Chapter 12

Billie spent the day in frustration, her thoughts constantly straying back to Domnhall before she could stop them. It was nothing but anger, she told herself, nothing but a deep and growing hatred for this man who never even gave her a chance to explain herself. Domnhall just had a way of getting under her skin, and though Billie knew she only gave him what he wanted by allowing herself to get riled up like this, she couldn’t help it. He had a way of getting under her skin and making it impossible for her to think about anything else.

She was walking aimlessly around the courtyard, trying to clear her head, when Hugo found her. The sun had fallen by then, and the evening was chilly, but she didn’t want to go back inside the castle and risk seeing Domnhall. Hugo was a welcome distraction, at least. Like Domnhall, Hugo seemed a little strange to her sometimes, a little too eager to be part of his friend’s antics, but at least he was polite and warm to her. He had none of Domnhall’s infuriating manners, and most importantly, he had never judged her for that night at the inn, though she was certain he knew of what had happened between her and Domnhall.

“Good evening,” Hugo said with a smile. “It is late for a stroll, no?”

“Good evenin’, Hugo,” Billie said. She shrugged a shoulder, her smile a little apologetic. She had managed to dodge her guards that evening, and they hadn’t realized she was gone yet, but she figured there was no point in having them follow her around. She was within the castle walls. Nothing would happen to her. “I didnae have anythin’ else tae dae.”

“Oh, you should have told me,” Hugo said. “I would have been happy to entertain you and your sister for the evening. Where is Abigail?”

“Who kens?” Billie asked with a soft chuckle. “That lass is always away, doin’ somethin’ she shouldnae be doin’. But perhaps we could head tae the drawin’ room?”

“I’m afraid I can’t now,” Hugo said. “Or rather, you can’t. Domnhall wishes to see you.”

Billie froze. She couldn’t imagine what Domnhall could possibly want from her now. Hadn’t he already tortured her enough?

“Dae ye ken what he wants?” she asked hesitantly, reluctant to find out. The more ignorant of his plans she was, the better she would feel.

“Something about the men ye saw at the market,” Hugo said. “He discussed it with the council, but he wishes to know if there is anything else you noticed.”

“I didnae,” Billie said hastily. Perhaps if Hugo believed there was nothing else she knew, she would be spared the agony of meeting Domnhall again. “I told him everythin’ I saw.”

Hugo smiled. “He only wishes to be certain,” he said. “Perhaps there is something you thought unimportant. He has some questions he wishes to ask you. He’d rather make sure he knows everything about them than risk being caught unprepared.”

As much sense as that made, Billie was still reluctant to agree. But what other choice did she have? Even if she didn’t meet with Domnhall now, he would find her later himself. Besides, it was for the good of the clan, the very clan she would soon be a part of and would swear to protect.

“Very well,” she said with a sigh, forcing a smile on her face. “Then I will see ye later, Hugo.”

Walking through the castle, Billie’s stomach tied itself into knots, her heartbeat picking up and echoing all around her body. She could feel it in her temples, the steady thumping of blood, the beginnings of a headache.

This is ridiculous. I cannae allow him tae affect me like this.

She could hardly spend her entire life dreading seeing Domnhall. Something had to change between them. They had to come to an agreement about how they would move forward, how they would act around each other.

When she reached Domnhall’s chambers, she hesitated for a moment before she knocked. Domnhall’s voice came through the door, telling her to come in, so Billie opened the door wide, stepping inside—only to find Domnhall entirely nude next to a steaming bathtub.

Billie didn’t even recognize the cry of surprise that escaped her lips as her own. Reflexively, her hand came up to cover her eyes, but that soon proved to be a mistake when she tried to run out of the room only to crash face-first onto the door, knocking herself down to the floor.

“Fiend!” she shouted, her eyes firmly shut as she pressed her hand to her head, hissing in pain. She only opened them to see if there was any blood, and she was glad to see there was none. There was no doubt she would have a bump on her forehead soon, though, the space over her right brow pulsing painfully. “Why did ye tell me tae come in if ye’re nude?”

Behind her, she heard Domnhall’s rapid footsteps on the stone floor as he approached her. He leaned over her, still unclothed, but there was no smugness in his expression—only concern, his brow pinched with it, his hands hovering over her as though he didn’t know if he should touch her or not.

“Are ye alright?” he asked instead of answering her question. “Let me see… does it hurt?”

“O’ course it hurts!” Billie shouted, but she soon lost the ability to speak. Her gaze travelled down Domnhall’s body, taking in the swell of his shoulders, the muscular chest, the lines and grooves of his stomach—and then his manhood, hanging heavy between his legs and too close to Billie for her liking.

All she had to do would be to raise her hand and touch him.

Her gaze snapped back up to his face and glued itself there. Though the glance she had given his body couldn’t have been for more than a few seconds, she was certain he had noticed. He was grinning at her, bright and satisfied, and Billie hated him all the more for it.

Was that his plan all along?

Billie wouldn’t put it past him. Domnhall seemed to get some sort of perverse satisfaction from toying with her, and this was no different. If anything, he found this far more amusing than anything else he had ever done to her, simply because Billie could hardly keep her eyes from straying to the rest of his body.

“I didnae think it would startle ye so,” he said as he helped her up. He didn’t even bother offering her a hand—a hand Billie wouldn’t have taken anyway—but rather hauled her up to her feet with no assistance from her part, grabbing her by the waist and seeing her upright. Suddenly, Billie found herself standing, disoriented from the sudden change.

Lord… he is strong.

Chasing that thought away the moment it came to her, Billie turned around to leave, refusing to give Domnhall the satisfaction of torturing her any longer. Before she could take a single step out of the room, though, she heard several footsteps approaching and froze.

What would everyone say if they saw her leaving Domnhall’s chambers and then saw him nude? Domnhall was just the kind of terrible to leave his door open for everyone to see, just to besmirch her good name, and Billie wouldn’t allow that. Instead, she closed the door and stared at it, gritting her teeth as she spoke.

“Dress yerself.”

Behind her, Domnhall chuckled. Though Billie couldn’t see his face, she could imagine it, and her hands itched to slap him.

But that would hardly be ladylike.

“Why are ye so embarrassed?” he asked, approaching her once more. Billie was certain he had not, in fact, put on any clothes. “Ye didnae seem embarrassed at all when I was pleasurin’ ye at the tavern.”

He was so close now that Billie could feel him as a solid line of heat behind her, caging her in.

Her breath quickened, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she remembered that night. The memories brought on another kind of throbbing, this time between her legs, her body still holding onto that phantom touch, so much so that she could almost feel it again, how his fingers had brushed against her before she had fled.

Billie’s body burned with equal measures of embarrassment and desire. Her instinct was once again to flee, but when she shifted, trying to find a way out, she was certain what she felt against her backside was Domnhall’s manhood, hard and straining against her, and she tried to look before she could stop herself.

What am I doin’? I must have lost me mind!

“Like any man, I have urges, Billie,” Domnhall said, his lips so close to her ear that they almost brushed against her skin. “I need a wife who will satisfy me. An’ o’ course, I’m more than happy tae satisfy me wife. In fact, I take great pleasure in it. I’d wish fer naething more than tae have ye writhin’ in pleasure in me bed while I take ye.”

Billie couldn’t stop the whimper that bubbled up her throat, but she quickly regained her composure. She forbade herself to imagine what it would feel like, being laid out in Domnhall’s bed as he touched her and kissed her, how his length would fill that space inside her.

Instead, she latched onto the first thing that came to mind which could get her out of this situation. It was something that demanded answers, too, something that had been plaguing Billie ever since she had witnessed it.

Somehow, she managed to turn around in that little space Domnhall had left between their bodies without touching him and she levelled him with a glare.

“I ken all about yer urges,” she said. “That’s why ye bring the maids tae yer study, is it nae? I’m sure ye’re more than happy tae have yer way with them, so why am I here now? Why dae ye insist on makin’ me stay here as unpleasant as possible?”

For a moment, Domnhall looked as though he was taken aback by Billie’s words and he deflated a little, the smile wiped from his handsome face. Then, he parted his lips as if to speak, but before he could, Billie came to a sudden realization.

“Ye wish tae anger me so I reject the marriage,” she said. It wasn’t a question. Domnhall himself had told her she would regret this. He had said he would make her regret this and that was precisely what he had been doing all those days, first with the horses, then with the silly cooking, and now with this, acting in such a lewd manner that she would be so scared off and disgusted, thus cancelling the wedding.

His silence was all the confirmation Billie needed. He didn’t even have an excuse to defend himself, it seemed, either because he never thought he would need one or because he simply didn’t care enough if he was found out.

If he thought Billie would give up so easily, though, he was sorely mistaken. This marriage was important. She wouldn’t risk ruining the reputation of the Robertson family because Domnhall was an ass, nor would she risk a marriage between Domnhall and Abigail. Her sister deserved better than this. She deserved to find true love, not marry a man like Domnhall.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Billie took the opportunity when Domnhall stepped back a little to escape from the confines of his body and the door. Her gaze fell to the buckets near the fire, none of them steaming. They must have been cold, she thought, not yet prepared for Domnhall’s bath.

She walked up to them and grabbed one. It was heavy, but she was too furious to care, too emboldened and strengthened by her rage. Domnhall didn’t even have time to react before she poured its contents all over him, the freezing water covering him from head to toe.

As the water splashed his skin, he gasped and recoiled, shivering with the sudden chill. Satisfied, Billie put the bucket down and wiped her hands dry on her dress, her chin jutting out in defiance as she looked at him.

“This should help ye think clearly, me laird,” she said.

She didn’t wait for his reaction before she stomped out of the room. She didn’t care to see it or hear anything else Domnhall had to say to her. By the time she was three corridors down from his chambers, though, all her nervousness and excitement finally manifested themselves and her hands began to shake, even as she smiled to herself.

He deserved that, and more. If he wishes tae toy with me, he should ken it willnae be so easy anymore.

Billie was about to head to her own chambers when she heard a giggle that sounded awfully familiar. Slowly rounding the corner, she saw none other than her sister and the very guard Domnhall had removed for protection—Cameron.

She couldn’t help but laugh a little, shaking her head. Cameron was a handsome young man, with dark hair and bright eyes, just the kind of man Abigail liked.

They both froze when they heard her, and Cameron turned a bright shade of red under the torch light, putting several steps of distance between him and Abigail. He stuttered as he spoke, his embarrassment and fear getting the better of him.

“Forgive me,” he said. “I didnae… I…”

“It’s alright, Cameron,” Billie said kindly, waving his concerns off. It didn’t even shock her to catch Abigail like this anymore. It would be more shocking to find out she didn’t want Cameron. “But I wish tae speak tae me sister. Could I have a moment?”

“O’ course,” Cameron said, still flushed as he bowed a little too deeply and hurried off down the corridor, almost tripping over his own two feet in his haste.

Billie turned to Abigail with a long-suffering but tolerant smile. “When will ye leave the guards alone?”

“Why would I?” Abigail asked, entirely unabashed. “Cameron is very handsome, isnae he?”

“An’ Aidan?”

“Aidan is also very handsome,” she chuckled, but then became serious. “Besides, I’m only flirting with them and share an innocent touch here and there… We both ken I wouldnae dae more than this.”

Billie couldn’t help but laugh at that. Poor Aidan would be devastated if he found out about Cameron when Abigail returned home, but Billie doubted he ever would. Besides, there was no escaping it. Eventually, Abigail would marry a noble man and Aidan would have to deal with the heartbreak.

“What dae ye wish tae tell me?” Abigail asked. “Or was that an excuse tae make Cameron leave?”

“It was nay excuse,” Billie said. She walked over to her sister and looped her arm around hers, the two of them walking side by side. “Domnhall called me tae his chambers an’ he… well, he was tryin’ tae embarrass me an’ frighten me an’...”

“Frighten ye?” Abigail asked, concerned. “How?”

Just at the memory, Billie blushed. “He was nude. An’ he tried tae seduce me… or at least make me think he was tryin’ tae seduce me when truly he was only tryin’ tae make me reject the marriage. All this time, this is what he has been tryin’ tae dae. He wants tae scare me so I stop threatenin’ him an’ leave. The horse ride, the cookin’… now this. It’s all an elaborate plan.”

Abigail came to a halt, pulling Billie along. She seemed shocked to hear it, but then the more she thought about it, the more she seemed to come to the same understanding Billie had.

“I see,” she said. “Then perhaps it isnae worth it. Perhaps we should put an end tae this.”

Billie shook her head. “Nay. I cannae dae that. Ye ken the order came from the King. I cannae disobey.”

Abigail’s gaze was sympathetic as she regarded Billie. The two of them resumed their walk, moving in silence for a while until Abigail said, “Well… then perhaps ye should treat him the same way.”

“The same way?” Billie asked with a frown. “How?”

“Seduce him,” Abigail said simply, shrugging a shoulder. “He willnae expect that an’ I’m certain he’ll be more surprised an’ scared than ye ever would. Men dinnae expect a lass tae be bold like that. He willnae ken what tae dae and ye can toy with him the same way he does with ye.”

Billie considered it for a few moments. She was far from the kind of girl who knew how to seduce a man, but perhaps Abigail could give her some advice. She already knew Domnhall wanted her. He had proven it when he had brought her to his room at the inn, eager to spend the night with her. How difficult would it be to toy with him a little, just as he had toyed with her?

He deserved it after all. It was such a good plan that Billie was almost angry at herself for not thinking of it first.