Page 107 of Ruined By the Ruthless Highlander
She lifted her chin slightly, holding herself perfectly straight as though the man’s appearance hardly bothered her. And yet, her once-rosy cheeks had gone pale as parchment.
Lachlan frowned. “Was it he who sent ye here?”
Marian’s eyelids fluttered. “Yes,” she whispered.
Lachlan’s expression turned cold. He glanced out the window, his jaw clenching slightly as he took in Lord Norton’s smug posture and the manner in which he was speaking to Finn.
Cunnin’ bastard.
The man had sent a young lady unguarded on a dangerous journey into the Highlands, with a damned deed and a claim she couldn’t win. And now that the claim had fallen through, he had the nerve to set foot into MacLeod lands.
To take her away.
Lachlan’s hands balled into fists by his sides.
“I’ll have him sent off at once,” he said, turning toward the door.
Marian’s hand shot out, catching his arm. “Wait.”
Lachlan paused, looking back at her. Something in her expression made his chest tighten, though he did not know what it was.
Does she still wish to leave?
His protective fury instantly gave way to something a bit more somber.
“Marian…” His voice softened despite the tension coiling through him. “Ye daenae have to see him if ye daenae wish to.” He stepped closer until he was right in front of her again.
She swallowed. “Lachlan, I…” She hesitated, her fingers tightening around his sleeve. “I do not know why he is here.”
Lachlan’s breathing slowed. He searched her face for a moment, his frown softening as he stared into her blue eyes. A stray strand of hair had fallen onto her forehead, and he reached out gently, tucking it behind her ear.
His hand lingered there, brushing her cheek slightly, and some of the color returned to her face.
“The Crown has voided yer claim,” he said quietly, his chest heavy. “And yer uncle has come to bring ye back to England.”
Marian’s eyebrows drew together, as though she had not considered the notion until he voiced it. Her gaze wavered, and she looked away from him, her shoulders dropping slightly.
“Perhaps,” she whispered.
Lachlan’s hand fell away, and he swallowed.
Earlier, when he had asked if she still wished to leave for England, she had not given him an answer. And now, even as he stared into her blue eyes, he had no way to know what she would truly do.
His jaw clenched.
Marian turned once again to look out the window, and he held his breath without realizing it, his shoulders tensing.
There is naught left to do.
“Very well, then,” he said, his voice rougher than he had intended. “Ye shall meet with him.” He turned toward the door, then hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “I’ll be in me study, Marian… should ye need me.”
Marian sighed.
The last thing she had expected today was for her uncle to suddenly show up at Glen Carrick. But even that barely rivaled the moment she had shared with Lachlan and the question he had asked her afterward.
Her mind was an emotional whirlwind.
She went into her bedchamber first, changing out of her dress and into a fresh one in a flimsy attempt to rid herself of any traces of the impropriety she had allowed herself to indulge in.
