Married to the Icy Highlander (Unwanted Highland Wives #3)

Chapter 8

8

B reakfast the following morning was a somber affair. Ceana had been dressed in almost total silence, which followed her as she entered the hall. She was keenly aware of the way Neil’s eyes tracked her every movement as she rounded the head table to sit at his right-hand side. However, even when she took her seat, he didn’t so much as utter a word of greeting.

“Morning, M’Laird,” she said, but he merely took a sip from his goblet instead of answering her. “Did ye sleep well?”

Nothing.

To her right sat Jeanie and a maid. The young lass was happily kicking her feet under the chair as she picked at the food on her plate. She was certainly a happy enough child as she hummed softly to herself. Her maid looked exhausted, judging by the purple bags under her eyes.

It was very obvious that Jeanie, despite her charming appearance, was a high-spirited lass. She and Ceana certainly had that in common.

“Ye must try the sugar plum pastry, Lady Ceana,” Jeanie murmured without even looking in her direction.

But Ceana was more than happy to seize any opportunity to distract herself. She needed it, with how cold her husband was toward her.

“Have a bit of a sweet tooth, do ye?” she asked as she reached for a sugar plum pastry.

“Aye! But I’m nae supposed to. Me maid says that it’ll stunt me growth and cause all of me pretty teeth to rot out,” Jeanie said with such openness that Ceana’s heart swelled.

“Which maid? This one?” Ceana asked. “I’m sorry, I didnae catch yer name…”

“Ailsa, M’Lady,” the maid answered and then muffled a yawn with the back of her hand. “Beggin’ yer pardon, M’Lady.”

“Dinnae worry about it. I can imagine that lookin’ after a child is tiring work in the late hours.”

“I can introduce ye to all of the maids now that ye’re goin’ to live here!” Jeanie interjected, seemingly oblivious to the conversation they were having.

“That would be a great idea—I certainly could use the help. It takes me a while to learn names,” Ceana answered, doing everything in her power to focus on the little girl and not the intense eyes burning holes into the back of her head. She had never felt so scrutinized before. “But yer faither and I need to have a very important discussion this morning.”

“And after? I have so many things to show ye!” Jeanie pressed as she shoved the rest of her pastry into her mouth with a wry grin.

“Smaller bites, Jeanie!” Ailsa chastised with a sigh.

Somehow, Ceana had the feeling that there was very little that Jeanie listened to unless she was of a mind to do it.

Strong-willed and headstrong. Must have gotten it from her faither.

“Aye, after. I’ll send me maid to fetch ye, all right?” Ceana offered more formally.

Jeanie held out her hand for Ceana to shake. “Agreed! Then we must prepare!” Then, she scrambled out of her chair without asking for permission and pulled her maid along with her.

Ceana had her work cut out for her, indeed.

But, with Jeanie gone, she no longer had the buffer of conversation to rely on… and had to pick uncomfortably at her food.

“Would it kill ye to look a touch more satisfied? Me men are goin’ to talk,” Neil grumbled.

He must have had enough of her silence.

“Well, if I had been satisfied properly, then I wouldnae have to pretend, would I?” Ceana muttered under her breath.

Neil pushed back his chair so quickly that she almost flinched. The sound of wood scraping across stone seemed to echo off the walls as he grabbed her by the forearm and nearly dragged her out of the main hall.

“Unhand me!” she demanded, unsure if they were being watched or if this was just the sort of treatment that she had to expect when she did or said something that the Laird didn’t like. If he thought he was going to get away with it, he was sorely mistaken.

Neil didn’t loosen his grip until they were out in the gardens. He glanced around once to make sure they were alone before releasing her abruptly.

Ceana had leaned a touch too far into the gesture and nearly stumbled, but she managed to catch herself at the very last minute.

“Ye will keep a civil tongue, woman!” Neil commanded, his eyes flashing with that fire that made her hot and bothered. “Ye willnae speak to me like that again. If ye have something to say, ye will do it in private.”

“Or what?” Ceana scoffed. “Ye’ll drag me around like a doll through yer castle?”

“Ye dinnae want to ken what I will do to ensure that ye behave yerself,” he said with a smirk.

It shouldn’t affect her in the way it did. Her cheeks flushed with shame, for she didn’t exactly hate the way he was speaking to her like she ought to.

“If ye wanted a meek, obedient wife, then ye shouldnae have married me!”

“But I did. Though I ken who yer heart wants!” He glared at her.

Every inch of her being wanted nothing more than for him to scoop her back up into his arms and finish what they had started. She had lain in bed all night, tossing and turning with all the memories of his touch and the way things could have ended had that damned letter not fallen out of her skirts. It wasn’t fair that he had jumped to such conclusions.

“Ye dinnae ken a single thing about me!” Ceana spat back, matching every bit of his venom.

Words hung on the tip of Neil’s tongue—things that he wanted to shout to escalate the situation even further. But he reined himself in.

“Well then, if ye seek satisfaction , ye ken what ye have to do.”

“Ye cannae be serious about that,” Ceana huffed, her hands on her hips as she looked up at him.

“I am,” he answered flatly. “Ye will beg. I’m certain of it.”

“If ye want me to beg, I will need to spend time with ye—but I’ll have to like ye enough to ask for yer company.”

Neil took a half step closer, instantly calling her on her bluff. “Beg.”

Ceana’s fingernails dug into her hips as she fought to keep her composure. “I willnae.”

“Och, I think ye will,” Neil teased as he lifted a hand and trailed his index finger down the center of her bodice.

It was impossible to feel his touch through the layers of fabric, but heat pooled in her core all the same.

With a frown, Ceana swatted his hand away, putting a modicum of distance between them. But she couldn’t hide the way her breath had quickened. “Nay matter what ye say, we must get to ken one another first. Ye dinnae want to claim me—ye’ve made that clear—so now we will do things on me terms.”

“Ye mean to set another rule, wife?” Neil asked, amused.

“Aye. Every day, we must spend one hour doin’ something together,” she answered firmly.

It was suddenly far too warm outside for her. She felt the urge to dunk her face in cool water to settle herself because, clearly, being this close to him was an issue that she didn’t know how to handle.

Neil dipped his head—she was going to consider that as his acceptance. “I’m glad me wife is so confident in me prowess.”

Ceana almost giggled. She bit the inside of her cheek instead. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of thinking that he could make her laugh. That would be a point in his favor, and she was determined to win.

She narrowed her eyes at him, pulling on the scraps of her stubbornness and outright resisting her attraction to him as she quickly turned on her heel and stomped back inside the castle.