Page 19 of Marry the Highland Villain
She’d been entrancing, with her eyes flashing with fire. However, solemnity suited her just as well. She was graceful, elegant in a way he rarely saw. Her full figure caught his attention and held it in a manner he’d rarely experienced with a woman before.
After several minutes, she finished writing. She held the letter close to the fire to dry the ink, then folded the paper neatly in half and looked up. “Might I use a bit of yer sealing wax?”
Conall handed over the stick of wax, and Brigid took it, heated it, and pressed a neat blob onto the edge of the paper to seal it. Then, she turned it over and wrote in a neat hand,Lily, Valerie, & Megan.
He’d wondered what her sister’s names were.
“Ye have three sisters?”
“Aye.” Brigid hesitated. “I’ve told them what happened, and that I’m to wed ye. However…”
“Aye?”
Unease settled in his gut at the look on her face.
“It would be easier if I could deliver the message in person. My sisters dinnae trust many people. They’d likely believe it more easily if I were able to speak to them in person.” Her expression was determined.
Conall felt his already frayed temper fraying further. He took a deep breath. “I’m nae changin’ my mind on the matter. I thought I made myself clear last night.”
“But it would be easier an’ faster,” she insisted. “And I could also collect some of my things…”
“Nay. I willnae say it again, Brigid. I’m nae sendin’ ye off on yer own—nae with all the threats out there. And I cannae trust one, two, or five guards with my betrothed’s life, even if they werenae needed here.”
Conall clenched his hand around his quill and wished that his head didn’t hurt quite so much. Failing that, he wished he could pour himself a glass of whiskey.
“Then ye could come with me, surely? Nobody would dare attack Laird MacKane, I’m sure.”
“I cannae go with ye, Brigid,” Conall replied wearily. “Even with the ‘peace’ that’s been offered, I wouldnae risk the safety of my clan by leavin’ them vulnerable to attacks.” He shook his head. “Laird Auchter is waitin’ for the opportunity to strike at me again. I’d rather nae hand him that opportunity on a silver platter.”
“But…” Brigid’s eyes sparkled, tears of frustration making them shine like emeralds in the morning light.
“Yer presence here is a deterrent, as is mine. I’ll nae make us more vulnerable, and to ensure our peace—thin as it is—I’ll nae remove those guards.”
He couldn’t send Oliver with her either, and he was glad she hadn’t suggested it. Oliver was as likely to carry her back in chains at the first misstep as he was to escort her safely to her destination.
“I…”
“I’m nae goin’ to send ye back to yer sisters without protection, and I cannae send ye with someone at yer side. I’ll say nay more about it.”
Brigid swallowed hard. “I… If ye cannae let me go home, then can ye nae give me more time to convince my sisters and make plans for their safe travel? They’ll nae trust a simple letter so easily, especially after seein’ me carried off by armed men. How are they to ken that this letter is to be trusted? What if they think it’s some kind of trap?”
“I’ll nae delay the wedding,” Conall said firmly, determinedly ignoring the tears that glittered in her eyes.
He had no idea how long he could delay before Clan Auchter took it as permission to attack again. Without either a weddingor a death, Eric Holdenson might very well decide that his ‘peace’ offer had been rejected and attack once more. Conall couldn’t risk his clan’s safety by not taking the chance he’d been given to enforce peace.
He refused to consider his other reason for being unwilling to delay: he wasn’t sure, after kissing Brigid, that he could stand to wait any longer to claim his bride than he had to.
Seven days. When he’d first suggested it, the time frame had seemed almost indecently short for a betrothal, but he hadn’t dared to wait any longer, lest his clan be attacked again. Now that he’d kissed Brigid and seen the passion in her eyes, seven days seemed longer than he wanted to contemplate.
“Why? Why can ye nae delay for a few more days so I can arrange for my sisters to visit?”
He couldn’t admit the second truth to her. “I cannae delay the wedding. Laird Auchter willnae uphold this peace for long without havin’ the terms formalized. Especially nae with the message I sent back to him. To delay is to invite trouble, and that I willnae do. I cannae risk my clan that way. Ye cannae ask it of me, Brigid.”
“Are ye really so determined to be inflexible, for fear of potential threats, that ye’d rather risk the chance that I’ll have nay family standin’ beside me on my wedding day?”
“If ’tis how it turns out, then aye.” Conall nodded. “I’m willin’ to take that chance. And I’ll thank ye nae to make the issue moredifficult than it already is. This wedding isnae a simple matter, and there are certain things I cannae afford to do.”
For a long moment, he thought she might spit on him. Or throw the letter at him. Or possibly try to hit him with one of those little fists of hers.
