Page 28 of A Laird and a Gentleman

“You promise to keep your word?” she asked in a hopeful voice.

“I will never break a promise to you, Mariam.”

An emotion so big, it took her off guard filled Mariam. Not only had he listened to her plea, but he would respect her wishes as well. No other man had ever done that for her. Joy, pleasure, triumph burst inside as she stepped forward, rose up on her toes, and kissed Cameron’s lips before she realized what she was doing. Instantly heat warmed her cheeks. She stepped back. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to. I wasn’t thinking—”

His gaze moved to her lips. “Even though I know I should not, I want to kiss you in return.”

She moved farther away. “That would not be wise.”

“Nay,” he replied. “The longer I am in your presence, the harder it is to rely on logic and discipline.”

His words set off a wistful yearning inside her. She was tempted to close the distance between them again, to pull him close once more. But neither of them could afford to lose themselves in such a way. She was his ward. He was her guardian. At the reminder, she straightened. “I should help the others.”

He frowned. “It seems we both have responsibilities we must attend to. Until this evening then.”

A warm glow moved through her at his reluctance to leave her. “Aye, until then.”

*

Outside the door of the great hall, Cameron clenched his hands at his sides and forced a slow, even breath through his teeth. With everything inside him, he fought the need to go back inside the great hall. He wanted nothing more than to sweep Mariam off her feet and take her somewhere where they could both indulge in whatever this was between them.

Mariam was a different sort of woman. She was beautiful and accomplished as so many others of her station were. Yet she also possessed an intelligence learned through the events of her life, not from any book. She did not behave with tranquil submissiveness as women were often taught. He liked that about her. He also appreciated the rebellious gleam he saw in her eyes at times, and the conspiratorial flash of a smile that appeared when the two of them found the same thing humorous.

Cameron flexed his hands, but it did nothing to release the tension in his body. When she’d kissed him, his initial response had been an overwhelming desire to pull her to him and continue to explore her lips. But he could not lose himself to his desire, no matter how desperately he might want to. Such folly would not only throw him off guard, it would also be dangerous in the situation they now found themselves.

He had appeased some of the villagers for now with his offer of restitution. Others, though satisfied with the compensation they’d received, wanted blood for blood. They’d come seeking Mariam to assuage that need. Now that John Swinton resided in his castle, it was only a matter of time before the villagers regrouped and attacked once more.

As much as he wanted to go to the Isle of May with Mariam immediately to discover her unknown past, he had a far more urgent need to remove Swinton as far away from her and his people as possible. He had no choice but to delay their intended voyage a few days. And instead of writing to the king about how to proceed, he would take Swinton with him to Falkland Palace and talk with King James in person.

Cameron’s mouth flattened. Mariam would not be pleased with his decision to put off their travel, but he would have to find a way to convince her it was for the best.

Chapter Eight

After the great hall was prepared for the evening meal, Mariam could no longer avoid the one task she’d been fearing more than any other: seeing her father. The last year had allowed her to set aside much of her past. But that all came rushing back the moment she’d come face-to-face with him again.

She could no longer pretend she was not the daughter of an evil man. All those gathered in the great hall earlier—who’d had loved ones pricked, tortured, and killed by her father—brought that truth home.

Even so, her time with Cameron and at Ravenscraig had also shown her that she was not weak. Distance had provided her time to heal, and to see herself in a different light. Nessie had also helped her realize she might be her father’s daughter, but she was also her mother’s. She chose to believe her mother was filled with enough goodness to balance out the bad she might have inherited from her father. That thought gave her the courage to walk up the stairs to the third floor of the castle and down the hallway to the room her father occupied as Cameron’s “guest.”

At the doorway she addressed the two guardsmen. “I wish to see my father.”

The blond-haired guard she’d come to know as Orrin frowned. “M’laird said not to let you see the man alone.”

“There are things I need to discuss with him in private—as a daughter to a father. Besides, I will not be alone. You’ll both be right outside the door. Keep the door ajar if you must. A few moments are all I ask.”

The younger guard, Kyle, stepped closer. “What if he—”

“He will not harm me. I am, after all, his only child.”

Orrin’s brows knotted. “We should check with m’laird first.”

Without waiting for permission or a response, Mariam pushed the latch and opened the door. Drawing upon every scrap of fortitude she possessed, she stepped into the chamber. Despite her attempt to control her emotions, her fingers shook and her heart raced.

“Have you come to set me free or have you come to gloat?” He sat in a chair near the small hearth. At her entrance he stood, and with measured, heavy footsteps approached. Deep lines fanned from his dark eyes—eyes that bored into her own.

She stepped farther inside and left the door slightly ajar. “Why would I do either?” she asked, struggling to control the shiver in her voice. “I came to see if there was anything you needed.”

“I need nothing but to be set free.” Her father scowled as his gaze measured her from her head to her feet. “When the king hears about my imprisonment, he will be most annoyed.”