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“It was the least I could do,” Christian said, wishing he could tell Keira that he would gladly do almost anything for her. She was already too precious to him, and he simply wanted her to get better.
“Yer servants truly respect ye,” she remarked, and laughed softly, “as per Harriet, everyone in the clan does since ye are the best laird they ever had.”
“It is my job to take care of them for everything they do for me. I simply fulfill my role as laird, which was definitely nae done by those before me. I ken my faither was cruel to the people, and I always knew I would never be like him. It is just an effort to make my clan better,” Christian replied honestly.
As he stared at her, he could not understand the attraction he felt towards her. He had never been so attracted to anyone else, nor did someone ever have such an intense hold over him. Everything was different with Keira. The woman sitting in front of him was still not entirely healed but getting better every day, and Christian knew he could help her by simply being there for her. All she needed was care.
Their gaze turned towards the bedchamber door, which he had left open after Harriet left to make sure that she felt comfortable around him. Servant after servant entered with trays in their hands, followed by Harriet. When Keira refused to step out of her bedchamber to have dinner with him, he asked Harriet to bring their dinner to her bedchamber since he was determined to make sure they ate together. He wanted to spend every waking minute with her; dinner was simply just a small part of it.
“Should I get it served, me laird?” Harriet asked him as all servants stood behind her.
“Yes, just keep it here on the table,” Christian replied, motioning towards the table by the fireplace where he was seated.
Harriet nodded and motioned to the servants to place their dinner on the table, and just as he had asked her, she had brought them an assortment of all kinds of foods. He wanted Keira to eat to gain back her strength, and he was not certain if she was eating enough. Harriet had told him that she made sure Keira ate as much as she could, but it had been one week since she was here, and Christian could no longer stay away.
He watched the smile on her face as the servants set the food on the table, as she realized what he had done. He was glad that she did not look angry or, even worse, terrified. Instead, she looked content just sitting there. He had to resist checking up on her constantly in the past week, but he knew he was punishing himself unreasonably. He would need to break the ice with her himself, or else the two of them would never get closer, and he certainly needed to get closer to her. He wished for nothing more.
“Do ye need anything else, me laird?” Harriet asked once the food was set up.
“Nay,” he replied with a wave of his hand, “ye all can leave.”
“At once,” Harriet nodded. The servants exited, and Harriet began to close the door just as she was leaving, but Christian called out her name, not wanting the door to be closed in case it scared Keira. Right now, he wanted nothing more but her comfort and security, and far above it all, he needed her to trust him. He knew it was not going to be easy, but it was not impossible either.
“Leave the door open, Harriet.”
Harriet nodded and left and he turned to look at Keira, who was looking at him with a grateful expression, certainly noticing what he had done and why he had done so. He wondered if she realized that he was doing it all for her trust, protection, and safety. None of it was easy for her, but he was ready to be patient and wait.
“Keira?” he called out her name.
“Yes?”
“Will ye please have dinner with me?” he asked once again, making sure to smile at her. Christian did not remember the last time he had smiled as much as he smiled in her presence. She was doing things to him that no one had ever done before.
She laughed and rolled her eyes at him before getting up from the bed, and Christian, too, chuckled softly. In the past, if someone had ever rolled their eyes at him, he would never have left them alive to consider doing such an insult to his person again. Although, when Keira did it, he did not mind at all. Her antics simply amused him, and he could not believe that a woman was having such an effect on him.
Under the terror Eric had instilled in her and her shy demeanor around him, Christian could sense that she was a completely different person with fire and spark. He could see it through her eyes and the way she replied to him. She had a rebellious streak in her which excited him, and he would give anything for her to become her old self again; to become the Keira she once was.
“I will have dinner with ye, Christian,” she replied, sitting down opposite him on the other sofa. Even dressed simply in a blue gown, she looked beautiful. Harriet had bought some clothes for her, and these fit her better. Her blonde hair lay freely behind her, making her olive skin shine. Christian could see the gold of her eyes in the firelight, which was only illuminated further by her smile. She was truly stunning, just as the legends had presented her to be. Nothing compared to her.
“I am honored,” he nodded at her as the two of them dug into the food. He was ecstatic to see her eating well and rather heartily, as if she really had been hungry.
“I must say, I haven’t even had food this scrumptious back at home,” she complimented, and he laughed softly. The MacPherson’s were certainly extremely serious about their food, and hence one could always find the best food everywhere in his clan.
“We love food. It is a warrior thing,” he replied proudly.
“Aren’t warriors supposed to eat anythin’ they get and nae care about its taste?”
“Nae when those warriors have women around them who care about what they eat,” he explained. Most of his soldiers were married, and the cooks in his castle were women as per the norm, and every woman in the clan was certainly a remarkable cook.
“So ye have women here who cook for ye?” she asked, and he wondered what it was that she meant. The sudden tinge in her tone made him wonder if she was truly asking if he had another woman in his life. He was certain Harriet must have told her all about him already, hence the question surprised him but amused him too. Could Keira have similar feelings towards him as he did towards her? He had a feeling it was too soon for such a thing to exist.
“The cooks here are women. Old ladies who make me, Josh, and whoever else is having dinner with us the most delicious of meals.”
“Oh,” she replied, relief flooding her eyes and her reaction confused him once again.
“Tell me more about yerself, Keira,” he said, wishing to know her better. It could only happen if they spent time together, and he needed to make sure they did. He wished for nothing but her company.
“Do ye nae ken everything already since ye had me investigated?” she questioned sarcastically, and he once again realized how no one had ever talked to him in such a tone before. Yet here he was, letting a woman he did not even know get away with it. His feelings towards her were certainly too strong.
