation with Alastair. He took the time to ask if she had slept well and if she was settling in nicely, but these were only superficial conversations.
According to Lain, it was always that way, and he and Suisan had become used to talking to each other. When the conversation included everyone, it was usually because Lain butted into William and Alastair's conversation or demanded that there be no work discussions at the table that day.
<
br /> Times for the clan had been slightly difficult for a while, so Lain had not been disturbing his friends, and simply talked more to Suisan. According to him, it was because they had grown much closer over the past few months that Suisan felt threatened by Jane.
He said it with mock sorrow, as though poor Suisan had fallen in love with him, and Jane laughed. However, Suisan withdrew from the conversation at the table altogether and looked like all she wanted was for Jane to disappear. Jane knew that it was more than jealousy.
It was clear that Suisan hated her for being English, just as Alastair did. Realizing that she had not read even a sentence of her book, Jane let out an exasperated sigh and dropped it onto the floor before lying on the bed.
What do I have to do to make them accept me as a person? When I marry William, this will be my home. How can I live comfortably, not knowing how many people hate me?
That kind of life was not one she wanted to live. If she had to hide her betrothal to William to protect herself now from hate, how would it be when she married him? She sighed. She had just come to terms with marrying William, but problems continued to show.
The fact that she was attracted to his best friend was also a problem, but it was much easier to handle since Alastair hated and avoided her. As long as she continued to skirt around him, it would be fine.
A knock on her door startled her, and she shot into a sitting position. Who could it be? If it were Mary, she would knock once before entering. On the second knock, she got to her feet and rushed to the door.
She opened it, and to her surprise, William stood there with his hands held behind his back. He gave her a sweet smile even as she blinked wide-eyed back at him.
"Laird William," she curtsied quickly in greeting, "I was not expecting you," she said, touching a hand to her hair which she had thrown into a messy bun atop her head with tendrils hanging everywhere. If Mary could see her, she would probably weep with disappointment.
William chuckled at her and took a few loose strands in his fingers, trailing down their length absently before releasing them. She flinched from how close he was, wondering if he knew that he was flirting. Perhaps she had been wrong when she arrived and he did not spend time with her. From his actions now, it looked like he was interested in her after all. A blush stained her cheeks.
"Nay, ye look lovely, Jane. I am beginnin' to believe ye would look lovely in anythin'," he said, dismissing her fretting.
She smiled nervously. He was always so nice and polite, treating her as though she was a good friend. It seemed to be in his nature to be good-mannered.
"I ken I should visit ye often. I hope ye are nae disappointed in me as a betrothed. It is in yer rights that I woo ye, yet I am always busy and neglect ye," he said.
Jane softly laughed; she was unbothered by the problem he mentioned. William was so sweet and direct; there was nothing to dislike, even though he did not always give her his attention. Whenever he did, he was so sweet that it made up for everything. She wondered if she would be satisfied with his behavior if she were more attracted to him. He was simply friendly and open with her, and although some of his gestures counted as flirting, it was not as passionate as she would have liked.
"I know that you are busy, Laird William, I would never hold that against you. It's nice of you to worry about me though," she added.
He offered his arm, and she took it, allowing him to lead her down the hallway.
"Ye dinnae ken how grateful I am for how considerate ye are, but it would be shameful of me to take advantage of the fact that ye are. I deserve a scoldin'," he said.
Jane laughed again "Alright, I will scold you next time," she promised, making him laugh as well.
"How have the past few days been since ye got here? Are ye satisfied with the castle?" he asked.
She thought about it before responding. All that she did was spend her days in the bedroom he’d assigned her. She only came out for mealtimes and only had the company of Mary, and occasionally Lain, when she stepped out of her room to eat.
"Well, it is very nice here. I wish I could see more of your lands," she answered truthfully.
William nodded, "Aye, I heard that ye spend all day in yer bedroom. I apologize, I was supposed to take ye to see the villages and show ye how our people live."
He looked deeply apologetic, so she nudged him sideways, making him raise his brows at her before amusement settled on his features. She knew that she had been slightly forward by being so playful with him, but they were to be married, and formalities could be done away with. Luckily he did not seem to mind at all.
"I've told you, don't worry too much about me. You look like you have a lot to worry about already."
His eyes widened in surprise at her honesty, and for the first time since they met, he let out a hearty laugh. They made their way down to the courtyard, and she admired the stellar architecture of his castle.
"Ye are truly an interesting person, Jane. I think our marriage could be successful despite being arranged. I can nae confidently offer ye a proper romance right now since me clan is in troublesome times, but I believe we can have a good future together." They stopped in the courtyard, as he brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear before taking her hands in his.
She gave him a genuine smile and nodded. She already knew he was right, seeing as she thought the same thing, but it was comforting to hear him say it. She was just about to speak when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and found Alastair making his way into the courtyard.
When he saw them, he paused, taking in the scene with a surprised expression before he met her gaze and gave her a vicious glare. It had been days since she had looked directly at him, and now she wondered if his eyes had always been that dark. He looked at the place where her hands met William's, and his jaw ticked with rage.
She immediately wanted to detach from William, somehow feeling as though she was doing something wrong. Luckily, William released her to check where she was looking.
"Ah, Alastair, ye're finally here," he said, and to Jane's shock and horror, he slipped an arm around her waist while Alastair watched. He seemed to be oblivious to the fact that his friend hated her.
William used his hand at her waist to propel her forward until they stood before Alastair, who continued to glare at her like she was a blight on the whole land.
They definitely would riot if they found out that I was going to marry William if just seeing me with him causes such a reaction.
"Ye said ye had an important task for me?" Alastair asked William, acting like she did not exist. She did not look his way either, but stared at the wall.
William moved her, so she was standing between the two of them. Alarmed, her eyes widened.
"I need ye to show Miss Baxendale around the clan," William said brightly as though it were the best idea he'd ever had.
Both Jane and Alastair froze, meeting each other's eyes with equal amounts of panic. They began to protest at the same time. Jane turned to William, gripping his hand, which he dropped from her waist.
"William, I don't think that's such a good idea," she said even as Alastair took a step forward.
"Why would ye ask me to dae that?" Alastair looked bemused.
William placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Ye two have made amends, have ye nae? What's wrong? Ye said ye wanted to see me lands, and I have been too busy to take ye. Alastair is the next best person to dae it. I would ask Lain, but I worry he might take ye to some… questionable places," he explained. She wondered what questionable places these might be. Thinking of his character, she felt the worst would be a whorehouse, but he had no reason to take her to one of those unless there was a house of men. She blushed at the thought. Yes, it was probably best not to ask Lain.
Satisfied, he tapped her shoulder once before moving on to Alastair, touching his shoulder as he passed.
"I trust ye to take care of Miss Baxendale for me; it’s nae right that she is a guest here and
doesnae see the lands," William said and, with those words, walked away. From Alastair’s expression, it seemed that William was in the habit of dropping things on people absently and leaving them to figure things out for themselves.
All alone with Alastair, her heart thumped in her chest, and she lowered her gaze to the ground to keep him from seeing her blush. She wondered if she looked all right; her dress was elegant, but her hair was not exactly satisfactory. Despite her worries, she could not help the traitorous feeling of excitement coursing through her, and she gripped her skirts to quell her pounding heart.
She heard Alastair grunt in dissatisfaction and looked up to find him with his hand pressed to his forehead. He looked like he would rather do anything than what William had just suggested.
He dropped his hand suddenly and ended up catching her gaze. There was not any anger in his eyes at that moment, and he looked simply divine. His skin glowed in the sunlight, and she wondered how a man had such good skin. Unfortunately, it only lasted a moment as his eyes clouded over, and his expression shifted into a sneer.
Highlander’s Veiled Bride: Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance (Highland Seductresses Book 2) Page 28
