Page 40 of Laird of Wrath

Rhea considered it for a moment, then decided it was not worth it just to prove a point. Callum clearly wanted to surprise her with whatever this was, and that was sweet of him—a gesture she had never expected from him, let alone now that they were practically still arguing.

“Very well,” she relented. “I’ll allow it.”

“Great,” Callum grumbled. “Thank ye for yer endless generosity.”

Rhea ignored his sarcastic tone. She was already glad he was taking the initiative, trying to do something nice for her. Perhaps he was trying to change, after all. Perhaps he did listen.

“I’ll meet ye at the gates,” she said, echoing what he had told her before they went to the market. “I willnae be long.”

At that, Callum gave a nod and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Rhea glanced at Lara, who glanced back at her, the two of them standing there in silence for a few moments. Then, they burst out laughing.

“Ach, me Lady, he really is tryin’,” Lara noted. “And ye are much too harsh on him.”

“Do ye think so?” Rhea asked. “I think I’m just as harsh as I need to be, if nae less. He would never have suggested this if I wasnae harsh.”

“Ye daenae ken that,” Lara said. “The Laird… he seems so taken with ye.”

That gave Rhea pause.

Was Callum taken with her? She couldn’t tell. One moment, he was acting as if he genuinely cared for her; the next, he was yelling like a rabid dog.

She didn’t know what to think anymore. Did he truly care for her? Did he only see her as a duty, since she was his wife? Was he simply putting up with her as much as he could?

“Daenae trouble yerself,” Lara added, immediately noticing the shift in her mood. “Go with him. See what he wants. And then ye can judge everythin’ for yerself.”

“Ye ken, Lara, ye are much wiser than most councilmen I ken,” Rhea said with a smile.

“Aye, me Lady, of course.” Lara nodded. “They are men, after all.”

Once again, the two women laughed, and Rhea finally felt a weight lift off her shoulders, each breath coming easier.

Lara was right; she had to go and see what Callum wanted. And then, only then, could she judge him—or praise him—for it.

13

“She said that?” Hudson asked, laughing so hard that his shoulders were shaking.

“I daenae see what is so amusin’ about this,” Callum groused.

The two of them were sitting in his study over a cup of whisky, enjoying the first warm night of the year. They still needed a fire in the grate, of course. The Highlands were no place for someone to lounge around at night without a fire, but it was reasonably warm for them to enjoy the weather.

It would be a fine day the following morning, Callum thought. A fine day, indeed.

“It is amusin’ that ye are so upset about it,” Hudson said. “So, Rhea told ye that ye daenae open up to her. So what? Ye daenae open up to anyone.”

“That’s what I thought as well,” Callum muttered over the rim of his cup.

He took a sip of his whisky and the liquor burned down his throat pleasantly, leaving behind an aftertaste of smoke and cherries. It was a fine drink, but they didn’t have much of it left—nor much gold to purchase much more. And yet here he was, complaining about his wife and her ideas instead of trying to figure out a way to fix all the clan’s problems.

Though he supposed he would only have more problems if Rhea hated him. The laird and the lady of the clan had to be a united front. No one could know they were arguing.

No one but Hudson. And Lara… and all her gaggle of maids.

Callum sighed and dragged a hand down his face. He was tired. Exhausted, in fact. And the fact that they were sitting there so late at night, drinking, wasn’t helping things.

But who knew what he would see once he closed his eyes? Who knew what nightmares awaited him?