Page 9 of Marry the Highland Villain
Brigid started to protest,but Laird MacKane waved over the maid who’d brought her the milk. “Take my betrothed to the proper chambers and see that she is made comfortable and supplied with the things she needs. And send the healer to see to those bruises on her wrists.”
Brigid scrambled for something, anything, to say, but Laird MacKane turned and strode out of the room, followed by a man she had barely noticed earlier and who resembled him enough to be his brother.
Confused, and more than a little frightened, Brigid rose and followed the maid, her legs trembling slightly beneath her as she frantically tried to make sense of this new reality she had somehow walked into—or been dragged into, as the case may be.
Och, what am I supposed to do now? Mama, I ken ye gave me yer rule, and I promised to keep it… but how am I supposed todo that in a marriage with a man I should have stayed away from?
“Are ye sure about this, Conall? This lass ye’ve just announced ye’re goin’ to wed… ye dinnae ken anything about her! For all ye ken, she’ll put a knife between yer ribs on yer wedding night.”
Conall scowled at the corridor in front of him. A maid coming from the opposite direction gasped and scurried out of the way at the sight of him.
Most of the maids did that when they saw him coming, even though he’d never raised a hand to any of them. If he had the time, or the patience, to think about it, he might have been offended. But, right now, he had much more important things to worry about.
With a grunt, he shoved open the door to his study and stomped inside, with Oliver following only a breath behind.
“Conall, are ye listenin’ to me?” His brother’s tone was both angry and nagging.
Conall suppressed a sigh of frustration as he turned to face him. “Listenin’, aye. But agreein’… nay. So there’s nay need to say aught, Oliver. I ken perfectly well what ye think about my betrothal.”
He made his way to the desk and found a bottle of whiskey, quickly pouring himself a glass.
“Ye want a drink?” he asked his brother. “To celebrate my upcoming nuptials?”
Oliver snorted, his eyes sharp and hard as they’d been ever since Devon’s death. “Of course I dinnae want a drink. I want to ken what ye’re thinkin’, proposin’ marriage to the supposed granddaughter of our sworn enemy. Ye have to admit, this is madness, even by yer standards, Conall.”
“I’m thinkin’ that we’ve been at war with Clan Auchter for far too long,” Conall replied, leaning back against the desk and downing the whiskey in one gulp. “If I’d made peace with the old man sooner, Devon might still be alive.”
The words tasted sour in his mouth. He picked up the bottle and poured himself another dram, hoping it might help wash the bitterness away.
“Ye ken that’s foolishness. The old man doesnae want peace. He wants our land and our clanfolk under his heel.”
Oliver’s expression was dark with anger and grief, as it had been ever since they’d carried their brother’s body home. Not even his wife was able to lift the shadows of his fury and sorrow for long, though Conall knew she’d tried.
“Mayhap,” Conall relented. “But he’s the one who chose to pay the blood price, and to pay it with his kin. I see nay reason not to take advantage of it.” He shrugged. “Besides, marryin’ the lass will protect our clan better than killin’ her would. If Auchter raises a hand against us once she’s my wife, he’ll have every other laird within a day’s ride up in arms against him for the dishonor. Even he willnae risk that, for all he’s vile enough to try to get me to kill his kinfolk for him.”
“Ye dinnae ken that’s the truth, or that she’s half as unwilling as she appears. Auchter’s a snake—who’s to say that this ‘granddaughter’ of his is any better?”
There was venom in Oliver’s words, and Conall couldn’t fault him for it. He’d been having the same thoughts himself, after all; he couldn’t blame his brother for simply echoing them.
Even so, he was determined to follow through with his decision. “Think as ye like, and watch her if ye’re so confident she’s a spy. But until I ken otherwise, I’ll assume she is what she says she is an’ stand by the choice I’ve made.” He shrugged again. “At the very least, it will make the council happy, to see me wed. And with the added chance of endin’ the feud? It will silence the complaints for at least a moon.”
For a long moment, Oliver was silent, and Conall dared to hope that his brother understood his position, even if he didn’t agree with it.
Then, Oliver spoke, his voice low and cold as a winter wind. “Tell me, Brother, is it peace ye are seeking with an honest lass, or areye merely a soldier who’s been ensnared by a pretty face after too long on the battlefield?”
Conall knew his brother was angry and grieving, and he was willing to tolerate a great deal. But he was still the Laird of Clan MacKane, and there were some lines that even his brother could not be permitted to cross.
“Watch yer tone, Oliver. I am yer Laird, and I’ll nae let ye question me any further on this matter. I’ve made my decision, and ye ken as well as I do that once I’ve made up my mind about something, there’s nay changin’ it. I’ve said ye can have yer doubts, an’ ye can watch the lass if ye wish, but I’ll nae tolerate disrespect.”
Oliver scowled. “I still think this is foolishness,” he said, unwilling as ever to let his brother have the last word.
“As long as ye’re thinkin’ it rather than sayin’ it to my face, or the council, then that’s fine by me,” Conall replied grimly.
Then, with another deep sigh, he picked up the bottle and poured himself one last dram.
The rooms the maid took Brigid to were far more comfortable than Brigid had dared to hope—larger and better furnished than the ones she was used to at home. The hearth was comfortably sized, with an oak table and two chairs in front of it. Additionalheavy chairs were placed where a person could relax and enjoy the fire on a winter’s eve. On the other side of the room sat a desk, empty but sturdy. It needed nothing more than writing supplies to be complete.
At least I willnae be treated like a prisoner, even though I am one in all but name.
