Page 59 of Taken By the Savage Highlander

“I have spoken with one of my friends in England, and I am fairly certain that Highland husbands are much more entertaining,” Anna said, going through the ribbons laid out on the desk in the corner. “I am much happier being married to a Scotsman than I ever would be with a stuffy Englishman.”

“They say that about us,” Lilly tutted as her hands grazed Margo’s spine. Each button she unfastened gave a dull pop, barely audible above the frantic beating of her heart. “‘Stuffy sassenach,’ or whatever it is they like to say.”

“Wee sassenach is what I hear most often,” Marian said, rolling her eyes as she carefully loosened the braid in Margo’s hair. “Though Lachlan typically uses my name.” Stepping in front of Margo, Marian asked, “Do you get called sassenach?”

“No,” Margo said, blushing for reasons she could not quite name. “Cameron doesn’t call me anything other than Margo.”

“He did call you confusing last week,” Eleanor pointed out, her focus entirely on the blue gown one of the maids had hung on the privacy divider. “Though I do not think that counts. He didn’t do it in place of your name.”

“No, that doesn’t count,” Lilly giggled as she helped Margo out of her casual dress. “It is quite funny, though.”

“It is especially funny that he would say that about me, when he is the one who is endlessly confusing!” Margo exclaimed before she could stop herself. Almost immediately, she started explaining herself, saying, “It is simply that he hardly speaks to me. He spends half his time avoiding me.”

“He stares at you, though,” Eleanor said, a mischievous smile settling on her lips.

“He most certainly does not stare at me!” Margo argued, only keeping herself still because Lilly was fastening her into her ceilidh gown.

Though perhaps I have been making a point to avoid looking his way.

Anna and Marian exchanged a look before the two started giggling. As soon as Lilly finished getting Margo into her gown, Margo’s hands found her hips as she stared at the two women incredulously. She sputtered, unsure of how anything she said was funny.

“Cameron stares plenty. Men imagine themselves being subtle when they are anything but,” Anna said when she recovered. She looked at Marian then and asked, “Do you think we should go with a blue ribbon or a white ribbon?”

“I was thinking that we leave her hair down,” Marian said, carrying on with preparations as if they had not just said something that shook Margo to her core.

Anna huffed, walking over to the desk to exchange the ribbons for a comb. As she approached Margo and Marian once more, she said, “Hugh behaved the same way when we were first married.”

“It is not the same,” Margo said, unsure of why she was protesting so hard.

I’m trying to protect my heart. It is better if I do not read into any of this past the surface level.

“I think that it might be similar,” Lilly said, walking back to her chair with her hand resting on her belly.

“I would have felt the same way if someone told me that Lachlan’s behavior was romantic at first,” Marian hummed, steering Margo toward the window seat. As she pushed her onto her rump, Marian said, “It feels different when you are in the midst of it.”

Margo huffed, but said nothing else. Letting Marian and Anna fuss over her hair, she reached for her sister’s hand. Eleanor squeezed their palms together, smiling when they met each other’s eyes.

“You know,” Marian said when she was satisfied with Margo’s hair, “I first met Cameron at my wedding.”

“Is that so?” Margo asked, clearing her throat to combat the dryness that had accumulated.

“He looked like being at the wedding physically pained him.”

Before Marian could continue, Anna burst into laughter. She dropped the comb she had been carrying. As she bent down to pick it up, she said, “I am sorry, so sorry. It is simply… I can see it in my head.”

Margo could, too. Cameron was such a serious man. She could not imagine he would be anything but sour at a wedding. He did not even look as if he wanted to be attending his own handfasting.

“Cameron barely spoke to anyone,” Marian said as she took the seat on Margo’s other side. “He glowered at every single couple dancing. I am surprised he did not flee before the vows were read.”

I should not feel so glad to hear these stories.

But, for the first time, she felt as though she were hearing about the man that Cameron was. Yes, she knew that he was dutiful, that he was respected by his people and allies alike. It was a different thing to hear how he behaved when he was tasked with being nothing more than a person.

I’m finding that I like the human parts of him.

“There’s nae a soul to stop me,” Cameron muttered to himself as he poured himself a second glass of whisky.

The Solar had been empty for the better part of an hour. As soon as the first guests started arriving, Lachlan disappeared, promising he would greet the rest of them once the ceilidh officially began. Hugh had gone to the kitchens a short while after Lachlan left, claiming he was retrieving more whisky; though if Cameron had to guess, he was taking first pick of the refreshments in the kitchen.