Page 32 of Wedded to the Twisted Highlander
“Oh, boo on ye,” Reid called. “Ye old maids. Ye hags. Ye’ll be the old maid hags… hag is… haggis. Oh, is the cook up? Do ye think she’ll be able to make me something to eat? The tavern only had roast boar that’s been on the spit for days. But I suppose if a man’s hungry enough, he’ll pay for it. I, on the other hand?—”
“Need to do as ye’re told and get yer arse to me study before word gets to Maither that ye’re drunk as a skunk.”
“Posh,” Reid scoffed, waving a hand. “Maither is tendin’ to Faither. Ye ken as well as I do that when she’s in there, she doesnae come out till Faither feels better.”
“Aye, and I have Astrid takin’ care of that as we speak,” Thomas said.
Reid’s eyes lit up at his words. “Astrid. She is lovely, is she nae? I could bed her,” he said boastfully.
“Ye’ll nae speak about me future wife in such a manner,” Thomas snapped.
Reid stood straighter as his eyes widened. “Married? Ye? Are ye sure ye’re Laird McFair? Because the last time I checked, me braither would rather be raked over hot coals than tie himself to a cantankerous woman.”
“Astrid isnae cantankerous,” Thomas growled as the faint scent of whiskey drifted to his nostrils.
“The council got to ye, did they nae? Or was this one of yer brilliant ideas? Because I can tell ye right now that marriage is never the proper solution. If anything, it’ll only cause more issues.”
“Ye’re one to give advice on such matters. When was the last time ye did anything that didnae benefit ye? Ye cannae name a single time.”
“I can,” Reid countered, before he clapped a hand over his mouth as if to stop himself from puking.
Thomas watched his younger brother lean against the wall and pull in long, deep breaths to steady himself.
“How much did ye have to drink this time?”
“Nae much,” Reid answered, pinching his fingers to indicate an inch or so.
“Ye finished the barrel, did ye nae?” Thomas asked as his brother swayed.
Growing more irritated, he grabbed Reid’s arm and, in a fluid motion, threw him over his shoulders.
“I’m nae an invalid,” Reid whined as Thomas moved swiftly down the hall.
“Oi, where are we goin’?” Reid huffed as Thomas took the first exit he could find and made a beeline for the loch.
The cool morning air swirled around Thomas, helping to clear the cobwebs from his head. How much easier it was to breathe without Astrid around. It was as if her very presence filled the whole castle, leaving him no escape.
“Dinnae ye dare,” Reid growled as Thomas tossed him off his shoulders and right into the frigid waters of the loch. He sprang out of the water, wide-eyed and shivering. “That wasnae funny.”
“I need ye to sober up,” Thomas said. “I’ll be needin’ yer help with the wedding.”
“If Maither thinks she can pawn me off to whomever she wants, she’s goin’ to find out that I’m nae so easily swayed.”
“Ye’re nae gettin’ married. I am,” Thomas answered. “To Astrid. And I need the ceremony to take place tonight.”
“What? Nay, ye cannae be serious. Ye barely ken the lass. Let me talk to the council—surely they’ll see what a mistake this is,” Reid offered.
“And what makes it a mistake? Is it because ye dinnae ken what responsibility really is?”
“That’s nae fair,” Reid said. “Ye ken I’d do anything for ye. And if ye want to marry the lass, then so be it. But ye cannae say it’s out of love.”
“And I never will,” Thomas grunted. “But this is the council’s decree. I’m only lucky that they didnae specify whom they wanted me to wed. I’ve chosen Astrid.”
“Well, it seems that ye have everything sorted out. Well done, Braither,” Reid said as he patted Thomas on the shoulder. Water dripped from his shirt and into Thomas’s. “Once more, I find meself at yer mercy.”
“I need ye sober,” Thomas repeated before he drew in a deep breath. “I dinnae want me wife to recoil from me. She may stand her ground, but I dinnae want her to fear me.”
“I ken ye harbored feelings for her,” Reid crowed, slapping his thigh. Water sprayed everywhere as his drunken smile widened.
