Page 88 of Wedded to the Devilish Highlander
“I’m waitin’ for ye,” Eileen called back as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Waitin’ for me?” he echoed. “Why’d ye leave the castle when ye ken ye’re nae meant to?”
“I wanted to see if ye would come after me,” Eileen admitted. “Do ye remember when ye said ye would, back when ye thought I might run away?”
Archer furrowed his brow as he dismounted his horse. He led it to a tree and tied it to a branch before turning back to her. He had to admit that she looked beautiful in the golden glow of the midday sun.
“Are ye tellin’ me that ye planned for us to have a picnic out here?” he asked.
“I thought I would inject a bit of fun into our betrothal.” Eileen shrugged. “Do ye nae feel so alive and free?”
“Ye’re crazy, lass! As mad as they come. And yer maid?”
“She’s in on it, but I made her do it.”
“How did ye even sneak past the guards?”
“I have me ways,” Eileen quipped.
“So, ye’re nae runnin’ off?”
“Nae yet,” she said with a smile.
“Och, ye scared me half to death.”
Eileen didn’t reply, but she looked pleased to have evoked the emotion within him.
She tilted her head back, letting her hair hang loose and her breasts stick out. Her neck was open, and Archer wanted to rush over there and kiss her again, but he didn’t appreciate being manipulated. He didn’t like how scared he’d been when he thought she was running off on her own.
“Will ye nae come and join me?” she asked.
Archer sighed. While he didn’t like the way he felt, there was something comforting about her being able to sneak out of the castle. She might be a little reckless, but that didn’t make her any less impressive.
“Aye, I’ll join ye. But after that, we’re goin’ back to the castle,” he warned.
“Are ye goin’ to hoist me over yer shoulder and drag me back there?” she asked with a mile.
“If I have to,” he replied. He made his way to the blanket and sat down. “Well, let’s see what we have in here.” He opened the basket to unpack it. “Blackcurrant mead. Good choice. Cheese, cured meat, jam, bread, tarts—aye, a fine spread. And did ye have to steal this, or did ye have the cooks betray me, too?”
“If I reveal all me secrets, I willnae have anythin’ left to surprise ye with,” she pointed out.
“I dinnae think ye’ll ever stop surprisin’ me,” he admitted. He took out the two cups and poured some mead into both, handing one to her. “I’m glad ye’re safe, so let’s toast to that.”
Eileen clinked her cup against his.
“I also want to thank ye,” he added.
“I didnae think ye would thank me after I led ye on this wild goose chase.”
“Nay, nae for this whole thing. For the other night when ye let me talk about me faither and voice me frustrations. I’ve been carryin’ that burden for a long time, and after I told ye about it, I felt different—lighter.”
“That makes me happy.” Eileen smiled. “I didnae want to push ye into that, but I kenned it would help. I didnae ken what ye held inside afore ye told me, but I could see it was a dark shadow—and it was. I cannae imagine what ye’ve gone through for the past six years.”
“It’s why me relationship with me maither is so strained,” Archer admitted. “Every time I look into her eyes, I see the woman she once was, and that takes me back to the day Faither was killed. She has never been the same after that, and she’s right to blame me.”
“She doesnae blame ye,” Eileen countered.
“How do ye ken that?”
