Highlander's Beautiful Liar A Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance Historical Novel - Adamina Young Page 0,40

a little harsh, and she winced. “No, I mean be your wife.”

“‘Twill not be hard. Just stay out of my way and doona cause any trouble.”

Alarmed, she sat up and stared at him. “What is it that you think a wife does?” she demanded.

“Ye will be a good mother to my children,” Alec sighed. “I would not have gone through with this if I did not believe that. Until then, ye may do as ye wish as long as it does not harm my job here.”

Thinking of the Thistles, of the love that bonded them, of the partnership that they had created, she realized with great sorrow that she would never have that with Alec.

Opening his eyes, Alec grunted and pulled her back down. “Go to sleep,” he ordered. “I am tired, Wife, and I doona wish to try and untangle the thoughts ye never want to voice.”

Slowly, she settled back down again and closed her eyes.

This time, when she slept, the nightmares didn’t come.

The next morning, Alec was gone from her bed. His bed. Their bed. She would have to remind herself of that. Slipping quietly from the chambers, she headed to her own to get dressed. Not having anything suitable for a mistress to wear and wanting the previous anonymity of her old life, she dressed in one of her serving dresses.

When she was younger, her mother had taught her the importance of clothes. A king could move through the crowd without notice so long as he discarded the royal robes and dressed in rags. Although just yesterday she’d married the laird, no one looked twice at her as she headed to the kitchens.

Breakfast was finished for the crowd, so her friends were seated around the small table and eating the last of the oatmeal. They did recognize her, and the kitchen went quiet.

“Good morning,” she said quietly. “I did not have a chance to speak to you before the wedding. I owe you an explanation.”

“Claire,” Mary said as she stood before she wrinkled her nose. “Sorry, Cora.”

“Lady Cora,” someone reminded her snidely from the table.

Mary shot them a dirty look. “We knew ye had secrets, Cora. We didnae think it was anything like this, but we befriended ye, secrets and all. Now ye are our mistress…”

“Oh, please,” Cora interrupted as she hurried forward and took Mary’s hands. “I don’t want to be your mistress. Truly, I don’t. I would like us to be friends. Is that still possible?”

“We arena English, Cora,” Mary laughed and hugged her. “A Scot’s blood is a Scot’s blood. I served for Laird Duncan. He was a good man, and I will be pleased to serve ye and be yer friend.”

One look behind Mary told her that not everybody felt that way, but she would win them over. She may never have Alec’s love, but she would have her friends.

“If Laird Alec sees ye wearing this, he wilnae be pleased,” Mary said with a frown.

“Yesterday I was a servant and today I am a mistress. My wardrobe hasn’t quite caught up,” Cora said dryly as she walked to the counter and served herself a bowl of oatmeal. “Besides, things are moving a little too quickly for me. It’s nice to have a moment to embrace my old life.”

“Ye were not a servant for long,” Mary said disapprovingly.

Cora shot her a wry look. “I imagine Alec will very much have a problem if I chain myself back into the dungeon.”

“No, I meant that ye had a life in England. A family. Why did ye lie about that? Ye could have gone home. Does danger await ye there?”

Hating that she was lying to Mary, she studied her oatmeal. “I did not know the consequences of learning my true name, and I certainly did not want to wed Innes.”

“Laird Alec is most certainly the better choice,” Mary said with a wink and the table giggled. That immediately launched into a conversation about Alec’s attributes, and no one thought to censor their words around Cora. Soon, she was so bright red that the table couldn’t help but rib on her about the night that she couldn’t admit didn’t happen.

“Well, some of us need to get to work,” Mary said.

“I’ll help,” Cora said as she stood as well, and everyone stared at her. “What?”

“Cora, I said that we can be friends, but I didnae say that ye could still be a servant. Ye canna start scrubbing floors again.”

Her nightmares and fears about Innes still lingered with her, and