Page 39 of A Nameless Highland Laird
Cameron got off the sofa with the books in hand, moving to their empty slots on the shelves.
“I did nae grow up here, in the castle. I lived in the village as a lad.”
“In the village? I have never heard of such a thing. What was that like?”
“In many ways, I am grateful for the childhood that I had. My learning was nae from books or sitting at tables with other noblemen. I learned from the people of the clan. They taught me how to cobble a shoe and skin a deer and make my own sword. Of course, those are just the skills I learned, nae the life lessons. I never needed to ken how to read and write or which fork to use when I spent my time hunting and trying to survive these highlands.”
The longer he spoke, the wider her eyes became. With his back turned to her, he couldn’t see that her mind was reeling from everything he had just said.
Since she had arrived at the Knox castle, things had seemed odd, but she brushed them off time and time again, because her marriage to Laird Knox was what her father wanted. But this went beyond odd. A Laird, any Laird, would never send their heir to live in the village to be raised illiterate and poorly mannered. She had seen first hand just how intensely they were trained to take over the clan when the time came. Combined with the poorly fitted clothes he wore and how uncomfortable he seemed in his role, nothing made any sense.
As if he could hear her thoughts, Cameron whirled around, his own eyes wide and panicked. The look he gave her solidified the last piece, though she still wasn’t ready to accept it.
“Cameron,” she started as he inched closer, “do ye mean to tell me that ye did nae grow up here and that ye were nae raised by Laird Knox? Ar-are ye truly his heir? Are ye the true Laird of the Knox clan? Or was this—” she gestured to the space between them, “was our engagement all a ploy so ye could take over the clan without anyone looking too closely at this whole mess?”
His expression told her all that she needed to know.
* * *
“I thinkye have misunderstood things, Charlotte.”
Cameron’s heart hammered in his chest, though he tried to pretend otherwise. He had known from the moment the words left his lips that he had told her too much, he had admitted to too much. It had been all too easy to slip and tell her the truth about his childhood.
After spending the afternoon on the couch with her, getting lost in the words on a page, he had forgotten who he was and what he was doing. He had forgotten about the man leaving her chambers and that he was supposed to be a Laird. Somewhere along the way, he had stopped playing a part and had just become himself again. And that was going to cost him dearly.
Though he had tried to speak firmly, he could see that she didn’t believe him. She had already made her mind up about things and there would be no changing it.
“I dinnae think so,” she argued, shaking her head against the lie he had tried to feed her. “I dinnae ken why ye have done these things, but ye can trust me with it. Ye can tell me what is going on. I want to help ye.”
Her words had turned to pleading, but he could not be swayed. He had already made a lasting mistake by telling her that he had not grown up in the castle. While she might understand that Laird Knox was technically his father, but just never took an active role, he doubted that she would understand all of the trickery that had gone on since his father had died.
Silence stretched between them, but he offered her no explanation. He couldn’t. It would put the entire clan at risk for the trust to get out. They would be vulnerable to a hostile takeover and he would be treated as an outlaw. Neither of those things were acceptable to him.
“Cameron,” she tried again, reaching out to touch his hand.
He yanked it back and stepped out of reach, letting his mask slide on again.
“I am telling ye that ye have misunderstood me, Charlotte. I am the Laird of the Knox clan. There is nay doubt of my parentage. Just because ye dinnae understand my father’s choices does nae mean that they invalidate my legitimacy.” He narrowed his eyes at her, knowing the only way he would get her to drop it would be by using the only weapon he had against her. “If ye dinnae want to participate in this engagement with me, ye dinnae need to come up with ridiculous reasons to get out of it. I ken ye are only looking for some way to be with yer lad from the stables. If that is what ye are so worried about let me assure ye, I dinnae care what ye do with him. Keep him around, move him into the castle, send him away—it is all yer decision and I will accept whatever ye choose. I did nae accept yer father’s offer to get some lass to fall in love with. The only reason ye are here is to do yer duty as a wife and bear me sons. That is what will happen—we will be married and put an end to the senseless violence between our clans. Beyond that, what ye do does nae concern me a wee bit.”
He bit back a flinch at the tears welling up in her eyes. His words had been every bit as harsh and cold as the infamous Laird Knox was said to be, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He wasn’t going to have her ruin all of his plans, all of the work he had put into saving his people, no matter what she thought she knew.
The air between them settled into something tense and ugly. Without another word, he stormed out of the library, slamming the door behind him.
