Chapter 25

25

E mily had remained silent for the rest of their journey.

As they approached the castle gates, Theo hovered inside, waiting for them. Lucas was nowhere to be seen.

Emily's shoulders were so tense that she could barely loosen her grip on the reins, feeling as though her entire body was rigid with tension.

She dismounted, casting a furious glance at Adam as she stalked inside.

"Emily!"

She kept moving, walking through the vast entrance hallway, a mix of excitement and fear rushing through her as she heard his thundering footsteps behind her.

"Ye will listen to me, woman!"

Emily stopped in the corridor that led to her room despite her determination to ignore him. Adam advanced on her, looking just as furious and enormous as before, but she stood her ground.

"Aye, M'Laird," she said coldly.

"Ye willnae leave the castle again," he growled.

Emily scowled at him, before walking away.

A hand on her arm stopped her, and she threw it off with a snarl before Adam gripped both her arms, spun her around, and pushed her against the tapestry on the wall.

"Ye will listen to me," he said furiously.

"If ye do me the same courtesy, I'd be happy to," she hissed.

"If ye were bein' watched, Stewart's men would have cut through ye like butter. Ye think someone like Lucas could have protected ye? I wouldnae be surprised if the dobber wasnae even armed goin' out there."

"I can handle meself."

"Aye, is that how I came to kidnap ye durin' yer weddin'?"

Emily sucked in a long breath and shoved at his chest. He didn't move an inch.

"So ye have decided to act like a real kidnapper, is that it? I cannae leave. Will ye lock me in me room, too?"

"Ye ken very well if I could, I would. I threatened to tie ye to me bed, and I will follow through on that threat."

"Well, if I am to be yer wife in name only, ye willnae have me anywhere near yer bed again!"

Adam growled and pressed her harder against the wall. He took a long breath, bending toward her, his eyes fluttering as he placed his hands oneither side of her head. They were both breathing heavily, and the storm in his eyes only made her more confused. What did he want from her?

"Ye willnae be leavin' this castle without me again, is that clear?"

"I will do as I wish."

"God as me witness, Emily, I will have me orders obeyed."

"Well then, ye will be waitin' a lifetime."

She gasped as he lifted her off her feet. He did it effortlessly, as though she weighed nothing, and glared at her as her feet dangled above the ground.

"Ye will do as I say," he murmured, his deep voice shuddering through her.

She closed her eyes, trying to remember why being close to this man was dangerous.

"Stop fightin' me," he said slowly, lowering her back to the ground as his head moved to her neck. She shuddered as his lips brushed against her skin.

"Will ye do the same?" she asked, feeling the despair course through her again even as she quivered beneath him, her breaths uneven.

How could this man bring me so much pleasure and so much pain at once?

She was desperate for him to touch her, and it contradicted everything else that she should be feeling toward him. With the way he was treating her, she should hate him, but she didn't. She simply wanted them to be equals and for him to acknowledge what she could do for him.

But he never will.

As his tongue touched the skin of her neck, and she shivered against the heat of his body, her hands came up and shoved him away.

This time, he stepped back, looking down at her in confusion.

"If ye are merely me kidnapper, M'Laird, then ye dinnae need to be close to me."

Emily looked up at him and felt her determination sharpen at the shudder of need that ran through him.

"Today, I resolved a border dispute that could have led to a war with the neighborin' clan," she stated simply. "Without me, ye might have had a rebellion on yer hands, organized by Mrs. Young. She is someone ye definitely want on yer side, believe me." She jutted her chin as she glared at him. "Whenever ye are ready to thank me without tryin' to control me, ye ken where I am."

She walked away from him and slammed the door to her room shut for good measure.

Adam trudged away, wondering where Doughall had ended up. He could do with a fight. Perhaps he could persuade Theo to a sparring session in the courtyard.

But when he walked past the outer door, he saw the rain had returned in earnest, and large drops were pattering all over the cobblestones.

Adam sighed and headed toward his study, but as he approached the door, he heard the rumbling of many voices coming from the council chambers. He bared his teeth, shoving the doors open in one violent movement.

His suspicions were confirmed when he found Barclay and his mother standing in the room, with every member of the council seated around the table—even Lucas.

"We were just goin' to send for ye, M'Laird," Barclay said quickly. Adam was taken aback, as the man appeared cheerful for a change. "This has been quite a stroke of genius."

Adam frowned. "What is?" he asked stupidly.

"I admit, I was skeptical at first, but Lucas has outlined the deal that was struck with the Young family. They had been a problem since we absorbed their lands, but moving them to the Linton cottages is a neat and extremely well-considered solution. However, did ye persuade Mrs. Young?"

Adam blinked and looked at Lucas. His expression was carefully polite, but it was clear he had lied to the council and told them that the deal had been Adam's idea. For some reason, that angered Adam more than anything else.

Ye are the one who said she had nay right to speak with them, and here ye are, annoyed that she hasnae been given credit.

"Why is it such a good solution? The cottages are unoccupied," he said blithely.

"Indeed, M'Laird, but the farmland around those parts is in need of tending. None of our tenants wished to take it up. Not only does it solve the problem of the cottages remaining empty, but sheep farmers will be an excellent new addition to the town. The people have struggled with their crops, and having meat on hand, and so close by, will be a relief to many."

His mother was smiling. Adam was completely baffled.

"Lady Emily did it," he blurted out as he made his way to the table.

Barclay frowned and then looked at Lucas.

"Lucas likely told ye it was me, but it was Lady Emily who traveled to see them. The agreement rests solely on her and Lucas. As I understand it, she complimented Mrs. Young on her cake, which went down rather well."

That even earned him a chuckle from Barclay. "Well then, M'Laird, ye are most fortunate in yer choice of bride."

"The Youngs are notoriously difficult to please," Moira said. "It is part of the reason why I didnae wish ye to be bothered with it. We have briefly discussed solutions with them before, but every offer was rejected. This is a good thing for our people and will resolve a great deal of problems."

Adam nodded, feeling numb.

Emily did all this. Even me maither is impressed.

He listened as the meeting progressed. Everyone seemed in a jovial mood after the events of the day. He noted that his mother stood at the side and barely spoke unless to defer to him.

He had a strange sensation in his gut that he couldn't shake. The more he thought of Emily, the more the sensation grew, and by the end of the meeting, he had barely said a word, his mind consumed with thoughts of his future wife.

Doughall was right. She had already sacrificed much and even tried to embrace his people before they were her own. Adam had repaid her by imprisoning her and berating her for all the work she had done.

He felt like the worst kind of man. As the council members began to file out of the room, his mother hovered behind, waiting to speak with him.

Adam looked up at her, waiting for her to tell him that he hadn't spoken up enough or that she needed to take back control of some of the matters that had been handed over to him.

Instead, she approached his chair and took his hand in hers.

"Ye once told me that everythin' ye do has a method to it. I never realized until now that ye have a plan for it all. I can see that ye chose Lady Emily for a reason, that she could be the makin' of this clan. There arenae many women who would make that journey alone. She nae only spoke to them as an equal but defused a difficult situation in the process. I was wrong. I admit it freely. I believe ye have finally found a woman worthy of taking the mantle from me as Lady of this castle."

Adam looked at his mother's long fingers intertwine with his own and felt faintly sick.

I have trapped Emily into a marriage she didnae ask for. Maybe I am nay better than Stewart.

He let go of his mother's hand, resting his palm briefly on her shoulder before striding out of the room.

He finally had a name for the sensation that had been building within him. It was gnawing at his insides and could not be dismissed.

It was guilt.