Trapped with the Devil of the Highlands (Falling for Highland Villains #3)

Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

I cannae let her return to the convent. Nae now.

The journey back to Castle Cairn had been slower than the journey to Castle Morris. They had taken their time, stopping wherever they found an inn instead of continuing on into the night, scrambling for whatever cover they could get. Where they could not find an inn, Camden sought out hunting cabins and huts, ensuring they were well sheltered.

She said “Take me home” and she hasnae asked me to change course.

That had to mean something. It had to mean that she was staying, refusing to obey her father’s command. But what it meant for Camden was not yet a notion he was willing to consider.

He had begun to care for her very much, that was clear. He had spent every night since their departure from Castle Morris holding her until she fell asleep, and holding onto her some more, usually until the sun came up. Still, that did not mean he was about to turn the fake betrothal into a real one.

I want her to stay, but what can I offer? Nothin’ that would satisfy her—in the long-term, anyway.

“Ye were whimperin’ in yer sleep again,” he said to divert his thoughts, aware that it would be less than an hour before they were riding up to the gates of Castle Cairn.

Six days had gone by so slowly and so quickly, all at once. He needed at least six more.

Paisley covered her mouth as she yawned. “Did I?”

“Aye, I didnae ken if ye wanted me to wake ye or ye were tryin’ to seduce me.”

She shot him a mock withering glare. “I wish I could remember what I was dreamin’ about. When I was a bairn, I could tell ye every detail of me dreams—they were so vivid. I havenae been able to do it in years.” She shrugged. “Still, at least I didnae scream again.”

“Small mercies.” He feigned a shudder. “I’ll be hearin’ that scream in me own nightmares for years to come.”

It had happened on the first night of their return journey, in the inn with the questionable floor. He had been in the deepest slumber of his life, his arms locked around Paisley, when she had suddenly wrenched free of him and unleashed the most ungodly scream he had ever heard.

That sound had torn him from sleep with the speed of a whipcrack, his hands reaching for her, gathering her to him, checking she was not hurt. She had been perfectly, peacefully asleep.

“I wish I’d been awake to see yer face.” Paisley grinned, and he relished the sight, grateful that he had guided them at a slower pace.

“Aye, I bet ye do.”

Had they rushed back to Castle Cairn, he doubted she would have been so transformed, so much improved from the heartbroken shell who had departed Castle Morris.

Another reason she cannae go back to that convent—if her faither comes to his senses, and she has already taken her vows, there’ll be tenfold regret.

He had mulled over long and hard the piece of the puzzle that he was missing, but the solution still would not come to him. Maybe things were exactly what they appeared to be, and he was just letting his wishes delude him—but that was not in his nature.

“It’ll be dark by the time we get there,” he said, holding his hand up to the horizon, counting down the time until sunset with his fingers. “We could find us a mossy bed in these woods if ye like?”

Paisley shook her head. “I’d rather be somewhere familiar.”

“I could take ye back to the glade where we met?”

She stared at him like he was mad. “Nay, thank ye. I’m nae so keen on fallin’ asleep beside whatever is left of the man ye… silenced.” Her eyes softened with curiosity. “Ye never did tell me who he was.”

“I didnae ken him. I just ken the man he fought for.” Camden hesitated, uncertain how much he should tell her. “Let’s just say he’s nae a pleasant man, and he’s the reason I wasnae goin’ to let anyone else escort ye to Morris lands. He disappeared for a time, but now he’s back, and the Highlands willnae have any semblance of peace ‘til he has been dealt with.”

Paisley nodded slowly. “I think me faither dealt with a laird exactly like that, but it wouldnae be the same one. Ye said the man in the forest wasnae a MacNally soldier.”

“I cannae say I ken all that much about the MacNallys. Too far north to trouble us,” Camden said, eager to keep her talking to stave off the imminent arrival at Castle Cairn.

But the road curved at that moment, taking them out of the trees and onto the same bend of the river where Paisley had seen Castle Cairn for the first time. A time when she had not thought of it as ‘home’ and would have walked on hot coals before she chose to spend a second more than she had to in Camden’s company.

“Miss Nunford! Oh, Miss Nunford, what a delight it is to have ye back with us!”

Olivia hurtled across the courtyard to greet Paisley, not bothering to let the weary traveler slide down from the saddle as she grabbed her hand and squeezed it eagerly.

“Do ye bring happy news?” Olivia wiggled her eyebrows, clearly fishing for an answer that Paisley did not know how to give. “Is all well? Was it a success? Am I to begin preparations for a weddin’ feast without delay?”

Paisley nearly choked on her stunned gasp. “A… weddin’ feast? I’m afraid I dinnae ken what ye mean.”

Broad shoulders and wavy locks of silky, dark hair came between Paisley and Olivia, fending off the latter.

“Would ye let the lass breathe for a moment? We’ve been ridin’ for days—she’ll be achin’ for a bath and her bed, and ye fly in, bombardin’ her with yer questions,” Camden scolded lightly. “I’ll come and speak to ye in due course once I’ve seen me sweetlin’ to her chambers.”

A flicker of frustration deepened the fine lines on Olivia’s brow, but her smile at Paisley was as sweet as anything. “Do forgive me, dear Miss Nunford. I was just so excited to see ye after ye left in such a hurry. Marcus told me ye hadnae taken the gowns with ye, which I was sorry about, but I prayed ye’d come back for them—nae just them.”

Guilt twisted Paisley’s innards. “I’m sorry for leavin’ without a note or a word. Perhaps we could have luncheon tomorrow so I can make amends for worryin’ ye?”

“A wonderful thought! Aye, let’s do that!” Olivia agreed, clapping her hands together. “Och, lass, it really is glorious to see ye returned to us. I mean it with all me heart.”

“I’m pleased to be back,” Paisley replied, surprised to realize that she meant it.

Castle Cairn possessed an innately welcoming ambiance that she could not properly describe. Life bloomed up in those windswept mountains, the residents tough and hardy like heather but as bright and vibrant as summer peonies, wandering the courtyards and hallways and battlements like they knew how lucky they were.

Perhaps that was why Castle Morris had seemed so dismal in comparison.

“Hate to interrupt yer girlish giddiness, but does this mean that MacLean didnae declare war on us?” Camden chimed in.

Olivia swatted his arm. “Of course, he didnae. Why would he, when it was plain that the two of ye were in love? Ye were fortunate, mind ye—had it been any other laird who didnae care a jot for love, ye might nae have been so lucky.”

“How badly did his wife scold him?” Camden grinned.

His mother sighed but could not hide the smirk on her lips. “Most vigorously. He was ready to throw a fit in the council chamber, truth be told, but she took him aside. When he came back, he declared that as long as he had the promise of an alliance and the support of our soldiers, he’d be cheerin’ the loudest at yer weddin’.”

She leaned in conspiratorially, cupping one hand around her mouth. “I suspect that Lady Kenna already had her eye on another laird. If I were to wager, I’d put me coin on Laird Bruar. Such a handsome lad. Reminds me of yer faither, Camden.”

“Maybe ye ought to pursue him yerself then,” Camden quipped back, earning a stony look. “What? Ye’re still a beauty, Maither. Ye could have yer pick of husbands if ye wanted to.”

Olivia sniffed. “I had all the love a lass could ask for, thank ye very much. I have nay need to begin it all again with someone who would undoubtedly be inferior.” She waved a hand toward the castle. “Go on, off with ye. I can rest easy now, kennin’ ye’re both home safe.”

Home…

For twenty-four years, that small, seemingly insignificant little word had held Paisley in a relentless grip. As a child, she had adored the castle that now dismayed her—it had been her sanctuary and her favorite place to be. As an adolescent, she craved the home she had left while simultaneously feeling at home at the convent. As an adult, nowhere had truly felt like home.

Foolishly, she had thought she could recapture the essence of ‘home’ by returning to Castle Morris, only to discover that Castle Cairn called to her instead.

“Ye heard the woman,” Camden said with a wink, helping Paisley down from Lux’s saddle.

He did not set her down as she would have liked, for dignity’s sake. In front of all the residents who had not yet retired for the night, or had been drawn out by the late arrival, Camden carried Paisley into the castle, ignoring her muttered protests.

It was her fault. How could he take her chiding seriously when she was smiling through each word?

“I think ye can put me down now,” she urged as they cleared the entrance hall and navigated the labyrinth of hallways, coming to the first of the never-ending staircases up to her chambers.

“Nay, I dinnae think I can.” He started up the steps. “A wee friend of mine told me that ye cannae endure stairs, so I’ve decided to spare yer legs in the hope that ye’ll nae ask me what me maither meant about a weddin’ feast.”

She had forgotten about that.

“I suppose it was natural for her to think that’d be the next celebration after announcin’ a betrothal,” she said evenly. “What confused me was her askin’ if I had good news for her. Might ye enlighten me, now that ye’ve decided to be an honest laird?”

Camden tilted his head from side to side as he carried her up and up with breathtaking ease. “I may or may nae have told her that I’m goin’ to ask yer faither for yer hand in marriage. Well, that’s what I told Marcus to say.”

“Och, ye oaf!” She smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “What would ye say a thing like that for?”

He laughed and shrugged. “She wouldnae have accepted anythin’ less as a reason for me ridin’ out in the middle of chaos.” He met her eyes, smiling. “But dinnae fear, I’ll resolve it before she starts weavin’ new garlands and havin’ ye measured for a weddin’ gown.”

Paisley chuckled, but it lacked true amusement, as if there was a lump in her throat.

Does he think the idea of marryin’ me is so funny?

She rubbed the constricted column of her throat to dislodge the feeling. She was being ridiculous—she was going to be a nun, and he had entangled her, a stranger at the time, into a thrown- together plan in order to avoid marriage. Of course, he thought marrying her was hilarious.

But rationale rarely slicked a balm on stung pride.

By the time they reached her bedchamber, his brow glistened with sweat, the thin material of his léine clinging to every muscular line of his back and shoulders. The triangle of his unlaced collar revealed a pleasing sheen of sweat and muscle, pushing the limits of Paisley’s restraint. She could not help but look when the object of her observation was perfection itself.

Camden kicked the door open, and a little thrill ran through Paisley.

He carried her the rest of the way to the bed and threw her down, but he must have misjudged the momentum. Panting hard, he followed her down, his hands landing on either side of her head.

“I’m sorry,” he rasped, gazing into her eyes as he held himself above her, not touching her.

Her breaths began to grow ragged as she met his intense gaze. “Ye dinnae have to apologize. Ye didnae land on me.”

“Nae for that,” he replied, his powerful arms bulging. “I’m sorry for what happened with yer maither and faither. I’m sorry it wasnae everythin’ ye ran away from a nunnery for.”

She shook her head, tucking her hands behind her back so she would not be tempted to touch him. “I told ye, it was exactly what I needed. They say ye should put away childish things—that’s what happened. I was holdin’ onto somethin’ that doesnae exist, and now I’m free to let go. Now, I can make the decision for meself.”

“What decision?” He glanced hungrily at her lips.

She stared up at him, knowing that what she was about to say represented the hardest choice she had ever had to make. The first and last choice she had ever had to make for herself.

The days of traveling had given her time to figure out where she needed to go next so that when she reached Castle Cairn, her mind had already been made up.

“Camden…”

“Aye, sweetlin’.”

Her heart thundered in her chest, so loud he must have been able to hear it.

“Camden, I’m goin’ back tomorrow.”