Page 28 of The Highlander's Auctioned Wife
“Very noble of ye.”
Gordon cast the man a look, uncertain of whether Jackson was mocking him or not. He didn’t seem to be, and Gordon relaxed. “Naught noble about it. A Laird is just a steward and guardian by another name.”
“Ye ought to teach me braither that before ye depart,” Jackson said, struggling with a square box and a gap that was just a bit too small. “When he’s Laird, I wouldnae be surprised if there’s a gatherin’ every other week. He likes other lairds to think well of him, ye see, which is why he’s none too pleased thatmostof the lairds left in such a foul mood.”
Gordon’s stony gaze fell on Laird Glendenning once more. “Aye,most.”
Jackson chuckled, possessed of an easy manner that suggested no hardship, and a man who hadn’t faced other men in battle. “Suppose he thinks me sister might change her mind at the last moment. Ye have to admire his blind hope. Then again, if ye believe what they say about his maither, I imagine he was told nae to bother returnin’ if he dinnae return with me sister.”
I willnae admire a thing about the weasel.Gordon held his tongue; it was beneath him to make such petty insults, particularly to a man who would no doubt receive an earful from his mother.
An unexpected melancholy pinched the center of Gordon’s chest, knowing that his own mother wouldn’t be there to welcome him home to Castle Lyall. Nor did he have his brother to tease him or congratulate him, or his father to cheer his return and to make his bride feel like she was already part of the family.
“Havin’ second thoughts?” Jackson asked, clearly misinterpreting the look on Gordon’s face.
“Nay,” Gordon grumbled, shaking off the sad sting of his situation.
He still had his uncles and his cousin;theywould be enough of a welcome party for his bride.
At that moment, there was something of a ruckus in the main courtyard, the residents of Castle MacTorrach crowding around, appearing on every possible battlement and balcony. Some were weeping, some were holding up handkerchiefs to wave, some were calling out well wishes, some were glaring at Gordon, muttering amongst themselves.
“I thought ye’d all be glad to see the back of me!” Anna’s familiar voice called out, brimming with her good humor. “Ye’re all safe from me mischief, at long last!”
Laughter rippled across the courtyard in the most astonishing display that Gordon had ever beheld. His own clan respected him and were glad of him, that was true enough, but he’d never had even one of them laugh at a jest or shed a tear at his departure, much less his entire castle.
“Ye’ll be missed despite yer mischief!” someone shouted down from the battlements.
“Becauseof yer mischief!” someone else corrected cheerily, to the amusement of everyone gathered.
Anna waved their kind words away. “Aye, well I promise, nae one of ye will miss me as much as I’ll miss ye. Behave yerselves in me absence, eh, so me dear maither and faither can go on believin’ that I was the trickster, and ye were all innocent!”
More laughter circled the courtyard, every face gazing at Anna with the fondness of… family.
Will she have the same effect upon me own people?
Gordon’s father had been beloved, striking a balance between firm and fair, always kind and generous with a cheery manner about him. When crossed, he had been formidable, but it was rare that someone had dared to cross him. Gordon’s brother would have been the same sort of laird; Gordon was certain of that.
Instead, they got me.
Perhaps this union would be better for his clan than he’d thought. Perhaps Anna was precisely what his people needed, to fill in the gaps that he didn’t have the humor or affection to fill.
“I leave ye with love!” Anna called out, putting a hand to her heart. “Dinnae forget me too quickly, eh?”
Her father appeared at her side, ushering her toward the waiting carriages like he thought Gordon might depart without her. But Thomas was all smiles as they got closer, beaming as ifhewas the one who’d just won a tournament.
“If I’d kenned this auction business would work so well, I’d have done it years ago,” Thomas said, nudging his daughter toward Gordon. “Aye, I’ll have to smooth some ruffled feathers with the disgruntled lairds, but—in truth—there are always feathers to be unruffled. We’ll all survive it.”
Gordon said nothing, observing Anna as she waved to the castle residents, blowing kisses and smiling as if she were just going on a brief excursion.
Just then, Laird Glendenning surged forward, seizing hold of Anna’s hand. “I regret that I dinnae take the opportunity to make me bid before Laird Lyall,” he said, bowing his head over Anna’s hand. “And I cannae say I understand, even now, how the auction was supposed to work, but I wish ye a happy marriage.”
The blond-haired boy—for he was no man in Gordon’s eyes—dipped his head further, as if he meant to kiss Anna’s hand.
A rumbling snarl sounded in the back of Gordon’s throat.
With a start, Laird Glendenning dropped Anna’s hand, unkissed, and stumbled back a step or two. He bowed his head so far that his chin touched his chest, his freckled cheeks flushing red, either unwilling or unable to raise his gaze to meet Gordon’s disapproval.
“Aye, Lady Anna, I wish ye… good luck,” Laird Glendenning concluded quietly, his voice a note too high.
