Page 40 of Ruined By the Ruthless Highlander
He watched her face closely for a reaction. He caught a flicker of emotion in her eyes, but only for a second before she replaced it with another saccharine smile.
His jaw tightened as he looked away, then he quickly lifted a spoonful of hot porridge to his lips.
It burned him.
Damn me.
He set down the spoon slowly despite his burning lips and glanced at Marian again.
Still smilin’. This English lass…
He set aside his porridge and reached for a glass of water, just as Mrs. Campbell reappeared with a kettle and a cup.
“I didnae call for tea,” he said absentmindedly.
But she walked toward Marian instead, setting down the porcelain carefully in front of her.
“Aye, me Laird,” she agreed as she poured the steaming liquid into the cup. “’Tis for the Lady. She always has tea with breakfast.”
Marian met his gaze, her eyes narrowing slightly in what looked like a taunt. “Thank you, Mrs. Campbell. You are most kind.”
“Ah, think nothin’ of it, me Lady.” Mrs. Campbell laughed softly before turning to leave the room.
“Mrs. Campbell,” Marian called after her. “Perhaps you can fetch some more tea… for the Laird.” She turned to face him. “He’ll find it’s delightfully hot.”
Aye. She kens what she’s doin’.
“I highly doubt that, me Lady.” Mrs. Campbell laughed again. “The Laird doesnae enjoy tea.”
“Nay.” Lachlan cleared his throat. “I would like some tea,” he countered, the words leaving him before he could stop them.
Marian smirked, lifting her cup to her red lips. Her eyes peered at him over the rim, and his mind immediately conjured images of their kiss at the well.
Lachlan’s fists clenched under the table. He sat there, unmoving, as he watched her finish drinking her tea.
Marian rose from the table just as his tea arrived. “Enjoy your tea, my Laird,” she said, bobbing the slightest curtsy imaginable before walking out of the room.
Lachlan stared at the empty doorway long after she’d gone, forgetting all about the teacup in front of him.
He’d meant to unsettle her and drive her away. Instead, he sat alone in his hall, outsmarted by a woman half his size, nursing his burned lips and bruised pride.
And wanting her more than ever.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ihad not thought a laird was capable of such pettiness.
Marian scoffed, her cheeks reddening even as she tried to force thoughts of Lachlan out of her mind.
She could not return to her chamber after that sorry excuse of a breakfast. Not without answering the slight.
Her chest tightened as she made her way through the narrow corridors of the castle, her mind already set on what she was going to do.
If his plan was to drive her away from the castle after what had passed between them at the well, then she would make it far more difficult than he had imagined.
She found the kitchen more easily than she had the first time. Its door stood ajar, and from there, she could already feel the warmth radiating from the stoves.
She stepped inside with her chin high, taking in the bustle of the room. Just like her last time here, none of the servants stopped to acknowledge her presence. But that would soon change.
