Page 2 of Wedded to the Heartless Highlander
“Did he nae kill his whole family a few years ago, Braither?” she heard Reid whisper loudly, to which Thomas nodded his head subtly.
He killed his whole family?
Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth, pulling her lips apart slightly as the man’s intense eyes landed on her.
What! What is that monster doin’ here, then? What was Faither thinkin’?
Erica’s eyes darted around, looking everywhere else but not at him.
“What is that monster doin’ here?” Thomas muttered under his breath, echoing her thoughts, his knuckles white with growing fury.
A gracious wave of their father’s hand encouraged the guests to let out the breaths they had been holding in and sheath their weapons. “As I was sayin’…”
“Thomas?” Erica whispered to her brother. “Thomas!” she tried again. “What were ye about to say?”
But Thomas remained silent as he watched Laird MacKinnon approach them.
Their father started thanking the guests for their attendance, and the crowd roared with pride as he named each of the prominent clans.
“Thomas?” Erica hissed louder so her brother could hear her, but then stiffened as her mother moved to stand closer to her. She flushed at having been caught.
Thomas finally turned his glare away from his new obsession and locked eyes with her. His face conveyed something like sorrow mixed with anger as their father continued.
Too late.
“Me son and heir, Thomas, will proceed with the order of events.”
Thomas stood, his voice booming, holding each person in complete rapture. The action took Erica by surprise. She had never seen her brother in such a state.
“Tomorrow, caber toss, sprint, and stone put competitions will be held on McFair Lawn. Hammer throw, quoits, and an archery tournament will be held outside the garden. Haggis hurling andegg toss for the young lads and lassies will start on Tavish Hill just after noon.”
The giggles and cheers of the young guests warmed Erica’s heart, and she clapped along with them distractedly. Her youngest siblings had been assessing their competition so blatantly that their fervor temporarily distracted her anxious thoughts.
“If needed, we will continue the games into day two,” Thomas continued.
If needed?
As if he heard her thoughts, Thomas turned his head slightly in her direction before he stepped back to let their father continue.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Erica whispered, not caring if their mother heard her or not. She needed to know what was happening, and now.
Their father spoke loudly before Thomas could answer. “Aye. The necessity of day two will be decided after the scores are tallied tomorrow evening. Lastly, there will be a weddin’ party at the end of this week, in celebration of the union between the winner of these games and me lovely daughter Erica.”
The roar of the crowd echoed through the Great Hall, and Erica suppressed the urge to spin around and glare at her father with immense effort.
Thomas pressed his elbow to her side gently. “Shh… just wait.”
His warning had been loaded with enough empathy to prompt her to reel in her fury as their father motioned for her and their mother to move forward.
Eager eyes darted between Laird MacKinnon and Erica as Laird McFair closed his announcement with a toast to the competitors.
Lady McFair put her soft hand over Erica’s and tucked it in the crook of her arm. “Let’s go, dear,” she said softly.
Erica let her mother lead her away from the safety of her brother’s side and down the long steps into the depths of the Great Hall to socialize with the lairds who had all assembled to compete for her hand.
Like a prized cow up for auction.
She wanted to wrench her arm free and run straight through the doors that Laird MacKinnon had pushed open moments before. Run straight into the cold, wet, darkness because at least the darkness was predictable. Thanks to Thomas, she knew these lands like the back of her hand and could easily navigate them even in the darkest of nights.
