“I ken ye better than that. What I daenae want is for ye to keep livin’ in denial.”
“I daenae want ye! How is that denial?”
“Surely ye are aware of the contract.”
Her brow creased. “What contract?”
“The one that says ye belong to me.”
She scoffed, the sound sharp and disbelieving. “Is this a jest?Ibelong to ye?”
“Aye.”
He stepped past her and walked toward the small table by the far wall. Lily watched with keen interest as he picked up a rolled piece of parchment with worn edges and walked back to her.
“Here,” he uttered, handing it over.
She stared at it before snatching it from his hand. The seal cracked under her thumb as she unrolled it. By the moon’s pale light, her eyes settled on the inked letters.
The first thing she saw was the date at the top. It was the day of their handfasting. Below it were two names written in bold strokes.
Captain Randall BlackwoodandAlasdair Shaw.
Her breathing slowed as she read further, each line striking into her like a stone in a river. The words were plain and undeniable.
By right and law, she was his wife.
She blinked before turning back to him. “This means nothin’,” she said, her voice cold enough to freeze the air between them.
Her hands trembled, but she kept them steady enough to roll the parchment and fling it aside. It struck the wall with a soft thud before falling to the floor.
“Me faither would have burned this the day ye left without a word.”
“Well, I didnae burn mine.”
Her eyes flashed as they met his. His jaw was set, and his gaze locked on her with an intensity that made the blood pound in her ears.
She wanted to call him a liar, to tell him that no piece of parchment could bind her, but the words stuck in her throat.
The moon grew even brighter, and the light crept over his face. He looked stern but not smug. He wasn’t gloating. He believed every word he’d said.
That alone made her feel like screaming into a pillow.
“It might have been me choice to marry ye back then. But it is me choice again nae to do that now. Ye have to fix this with the maids, or I’ll have to sleep somewhere else. I’ll sleep in the open air if I must.”
Alasdair scoffed. “Ye will do nay such thing.”
Lily’s fingers curled tight at her sides. “Do ye still nae understand me? I cannae stay in the same room as ye.”
Alasdair’s mouth quirked up at one corner, and he folded his arms across his chest, looking even more magnificent. “Ah, who cannae control herself now?”
Oh, good Lord.
Her glare sharpened anyway as she struggled to keep her eyes on his face. “I daenae care what that scroll says. Ye daenae own me, and ye’d be a fool to think otherwise.”
He tipped his head slightly, studying her. “Ye do ken we daenae have to do anything, do ye nae? We can just sleep on opposite sides of the bed.” His gaze flicked past her to the floorboards, then to the rug. “If it would make ye more comfortable, I will sleep on the floor.”
Lily swallowed, the anger in her still roiling. This was all a game to him, wasn’t it? She could tell from the smug smile on his lips. He was toying with her, waiting to see if this was going to break her or not.
