Page 86 of Wedded to the Devilish Highlander
He still hadn’t said a word since he had commented on her ugly crying. From time to time, the healer would check on his wounds and pour some liquid into his mouth, but it didn’t seem to change anything.
The guards remained outside the door, working in shifts, and when Eileen was in the room with her brother, there were often four of them.
She was angry, and she couldn’t work out how to solve that problem. Every time she thought about returning home—a place she must go—she felt afraid.
Something rooted her to MacLennan Castle. She felt happy there, at home, even though she hadn’t been there for long.
Oh, me goodness!
Eileen cast a glance at the healer to find her asleep in her chair. She leaned closer to her brother.
“Reid, ye’re the only one I can talk to. Ye’re the only one who properly kens me,” she murmured, quiet as a mouse. “I didnae realize it until now, but I think I’m growin’ feelings for the man I’m pretendin’ to have feelings for. Ye willnae ken any of this, but I agreed to be betrothed to him so he would help bring ye back, and he did. It’s to keep his maither and sister off his back—the council, too. I did me best to pretend so ye would be saved, but I’m nae pretendin’ anymore. I dinnae ken what it is yet, but I have some feelings for him, and the thought of goin’ back home makes me stomach twist into knots. I want to stay here and maybe…”
She sat back in her chair and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She shook her head.
Ye’re a stupid, wee lass!
She leaned in again. “I almost said somethin’ today.” She rested her hand on the dirk at her waist. “I looked him in the eyes and searched for a hint that he felt somethin’ too, but I didnae see it. He likes me, aye, and we’ve… kissed, but he doesnae like me in that way. He talked about me goin’ home and didnae even look sad about it. I’m nay longer pretendin’, but he still is. The bestthing I can do is get ye better and go home with ye and forget all about this.”
Reid said nothing. He only breathed evenly, the wheezing gone for a full day. The wound on his chest had stopped bleeding. More color had come back to his cheeks, but he still hadn’t woken. He was alive but wasn’tliving.
“What would ye do, Reid?” Eileen asked.
She knew what the old Reid would do, but she was not so sure about the new one.
Ye would take control of the situation, either way.
“Aye, that’s what I need to do,” she muttered to herself. “I cannae sit around here, waitin’ for somethin’ to happen. I need to take control of me own destiny and nae sit around, waitin’ for someone else to decide me fate. I dinnae belong to O’Gunn, and I dinnae belong to Archer, even though he’s claimed me to protect me from O’Gunn. Aye, I ken what I must do.”
She bent down and kissed her brother on the forehead.
“Thank ye, Reid. I kenned that talkin’ to ye would make me feel better.”
She got up from her chair and quietly slipped out of the room without waking the healer. Outside the door, four guards waited—two for Reid and two for her.
“Ye can follow me, but I willnae make it so easy for ye this time,” she warned with a smile.
Her guards smiled in reply.
They were good men—two of Archer’s best. She felt safe with them watching over her, even though she felt suffocated sometimes.
She walked away from them, taking the familiar path from the healer’s chambers to hers. She looked behind her and smiled to see them ten paces behind. They’d tried to remain unnoticed at the beginning, but they didn’t bother anymore. Wherever she went, they went.
Eileen slipped into her room to find Piper waiting, looking bored.
“Me Lady,” she greeted. “Any change with yer braither?”
“I need yer help,” Eileen blurted.
Piper brightened, eager for some action after not doing much over the past couple of days. “Aye, whatever ye need.”
“The last time we snuck out so easily,” Eileen began. “I need to do it again. I need to get out of the castle without bein’ seen.”
“What? Why? What for?” Piper asked.
Eileen swallowed. “Because I deserve to be happy.”
Archer sat in his study. He had the funny feeling that Eileen was purposely avoiding him. He hadn’t seen her since they’d trained together the previous morning, and he was becoming worried that she would continue to avoid him.
