Highlander Most Wanted Page 0,79
harm’s way for her own gain. I shudder to think of all that Eveline endured. ’Tis my greatest fear, even today, that she did not speak of all of it in an effort to spare me the pain of knowing. Have you any idea what it’s like to worry that something that horrific has happened to someone you love with all your heart and soul?”
“That and more has happened to Genevieve. Repeatedly,” Bowen said coldly.
Graeme exhaled and his expression eased. He looked weary and he rubbed at his forehead.
“ ’Tis not something I can easily forgive, Bowen. You have to understand that. You cannot expect me to accept this.”
“I promised her that we would give her sanctuary within the Montgomery clan,” Bowen said through a tight jaw. “I would give her that protection as my wife.”
Graeme’s jaw went slack, and his eyes darkened with anger. “You would marry a woman who has so wronged your clan? Your sister by marriage? Think of what you do, Bowen. She has you by the cods. ’Tis clear she is manipulating you.”
Fury blew over Bowen. He’d not expected Graeme to be happy over the situation. He expected his anger. He’d not expected Graeme to take things this far and insult him in the process.
“I’ll not grant my blessing for this,” Graeme said, his voice laced with anger. “I’ll not welcome her into the Montgomery clan.”
Ice slid into his heart. Bowen was numb with the realization of the choice before him. And yet he knew without hesitation that it was the right choice. He could not leave Genevieve. He could not break his vow to see her protected. And loved.
She’d been dealt so much at such a young age. It was unconscionable to throw her to the wolves and walk away. He would not live without her. Even if it meant going his own way.
“I’ll be with Genevieve with or without your blessing,” Bowen said, his words dropping like stones in the silence of the room.
Graeme stared at him, mouth gaping. “You would really choose this woman over your own kin?”
Bowen stared back for a long moment, the silence growing ever more uncomfortable. “Tell me something, Graeme. Would you choose your kin over Eveline?”
Graeme seemed stunned by the question. His brows furrowed and he didn’t open his mouth to respond.
Bowen’s lip curled and he gazed at his brother in disgust. “I didn’t think so.”
He turned, only wanting to step away so that his anger could calm and he could think more rationally. When he put his hand out to open the door, he paused and turned back to Graeme, who was still sitting by the fire.
“You can rest in my chamber this night. I’ll seek other accommodations.”
He quietly left the room and shut the door behind him. It was instinctive to go to Genevieve’s door. He hated to barge in without knocking, but neither did he want to remain in the hall long enough to be seen.
He opened the door and slipped inside. Genevieve was by the fire, her long hair unbound and streaming down her shoulders. She was perched in a chair, her knees to her chin and her heels resting on the edge of the seat.
He made a small sound so she’d be alerted to his presence, and she whirled around, her eyes wide with fright.
“ ’Tis just me,” he soothed.
She relaxed, but her eyes remained alert and searching.
He walked forward, realizing the presumption of his barging into her private quarters—a place he’d assured her that she would not be bothered. He stood a few feet away, unsure of what to do now that he was here and Genevieve sat before him, a vision of loveliness silhouetted by the fire.
“Would you like to sit?” she asked softly, gesturing toward the chair opposite her. “You look as though you have much on your mind.”
He took the chair and leaned forward in it, his elbows resting on his knees.
“I wanted to see you,” he said simply.
He’d not upset her by telling her of Graeme’s reaction to his declaration. He hadn’t even yet given her the words—his feelings. In truth, he was … afraid.
It amused him that a man well versed in the ways of women and confident in his own powers of seduction should be so uncertain over a lass. But Genevieve was different. She was important. He didn’t want to mishandle the situation and ruin any chance he had of making her his.
She reached her hand across the distance and held it out to