Chapter 6

"What dae ye mean by this, let me go!" Maddison cried, her bosom rapidly rising and falling in the low-cut gown in a very distracting manner. Her eyes flashed with fire as she glared up at him. As if scalded, Odhrán dropped his hand immediately.

"Am I nae tae be excused?"

"Of course, ye—" he began, only to be rudely cut off.

"Then why are ye followin' me? Ye wish tae amuse yersel' by stalkin' me like some poor hunted animal now, I suppose!" she accused, fully rounding on him, hands on her hips now.

"Maddison, dinnae be ridiculous. I came tae see if ye're all right," Odhrán defended himself with the partial fib, trying to stay calm. His own emotions were in disarray, a flurry of annoyance, embarrassment, worry, and his deep attraction to her. He took a deep breath.

"All right?! Ye wish tae ken if I'm all right!?" she demanded with a sneer. "D'ye nae have enough sense in that thick head of yers tae ye ken how I feel, bein' forced tae wed ye, ye monster?" she panted in her fury.

He made soothing gestures with his hands. "Maddison, please, listen tae me. I ken ye hate me just now?—"

"Nae just now, ye great fool, forever!"

"All right, all right, calm yersel'. Let me at least speak, will ye?" he tried to reason with her, and as she did not immediately snap his head off, he quickly went on, "We cannae go on like this, with ye nae even speakin' a word tae me and refusin' tae look at me."

She drew herself up to her full height and glared at him with venom. "I have nae desire tae look at the brute who lied tae me fer a whole year while I was locked in yer faither's dungeons, pretendin' tae be me friend. Ye wormed yer way intae me affections, lyin' tae gain me trust, and all the while ye were the one responsible fer kidnappin' me," she hissed.

Odhrán was deeply stung by the, admittedly accurate, accusation. He was about to defend himself once more when he noticed over Maddison's shoulder that two maids had turned into the hallway. Mercifully, they were too deep in conversation to immediately notice them standing there. Not wishing to be seen arguing so viciously with his betrothed, thinking fast, he grabbed Maddison by the arm and pulled her sharply into a nearby window alcove, out of sight.

The alcove was only about a yard wide, and they were pressed closely together, so close, he could smell her flowery perfume.

"Maddison, will ye be quiet?" he said in a low voice, praying she would not cry out to attract the maids' attention. He fixed her with a stern look, to make her think twice about it. He took the added precaution of pinning her to the wall, placing an arm either side of her, cutting off any escape.

To his relief, though she glanced towards the hallway when the maids passed by, she made no move to call for help. It soon became clear to him why. It appeared she was eager for the opportunity to give him a piece of her mind, in private, thank God.

"Ye may think ye're clever tae have cooked up this plan with the King tae make me wed ye, but mark me words, I'll never truly be yer wife," she spat.

Odhrán's own frustration was rising now. "Why will ye nae even let me speak? Will ye nae listen tae what I have tae say?" he shot back, growing more conscious by the second of how close they were. He could feel the angry heat coming off her little body, and he could see down the front of her gown, where the exposed tops of her rounded breasts rose and fell rapidly as she panted. It was making it hard for him to concentrate.

"Why should I? There's naethin' ye can say tae me that I wish tae hear," she whispered with barely suppressed fury.

"Ach, woman, just let me explain, will ye?" he insisted, trying to grab her hand in an attempt to make her calm down.

She squeaked loudly in alarm, snatching her hand away. Before he could do anything to stop her, she drew it back and punched him with her fist as hard as she could in his groin.

"Och!" he exclaimed, taken completely off guard as pain lanced through him, making him double over and sending him wheezing to his knees. With a rustle of skirts, she sprinted away, leaving him there, gasping in agony.

He heard her footsteps fading into the distance as he nursed his injured tackle, waiting for the pain to subside. When it did, a minute or two later, he got to his feet, anger fueled by his injured masculine pride flooding through him.

But as he dusted himself off and prepared to return to the dinner and make excuses for the early retirement of his fiery betrothed, he could not help feeling even more intrigued by her. This was a side to Maddison he could never have guessed existed, and deep down in his belly, a small flame of excitement ignited and flickered to life.

I didnae bargain on her bein' quite so feisty, the wee minx. This is gonnae be one wild ride!

The next morning, after a restless night, a tired and conflicted Maddison was joined by Lillie in her room for breakfast. Diarmaid was engaged sorting out some clan business whilst away. The two young women sat at the table by the window, and while Lillie demolished a bowl of porridge with cream and sugar, Maddison nibbled a piece of dry toast and sipped some tea. Though her stomach was rumbling with hunger, since she had hardly eaten anything for several days, she was too troubled to eat anything more.

"D'ye mind me askin' why ye rushed off like that last night," Lillie asked in a casual tone.

"Why? What did he say?" she asked, alarmed at what Odhrán might have told everyone about her rude and rapid exit.

"Och, he just said ye were nae feelin' too well after the journey and had decided ye needed tae rest," Lillie informed her. "Is that right? I notice ye're hardly eatin' anything now. Are ye nae feelin' any better this mornin'?"

Relief flooded Maddison, but she squashed the scintilla of gratitude she felt for Odhrán making excuses for her.

"Um, I have nae appetite," she confessed, wanting to get off her chest what had been troubling her most since her encounter with him in the hallway.

"I'm sorry tae hear that, pet, but if ye dinnae at least try tae eat somethin', ye're likely tae feel worse."

"I am tryin'," Maddison replied, waving her morsel of toast. She leaned across the table and added in a low voice. "Lillie, after I left the dinner last night, Odhrán followed me, and we had a big argument."

Lillie put down her teacup and looked at her, concern on her face. "Is that so? D'ye want tae talk about it?"

"Aye, I want yer opinion."

"All right, if ye think I can help, ask away."

"Well, he said we cannae go in like this, with me refusing' tae have anythin' tae dae with him."

"And what did ye say?"

"I said that even though he might be forcin' me tae wed him, I'd never truly be his wife."

"Oh," Lillie replied, her disappointment obvious. "So, ye didnae take me advice at all then."

"I told ye I intend tae make him pay fer what he's done," Maddison shot back, growing tenser by the second.

"So, what happened then?"

"He tried tae grab me hand and I… I punched him in the balls and ran." To her surprise, Lillie burst out laughing. "I dinnae ken what's funny," Maddison protested, rather peeved by her reaction.

"Sorry," Lillie apologized, clearly stifling her amusement. "Go on, please."

"What I want tae ken is, d'ye think I went too far by doin' that? I didnae wait tae find out his reaction, and now I'm worried," she admitted.

Surprising her once again, a still-smiling Lillie shook her head. "If me limited experience of men is anything tae go by, 'tis more likely tae have intrigued him even more."

"D'ye really think so?" Maddison asked, appalled. "That's the last thing I want. Och, I kent I should have kept me temper, but I just despise him so much, and he had me pinned against the wall in an alcove and wouldnae let me go," she explained. "I didnae ken what else tae dae," she added abjectly, abandoning her toast with a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry tae tell ye ye've probably just made things worse fer yersel'. Some men, and I reckon Odhrán might be one of them, like a feisty lass. They see it as a challenge," Lillie told her. She reached over and put a comforting hand over Maddison's, smiling at her kindly. "I told ye last night, Maddy, remember, he saved yer life. Why nae give the man a chance, eh?"

"I'll never give him a chance. I'll never forgive him for what he did," she stubbornly declared, sitting back in her chair and folding her arms.

"Look, Maddy, be sensible. He did take care of ye all the time ye were locked up. And what man would kill his faither tae save a lassie? He cannae be the monster ye make him out tae be, can he? I mean, maybe he killed his faither because he could nae stomach seein' a lass murdered in cold blood. Or it could be that he truly cares about ye."

Maddison would not even entertain the thought. "I dinnae ken why he did it, but I dinnae think it had anythin' tae dae with me. He must have had some argument with his faither and decided tae kill him fer his own ends. Only a monster would kill his own faither," she insisted.

Lillie sighed. "If ye say so, dear. But since ye asked fer me opinion, I must tell ye that I think ye're goin' about this all the wrong way. Odhrán's right, and ye've nae chance of happiness if ye carry on this way. Diarmaid thinks the same. We both want ye tae settle down and try and make the best of things as there's nae getting out of the situation."

Maddison said nothing to that, for it was no more than she already knew. "I cannae help the way I feel," she defended herself. "He won me trust under false pretenses, lyin' tae me all that time. He betrayed me." She thought back to the confrontation in Murphy Lennox's study, when she had realized for the first time who Odhrán was. What she could not explain to herself, let alone to anyone else, was the crushing disappointment she had felt at the time. The sense of betrayal still cut painfully deep. "He was the one person in the castle I trusted."

"Aye, well, he must have had his reasons for actin' as he did, but ye'll nae find out what they were actin' like this."

"I dinnae care," Maddison declared, determined not to give in. "I told ye before, I'm gonnae dae everythin' I can tae make him rue the day he made me marry him. I'll make his life a misery."

Odhrán was sitting in the guardhouse with Liam and Tadgh. The brothers had finished their morning rounds and were taking a break with a pint of ale in their usual bolt hole. The door was firmly closed, and the guards on the gate were well out of earshot, so they were discussing Odhrán's difficulties with his bride-to-be.

"So, she got ye right in the bollocks, did she?" Tadgh was asking as he and Liam guffawed. "That's a feisty lass, all right," he added with admiration.

"Go on, laugh, enjoy yerselves at me expense," Odhrán said, resigned to their mockery.

"Och, we will, dinnae doubt it," Liam choked out amid his laughter.

Odhrán sighed and sipped his ale before saying, "The point is, what dae I dae now? I could nae even get her tae listen tae sense."

"Well, 'tis a tricky one, but what ye cannae dae is give up," Liam said, making a visible effort to pull himself together. "I reckon ye should ask her tae spend some time with ye doin' somethin' nice, somethin' she'll like."

"Like what?"

"Get her a nice horse and take her fer a ride over yer lands maybe," Liam suggested. "Or take her intae town and buy her a nice present. The lassies are mad fer a new hat or a bit of jewelry, are they nae?"

"D'ye think that'll work?" Odhrán asked, his hopes rising.

"'Tis worth a try," Liam said with a nod. He looked at his brother, who had been quiet all this time. "What d'ye say, Tadgh? Any suggestion tae help Odhrán here out?"

But Tadgh shook his head. "What ye just said, Braither. Ye've naethin' tae lose, Odhrán, so give it a whirl," he said, suddenly sounding so serious, Odhrán looked at him to see if anything was wrong. But Tadgh just smiled back, albeit rather tightly. Odhrán was too caught up in his own problems to press his friend and left it.

When he left the brothers, he found out that Maddison was breakfasting in her chambers. He sent up a servant to ask if she would like to join him on a trip into the nearest town for some shopping. The answer came back immediately. No, she would not.

At a temporary loss, he shuffled some papers around his desk for a few hours, unable to focus on anything except her. Later that afternoon, he glimpsed her and Lady Lillie walking on the castle green. Seeing his chance, he grabbed his coat and left, hoping to intercept them and get Maddison alone for a few moments. But as he came out of the keep doors and began striding towards them, she spotted him, and he saw her grab Lady Lillie's arm and steer her through a nearby side door before disappearing inside. When he followed, they had vanished.

Frustrated and miserable, he went back to his study to brood. The minister arrived shortly thereafter, and they discussed the order of the wedding ceremony. Somehow, he managed to play the excited groom, loath to admit he might have bitten off more than he could chew. After the minister left, full of hearty congratulations for the happy couple, he poured himself a dram and sat by the fire, brooding.

A few people came in and out, checking the final arrangements for the wedding the following day. Knowing he could not rely on Maddison to behave properly, he began to dread it.

Have I made a terrible mistake? Can I ever hope tae make this work between us?

As dinner time drew close, when he was hoping she would deign to appear, he resolved to speak to her then and invite her out for a walk with him. All he needed was a chance to convince her she need not hate him and that they could make a go of things. If only she would cooperate.

He was sitting at the laird's table, distractedly listening to Liam and Tadgh talking, when she floated in with Diarmaid and Lady Lillie. His breath stopped, for she looked more luminously beautiful than ever. He tried to compose himself, ready to greet her. He was determined to get his way. but once again she snubbed him, which hurt him deeply. And though she sat next to him all evening, pushed some food around her plate, and chattered with the others, she still refused to speak to him or even look at him.

After a while, he simply continued talking to her, just about commonplace things, not expecting a response. He topped up her glass when needed and made sure she had everything she wanted. He tried to put on a cheerful face to hide his pain and embarrassment, for the sake of the others. But inside, he was utterly miserable. He knew people must be starting to notice.

The only solace was that she did not rush away before the meal had even begun as she had the night before. But when he had hopes of intercepting her as she left, she made sure to do so with Diarmaid and Lady Lillie. He left the table alone, sick of the sympathetic looks the brothers threw him, at a loss as to what to do next.