Page 3 of In Love With the Wrong Highland Sister
Now he smiled at James. “My daughter Eloisa is eighteen years old,” he replied. “Is that mature enough for you, sir?”
James breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, M’Laird,” he answered, accepting another glass of wine. “I had a dreadful experience a month ago with another young lady, which would have been funny if it were not so tragic.” He looked at Gavin, who was trying without much success not to laugh.
The laird frowned as he looked at the younger man. “I must hear about this,” he said heavily. “Perhaps you are not the kind of man my daughter needs.”
“I assure you, M’Laird,” Gavin spoke up, “the fault lay squarely with the father in this instance and no one else. The daughter was certainly not to blame, but of course you need to know if any suitor is of good character.”
“What happened?” the laird asked curiously.
James took a deep breath and began. “The girl in question—I will not mention her name—is the youngest of four sisters. Her father had secured marriage for the rest of them, but he seemed to be desperate to have his youngest daughter wed as soon as possible. He is a strange man; pleasant on the outside but dark inside, if you understand me.
“He welcomed us to the castle with open arms and showed us around every inch of it. It was an astonishing place. ‘Magnificent’ does not do justice to it. The last part he showed us was the stables, which he said he had been keeping for last because he was so proud of his horses. He led us inside and proudly showed us a beautiful light-gray mare, a little bigger than a pony.
“‘My daughter’s horse,’ he said, smiling. Suddenly a little girl peeped out from behind the horse and smiled at us. She was about twelve years old, I thought.
“‘What is your name?’ I asked. I smiled at her, but she looked scared of me.
“‘Donna,’ she replied. ‘What is yours?’
“‘James,’ I answered.
“‘This is Snowdrop,’ she told me, patting the horse. ‘I called her that because she is almost white. Is she not the loveliest horse you have ever seen?’
“I told her that she was because it was the answer that was expected of me. The laird came up behind us then and put his arm around the girl’s shoulders.
“‘Ah, you have met!’ he said. He sounded very happy, and something about him made me uneasy. ‘Tell James how old you are.’
“‘Fourteen.’ She looked as puzzled as I felt. Why did I need to know this?
“‘This is your bride,’ he announced. As you can imagine, I was shocked beyond belief and absolutely furious. I think I might have punched him if the girl had not been there. She looked so young that she did not even have any breasts.
“Mind you, she was also extremely angry. She swore at her father with words that would have made a sailor blush. I could not have done a better job myself. We left without spending any time at all there. I do not wish to repeat that experience.”
Laird MacLean raised his eyebrows. “Laird Angus Brodrick, am I right?” he asked, his eyes twinkling. “God help that poor lass. Anyway, there is naught you can do about it, and I am nothing like him, thank heavens! I only ask that you treat my daughter kindly, and if you do not want her, do not hurt her.”
“On that, we agree, M’Laird.” James smiled. “I have never been cruel to a lady in my life, and I never will be.”
They talked of seemingly inconsequential matters for a while, but James had the feeling that he was being weighed in the balance of the laird’s good opinion. He supposed the man was right to do so. After all, the young woman he was offering in marriage was probably one of the most precious people in the world to him, but it made him feel even more uneasy than he already was.
Presently the laird stood up. “I will have a maid show you to your rooms so that you can wash and change before we eat. You will meet both my daughters then.”
James’s stomach chose that moment to give an almighty growl, and Laird MacLean laughed.
“I will send some light refreshments to your rooms while you bathe,” the laird told them, grinning. “I would not wish to be responsible for you fainting with hunger.”
* * *
“What do you think of him?” Gavin asked James after they had devoured a plate of oatcakes and cheese between them. They were both lying in their baths drinking warm ale, and James was trying not to fall asleep.
“He seems to be a reasonable man,” he remarked. “But then we thought that about Brodrick too, did we not?”
“I hope he is not lying about his daughter’s age,” James sighed. “Gavin, I am becoming thoroughly sick of this circus! These poor women are being treated like trade goods, and I am the buyer. I know that this is how things are done, but I wish there was a better way.” He growled with frustration.
“You know what Father is like, Jamie,” Gavin sighed. “His word is law. He said he will give you the lairdship now as long as you have a suitable bride, but although you say you are not enjoying the experience, some of the ladies you have met have been truly exquisite. What about Moira Lindsay?”
“Absolutely lovely lady, Gavin,” he agreed, “but she does not have much in the way of a personality. I wish Father would stop insulting my intelligence, Gavin.” James was irritated. “He does not want to give me the lairdship. He knows I do not want it. He just wants to be rid of the responsibility of it, but why he is asking me to take part in this ridiculous charade is beyond me.”
“I think he believes that once you have found the right woman, you will be eager to grasp the chance of being laird,” Gavin replied. “It is a challenge, and you do love challenges, Brother.”
