Page 46 of Marry the Highland Villain
This one is the overt threat, whereas her sisters are more subtle. Anger any one of these three, and hers is the arrow ye’ll see comin’… right afore the needle in yer knee or the knock-out herbs in yer cup send ye to the ground. Fierce and protective, this lass is, and I’ll wager she kens how to use every weapon she holds—an’ more.
None of the three women were women to be trifled with, then. Looking at them, Conall was even more convinced that Laird Auchter had not troubled himself to find out anything about his granddaughters. If he had, he would never have dared to send his men to take one of them. Conall himself wouldn’t have dared to do such a thing—not unless he had an army at his back.
He couldn’t imagine anything less than that would have forced the elder Blackwood sisters to let their youngest sister be taken. And he understood the sentiment perfectly.
Maybe we have more in common than ye might guess.
It was Lily who broke the silence that had fallen, bobbing a shallow curtsy before stepping up to him. “Laird MacKane,” she said politely. “Thank ye for yer gracious welcome.”
She said nothing of the offer he’d made in his letter, and his respect rose. With the stigma against those who were without a clan, he’d half expected them to leap on the offer to take them in. But they were more cautious than that—or at least the eldest was.
Holdenson’s a fool. Nay matter what their father was, these lasses would have been worthy heirs and given strong ties to other clans with their marriage alliances, if he’d bothered to claim them.
“Well, ye’re strong enough to defend Brigid properly, I’ll give ye that.”
It was auburn-haired Megan who had spoken, and the sudden declaration forced Conall out of his thoughts. He looked at her and found her studying him with a critical gaze, having somehow managed to move closer, as silently as a cat, without him even noticing.
“As long as ye’re payin’ attention, I suppose,” she added with a knowing smirk.
“Megan!” Brigid blushed. “Conall protects me well,” she insisted. “He defended me against some angry drunkards just the other night.”
Conall wasn’t quite sure ‘angry drunkards’ was the right way to describe the men who’d attacked her the night before, but he was grateful that his betrothed hadn’t mentioned how, exactly,he’d defended her—or that the ‘drunkards’ in question had been angry members of his very own clan.
He felt his anger rise at the memory, but he pushed it aside, forcing himself to focus on Valerie instead—the seafaring sister—who was watching him with crossed arms and an assessing gaze that made him feel like she could see right into his very soul.
“That’s as may be,” she said smoothly. “But he also bargained ye in exchange for a truce with Laird Auchter, and even Father wouldnae have trusted that man further than he could sail a ship without a hull.”
Brigid opened her mouth to speak, but Conall cleared his throat to stop her. He’d never make a good impression on her sisters if he let her continue defending his honor.
He sighed. “I didnae bargain for yer sister in particular,” he explained, his gaze sweeping over each of the sisters. “I demanded repayment of a life debt formyyounger brother. I had nay idea that Auchter would respond by sendin’ yer sister. In fact, until his men brought her here, I had nay idea he had any kin at all. So, Brigid’s arrival was as much a surprise to me as I’m sure it was to her.”
He saw the sisters’ eyes soften with sympathy at the mention of his younger brother and considered stopping there. However, it was better if they heard the whole story from him. If Brigid had already told them, then they would know he was being honest with them. If not, then she could confirm it later.
So, he pressed on, hoping the sisters would value his honesty as much as he did.
“I agreed to the truce,” he said, “for the simple reason that I didnae want any other family to suffer the way mine had at the loss of my brother. I didnae want the threat of open war and a blood feud stealin’ more fathers, brothers, and sons from my clan. So I accepted the offering Aucher sent me, unexpected though it was. And I chose to wed her, rather than make the choice the old man likely expected me to make.”
He paused for a moment to allow this to sink in before continuing.
“I dinnae ken if it makes any difference to ye,” he said quietly. “But I turned Laird Auchter from my gates less than a candlemark afore ye arrived. I’m surprised and relieved that yer paths didnae cross.”
The sisters exchanged glances, each of them clearly disturbed to learn that they’d narrowly missed what would surely have been an extremely unpleasant encounter with their grandfather.
“It makes a good bit of difference,” Valerie said, at last. “Although I think I speak for all of us when I say I’d have liked ye better if ye shot the blackguard rather than just sendin’ him away.”
“Language, Sister,” Lily said in an admonishing tone that suggested this was a regular exchange between her and Valerie, who simply smirked at her warning.
“’Tis far kinder than what Father would have called him,” she said. “Assumin’ Father would have stopped long enough to call him anything afore makin’ him crow’s food. And I somehow dinnae think he would have.”
Conall felt his lip curl upwards in a reluctant smile. “Och, I’d have done it if I could,” he told her. “But I promised a truce, and I’m a man of my word.”
Lily stepped forward until she was only a few paces away from him. “Can we have yer word, then, Conall Barr, Laird of Clan MacKane, that ye will care well for my youngest sister and protect and cherish her as she deserves?” she demanded, her chin tilted up in a challenge that reminded Conall of Brigid.
He had expected the demand, and his answer came easily.
“’Tis given, Miss Blackwood,” he said, giving her a small bow. “And it will be given again at the altar, afore ye and any powers that care to witness it.”
Clear blue eyes studied Conall’s face, and then Lily nodded once, her mind apparently made up.
