Page 7 of Claimed By the Heartless Highlander
Her face flushed crimson, even as her emerald eyes flashed with mortification and rage. “Ye wouldnae dare try to convince me to say such things!”
“I would. Ye claimed me as yers in yer first letter. The claim goes both ways, little Ailis. I want what I was promised. I came to claim the bride I was offered, and I’ll either claim the marriage that this ‘letter courtship’ of ours was supposed to be leadin’ to, or claim the amusement of watchin’ ye explain, before suggestin’ that yer faither marry ye off to the oldest, most crotchety laird he can find for ye.”
He was pleased to see she had some spirit under that meek-looking demeanor and enough decency to blush when being called to account for her deception. That meant she likely had honor as well, and he could respect such traits.
He was even more pleased when she looked away and folded her arms. “All right. But I insist on a formal betrothal of a decent length. Nae less than one month.”
He suspected she was planning something, for she’d yielded too easily. To his surprise, he wasn’t all that worried about it. In his own territory, he could handle anything she chose to do and meet it with equanimity.
And even if she could come up with something unexpected, he wasn’t worried. In fact, he felt slightly amused. With the difference in their heights and builds, her attempts to stand her ground against him reminded him of a kitten trying to challenge a full-grown hound.
One month. He could live with one month of being betrothed rather than married. It wasn’t as if conceiving babies was an issue. And it would give him time to see if she was really everything she seemed to be—a woman and a potential partner.
To say nothing of the fact that after being lonely for so long, having a month to get used to a woman in his house before entering wedlock could only be beneficial. And it gave him time to get the rest of his household, such as it was, accustomed to her presence.
“As ye like.” He took her hand and bowed over it. “We’ll announce the betrothal to yer clan tonight, then travel to me home. And in one month—and one monthprecisely—we’ll be wed.”
CHAPTER5
Ailis openedthe door to the drawing room to find her father, her sisters, and a discreet maid or two hovering nearby, pretending not to eavesdrop. She offered her hand to Laird Muir—Duncan, she must remember to call him by his name—and moved to stand before her father.
Duncan spoke, “Laird Clyde, after meetin’ and speakin’ to yer daughter in person, I find her to be a truly admirable lass, and everythin’ I would wish to have in a wife.”
He bowed slightly. “Therefore, with yer blessin’, I’d like to ask for her hand in marriage. The contract can be drafted today, after which ‘tis me intention to return to me clan with her so that she may get to ken the lands and the folk there. Then, in one month, we’ll join our clans in matrimony.”
“Ye have me blessin’, of course.” Her father was all smiles, and Ailis wanted to do something impolite, like kick him. Or perhaps kick her new betrothed.
Curse the man for being so perceptive, and so blunt and straightforward. With another man, she might have thought he was bluffing about revealing her game, but with Duncan, she knew he was being absolutely honest.
Worse still, she found herself attracted to his brusque manner. She was afraid his good looks and alluring presence had muddled her good sense. She was also slightly afraid that, despite everything she’d ever believed about herself, she actually did like the way he spoke to her—blunt honesty and borderline rudeness included.
I used to think Maisie and Leona were crazy, the way they talked about their husbands and how enthrallin’ they found such barbaric, almost crude behavior. God help me, but I’ll never live it down if they were right!
The thought made her want to pinch herself, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing his presence flustered her so.
She forced herself to smile and keep her hands where they were. “Ye ken, Faither, that since Duncan surprised us, I didnae have time to pack for me journey. I need to gather at least the basic things I’ll need for the month, and then me betrothed can arrange for the rest of me belongings and me dowry to be sent in before or directly after the weddin’.”
“Of course.” Her father waved a distracted hand in her direction. “Laird Muir and I need to write out the terms of the marriage contract and the alliance that will be forged between us. I’ll let ye pack, and yer sisters can speak to the servants about arrangin’ the betrothal feast.”
Ailis frowned slightly. Her sisters were both competent young ladies, but they were also not used to such things. As the eldest, organizing feasts and celebrations, and figuring out how to work within their means, had generally fallen to her.
On the other hand, her sisters were staring at her hopefully, and they would have to learn sometime, especially given her impending departure.
“Just so long as ye lasses bring me a list of yer ideas and what ye have planned for me, to make sure everythin’ is as it should be.”
Freya nodded, and Grace smiled gleefully. With barely a curtsy, the two girls turned on their heels and scampered toward the kitchens.
Ailis managed to offer her father and her new betrothed a smile and a nod, then retreated to her rooms, thinking furiously.
She couldn’t let Duncan tell her father the truth about her letters. But she also couldn’t stomach being trapped forever in a marriage that held no more meaning than the alliance that came with it. She might have been all right if he’d seemed the stoic sort who simply didn’t care much for romance—the type of man who could slowly be coaxed into falling in love.
Unfortunately, his vehement response to her declaration made it clear that he was not only disinterested but actively despised such things. She wondered why, then dismissed the matter as something she might discover later. She had a month to learn.
Then she shook her head again. She was only going to set herself up for heartbreak if she went with him, assuming she could simply “melt his icy facade and frozen heart,” the way women in her novels did. She needed to have a way to escape the marriage entirely if he was as adamantly against loving a woman as he seemed.
“I cannae break faith with him unless he decides he’d rather nae have me.”
Her words to Laird MacMicking came back to her, and a smile tugged at her lips.
