Page 37 of Laird of Wrath

Callum couldn’t make sense of it. He couldn’t understand why she had changed so suddenly or what could have possibly prompted this change. Had he done something to offend her? Had he done something to hurt her?

Had she realized that the only reason he had kissed her was to distract her?

Well, that would be absolutely terrible.

It was more than that, though. He simply didn’t know how to explain it to her. Yes, at first, he had kissed her to distract her, but each kiss he got from her was a breath of fresh air, a weight lifted off his shoulders. How could he explain this to her in a way that wouldn’t infuriate her even more?

Without another word, and before he could say a thing, Rhea stomped past him and retreated down the corridor, disappearing around the next corner. She was not heading to her chambers, as they were on the other side of the wing, but he didn’t know where she was going. He couldn’t even ask her, not when she was practically running away from him.

Callum cursed under his breath, standing there for a moment. He stared out the large windows that lined the hallway at the darkened silhouette of the distant trees. For the first time, he realized he was cold. It was a cold night, at least for a summer one, and he had neglected to wear something over his shirt.

He had half a mind to keep going, to roam the halls until morning, but he was no longer in the mood for it. Instead, he made his way to his study, where he lit a fire in the grate and warmed his hands, rubbing them together for a few moments.

Rhea’s words haunted him. She had been angry, and she had said things that confused him, especially because he thought they had reached common ground. But there was also one thing she had said that lingered in his mind, something that rang true even now, in the quiet of his study.

“ A husband would open up to his wife.”

It was true that he hadn’t opened up to her and that he found it difficult—if not impossible—to do so. Her complaint wasn’t unreasonable. And yet the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he couldn’t open up to her. To anyone.

It was his burden to bear, all of it. And bear it he would on his own.

12

That bastard. He thinks I daenae ken what he’s doin’!

The first time Callum had tried to distract her from the matter at hand, she had let it slide. But now she was furious with him.

She hated the way he was trying to manipulate her into silence for his own sake, simply because he didn’t like the conversation. Simply because he didn’t want to talk about his stupid, pointless war that she knew would be a death sentence for him.

“Is it truly that difficult for him to accept that he isnae invulnerable?” she asked Lara as they sat at the small, round table under the window in her sitting room. “Must he make me worry all the time?”

“Me Lady, I’m afraid that it is a laird’s duty to protect his clan and go to war if needed,” Lara said, trying to reason with her.“And it is only natural that his wife would be concerned about him, but there is only so much ye can do about it.”

“Well, I’ll do anythin’ it takes if it means that he’ll listen to reason,” Rhea said stubbornly, though she doubted there was anything she could say or do to make Callum see reason.

He is simply nae a reasonable man!

He had given her this impression from the very beginning, from the first time they had met. He did as he pleased, and everyone else around him simply had to go along with it, whether they agreed or not.

But Rhea wasn’t one of his councilmen, nor was she one of his soldiers. She was not obligated to listen to him without ever expressing her disagreement. In fact, it was her duty as his wife to tell him when he was wrong.

And he was certainly wrong now.

The pen in her hand had stilled over the paper, spilling dark ink on the surface. It spread over the paper in splotches, darkening the words she had already written. She huffed in frustration as she balled it up and tossed it to the floor. Then, a moment later, feeling bad that she was making more mess for Lara, she bent over and picked it up, placing it carefully on the table.

“Ach, me Lady, ye seem so troubled,” Lara noted gently, her hand coming to rest on Rhea’s shoulder. “What can I do to make ye feel better?”

“Could ye talk some sense into me husband?” Rhea asked.

Lara’s eyes widened in fear. “I wouldnae dare!”

She sounded genuinely frightened of Callum, though Rhea couldn’t tell why. Certainly, he had come back changed. His face was now scarred from war, and he looked rougher than anyone remembered him—he had not been dainty to begin with. From the moment she had laid eyes on him, she had known that he was a hardened man, someone who had spent more time with a sword in his hand than a pen.

Some lairds chose to rule through words, and others chose to rule through actions. Callum was certainly one of the latter. And yet Rhea had never found him frightening, not even when she angered him.

“If it brings ye any comfort, I saw a strange, lone cloud in the sky this morn,” Lara said.

Rhea couldn’t help but roll her eyes fondly at the young woman. It was another of her silly superstitions, but she didn’t tell her a single thing about it. She had come to accept that Lara would always believe in such things. It certainly brought the maid much joy to share what she considered good news with everyone else.