The Highlander's Secret(27)
“We’ll see,” Moira whispered.
“As much as I enjoyed that, Jain. Ye cannae be acting like that, I won’t allow it. Ye ken better than to pick a fight with someone like Conrad. I thank God Alan was there, otherwise it could have gone much differently. Do ye ken?”
“Aye.”
He leaned forward in his seat to look her in the eyes and said, “Jain, I need ye to promise me that ye’ll be more careful. This cannae happen again. I try to understand and give ye freedom when I can, but this is one thing I cannae bend on.”
“I will not be his doxy,” Jain spat out angrily, while rising from her seat. “Any woman that married him would be nothing more than that – Conrad is not capable of love. He said that I need to be ‘broken’…like a horse. His friends were laughing about it with him. I won’t let him talk to me like that. I’d rather die than have him touch me.”
Eamon raised an eyebrow in surprise, then clicked his tongue in thought. “Ye’re right, Conrad never should have spoken that to ye like that,” Jain’s father told her. “I’ll speak to Keenan about it in the morning and let him ken about Conrad’s inappropriate behavior.”
Jain gritted her teeth at the memory. “Right before it happened, he asked me to change yer mind about his marriage proposal. As if I would ever have him to begin with.”
Eamon scoffed. “Lass, ye ken that will never happen. Yer Uncle Keenan wouldn’t allow it, and neither will I. Ye’ve got nothing to be afraid of.”
“I’m not afraid of him,” Jain snapped, pacing back and forth across the living space. “I’m angry. I’m furious that he can just get away with anything. He looks at me as if I were a piece of meat. It’s disgusting.”
“I dinnae understand why he keeps persisting,” Moira said. “Ye already spoke yer piece. He should be done with it. A clever lad like him should be able to take a hint.”
Jain shook her head, and let out a tired sigh. “It’s not even about that, he just wants to prove that he can get anything he wants. The only reason he’s interested in me to begin with is because I told him ‘no’. That’s what set him off in the first place.”
Jain knew perfectly well that Conrad had no qualms about breaking rules or using intimidation to try and bully his way to prominence. Men like that weren’t used to being told “no” and the rejection spurred him to put Jain on his radar as a trophy to be acquired.
Jain shook her head, brushing her hair off her shoulder. “He’s getting bolder by the day, Da. On top of the fact that I’m convinced he had something to do with Heather disappearing. What do we do?”
“We dinnae ken what happened to Heather,” Eamon told her.
“I saw them at the festival,” Jain sputtered in disbelief. “He’s been talking her up fer weeks. Ye cannae ignore the facts—”
“I’m not,” Eamon responded firmly. “But there’s nae evidence to suspect him yet. The search parties came back empty handed. Unless there is a body to prove foul play, I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do.”
“Conrad—”
“Is a despicable human being, but he’s also an asset to the community. Keenan is going to need more than a hunch to accuse one of his warriors of murder. While ye’re in public ye will keep yer mouth shut about it, ye understand? I won’t have his men coming after ye.”
She hung her head in shame and whispered, “Sorry, Da.”
Eamon patted her on the knee and said, “Moira and I just want ye to be safe. I ken ye’re not too keen on the idea of marriage, but it’s something that I want ye to consider seriously. Having a man always there to protect ye could come in handy.”
Jain opened her mouth to protest when Eamon stopped her.
“It wouldn’t have to be Conrad, there are plenty of other men in the village. And…we both ken ye have a fondness fer the young blacksmith.”
Moira chuckled. “Good luck convincing her of that, my love. I’ve been telling Jain fer weeks that she should make her feelings known, but she’ll have none of it.”
Jain blushed, looking away from them in embarrassment. She could have guessed they picked up on her fondness of Alan. Everyone else in the village had. For some reason, hearing it come from her mother’s mouth was different. It held weight that hadn’t been there previously. “I dinnae know what ye’re talking about.”
Moira smiled knowingly, crinkling the skin around her eyes. “I think ye do,” she chided. “Why do ye think I ask him to come around so often? Alan is a fine man and ye could be happy together. I ken I tease ye about him, but it’s the truth. I’ve seen the way ye look at each other. Ye cannae hide from love forever. Ye should have someone to share a life with, someone who will appreciate that fire.”
Jain nodded, glancing up to meet her da’s gaze. His eyes were tired but thoughtful as he rested his chin in the palm of his hand. Moira patted her on the knee and stood to put another log on the hearth. “Ye may not realize it yet, but I think yer mam’s right – ye love him. At least ye could if ye’d allow yerself to feel it.”
Jain shifted her weight uncomfortably at the change in conversation. “He would be a good match,” she conceded. “If I ever did get married, it would have to be someone strong, but gentle. I’d rather die than be bound to that stinking, arrogant fool like Conrad who only views me as a piece of property.”