Maid for the Knight by Mia Pride

Author:Mia Pride [Pride, Mia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Highland
Published: 2020-07-13T16:00:00+00:00

“MATILDA!”

She heard his voice shouting from behind her, heard the sound of his frantic footfalls as he attempted to close the distance between them. Stop, or run away? Neither. She would simply keep moving at her current pace and hope he disappeared for a while.

“Matilda!”

Scowling and clenching her fists, Matilda stopped just before descending the stairs. Turning around, she glared at him and refused to show any emotion. “What is it, Reginald?”

Panting as he came to a halt in front of her, he took a deep breath and gave her a pleading look. “I am sorry I upset ye, Matilda. I dinnae ken what else to say.”

“Ye stopped me to tell me that?” She wanted to smack him, yet she had to admit to herself that he had not made any promises. Confessing his love and kissing her was not a proposal, though, to most women, it would be. What else was the intention of such a confession if not the inevitable? “’Tis all right,” she lied, trying to hide the pain that made her stomach feel twisted into knots. “’Tis for the best. Neither of us wanted such things before. And now I remember why. I dinnae have time for such emotions and prefer my life without boundaries and obligations to a man.”

“Ye do?” he asked, and she couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or relieved, but it mattered not.

“I do. Now, I shall pack my belongings and we will ride to my Uncle James’ land and face Archibald. Once this is all over, we can go back to the way things once were.” Matilda turned and sprinted down the stairs before he could see the tears welling up in her eyes. Curse these emotions and whatever hopes she’d had for the two of them. She would get over all of this. After all, she had only known he loved her for less than a day.

Reaching the floor her chamber was on, Matilda stepped off the stairs and sprinted down the hall, desperate to collect her things and be away from that room where her heart had blossomed to life and then withered and died in a matter of hours. Thankfully, there was little to pack, as she had not brought much to begin with. Shoving everything in her satchel, Matilda opened the door and shut it behind her without so much as a glance back. There was no time to think about the past. Her future and the future of her people relied on her actions in the present.

Flying down the stairs and stepping into the hall, Matilda saw Marjorie speaking with Mary and walked toward them. “We are ready to leave,” she announced without preamble, shame washing over her as she wondered what her sister must think of her.

“I shall miss ye both,” Mary said, giving her a lingering embrace. “I cannae say how grateful we are for yer efforts to protect our lands from being overtaken by the Black Douglas. ’Tis been a concern for so long.

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