Page 86 of Taming the Highland Misfits
It was all Freya could do to stop herself from throwing herself into his arms. She restrained herself, however, and walked across the room to pour him a glass of ale from the pitcher on the table. She held it out to him and he took it gratefully, then downed half of it in one draught.
“Forgive me for being late, Freya,” he said, recovering his breath before bowing to the Laird. He flicked a glance at Aidan but did not greet him. “I was held up when we were on patrol and one of my men fell off his horse. No harm was done, but he will be disciplined for being drunk on duty.”
“What are you doing here?” the Laird asked.
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Alex looked at Freya, confused, for a moment. He had not expected Aidan, the last person in the world he wanted to see there. Had Freya known he was going to be present? He felt sure she had not, and by the look on her face, he could see that she was not happy about her brother’s presence either.
“What are you doing here?” the Laird asked angrily. “I am having a meeting about private family matters with my son and daughter, Alex. Please leave.”
An instant later, Freya moved to stand by Alex’s side. “He is not going anywhere, Father,” she declared stoutly. “Alex is here at my invitation, and before you say anything else, please hear me out.”
The Laird was astonished as he gazed at his daughter. What was going through her mind now? He was used to her mercurial temperament, but every time he thought he had seen every side of her, she showed him another one. “What is it now, Freya?” he asked irritably. “Alex, please sit down. It seems that my daughter has something on her mind, and judging by past experience I can tell you that this may take a while.”
Alex sat, and Freya sat down beside him. She reached for his hand, found it damp with sweat, and when she looked down, saw that it was covered in dirt. She slipped a handkerchief out of her pocket and gave it to him, and they shared a tiny smile.
The intimate moment was cut short when the Laird spoke up. “Can you please tell me what this is about, Freya?” he asked wearily, passing a hand over his brow. “I have important things to do, and many people to see today.”
Freya took a deep breath and shot a quick glance at Alex, who gave her a small, encouraging smile and squeezed her hand.
“Alex and I would like to be married.” The words seemed to bang onto the table with such force that they might have been solid objects. Her father opened his mouth to say something, but Freya forestalled him, holding up a hand in warning. “You said you would listen, Father,” she reminded him.
The Laird nodded and sat looking at his daughter intently, his hands steepled under his chin, his expression carefully neutral.
“Alex and I would like to be married,” she repeated. “We have loved each other for a very long time, and we feel that we have waited long enough. I do not think I could find a better person, and I know that Alex feels the same about me. We are both of age, and if we really wanted to we could elope, but I would not be happy doing that. I would rather have your blessing, and so, I think, would Alex.”
The Laird looked as though he was thinking carefully, then he shook his head. “No. This will never happen, because I will not allow it.” His tone and manner were resolute as he glared at Alex over the breadth of the table. “My daughter is destined to make a good match that will strengthen our alliance with other clans. We are already allied with yours, Alex, so there would be no advantage in it.”
Freya was incensed by her father’s apparent indifference to her feelings. He was about to sell her like a piece of livestock! “I am not a cow to be sold or bartered, Father!” she cried, shaking with so much rage that she could barely contain it. “I will not be treated this way!”
The Laird glanced at her, then said firmly: “I have made my decision, Freya. I suggest you make peace with it.” He was about to stand up and leave, but Alex stopped him by jumping into the conversation.
“M’Laird, may I say a few words on my own behalf?” he asked, keeping his voice carefully polite. “I will not take up too much of your time.”
“It seems I will not be able to stop you.” The Laird’s voice was surly. “Please go on, but make it quick.”
“I have loved your daughter almost since the first time I met her,” Alex declared. “She means everything to me, and I cannot imagine life without her.” He picked up Freya’s hand and kissed it. “Nevertheless, if you will not let us marry, there is nothing I can do about it. However, I would have to leave my position at the castle and the life I have built for myself here, and the love of my life. I do not say ‘the love of my life’ lightly, M’Laird. I would kill for your daughter, and I would die for her. If you give us your blessing, I promise you will never regret it, and neither will Freya.”
Alex’s amber eyes were shining with a passionate appeal as he put his case forward, and even though there was a smudge of dirt on his cheek and his hands were filthy, Freya had never seen him look more handsome. She had never been more in love with him as she was at that moment; he was like a warrior fighting on her behalf. He was her hero.
“And if I had to live without Alex, I would be utterly miserable,” Freya declared. “Think of how much he has done for us, Father. He saved our lives and almost lost his own while he was doing it. My brother there,” she pointed straight at Aidan, “sat and did nothing while Alex fought for us. He would fight for me even more as my husband, and if we had children, they would grow up to be just like him, because we would make sure of it. I would be proud to call Alex my husband, because he is strong and brave, and he has already proved that he would lay down his life for me.
You fell in love with Mother at first sight, Father. It worked out well for both of you, and we could not have had better role models, so why do you not have the same faith in Alex and me?”
She spoke with such fiery passion that Alex felt his heart swell with love. He would be so thrilled to have her as his wife, and he could already see her surrounded by their children. He wanted to have at least two red-headed daughters and two sons, but he would be happy with any children as long as they were Freya’s.
All that passed through his mind as he watched her pleading ardently on their behalf. Her voice was hoarse with emotion and her eyes blazing with it. She was like the warrior Queen Boudicca of old, defending her country against the invading Roman hordes. What a woman!
The Laird sat down again and stared at Alex, but if he had been hoping to intimidate him, he soon found out that he had not succeeded. Alex stared straight back at him, his eyes fixed on the Laird’s so firmly that at last the other man was obliged to drop his gaze to where his hands were clasped on the table.
At that moment, Freya’s father felt an overwhelming pressure, the likes of which he had never experienced before, to concede to her wishes. After all, she and Alex had known each other for years, so it was not as though this was a rash decision made in haste.
Moreover, as he looked at both their hopeful faces, he could see the truth of their words. They were deeply in love; he recognised the evidence of it because he had experienced it himself. Suddenly, he remembered the fire he had felt in his heart all those years ago the first time he had seen Caroline. It had been almost overwhelming in its intensity, and now he could see that same flame burning between these two; how could he refuse them what they so desperately wanted and needed? It would be beyond cruel, and he simply could not do it.
At last, he smiled. “I am not such a hard-hearted man that I could deny happiness to two young people who so clearly adore each other,” he told them. “You have my blessing, but be warned, Alex MacNeill, if you lay a hand on my daughter in anger I have many rather unpleasant ways of punishing you! The garrison here may be under your command, but they answer to me.”
Alex grinned. “I would never dream of doing such a thing to my Freya, M’Laird,” he replied. “But thank you for the warning, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me this wonderful woman to be my wife. You will not regret it, I swear.”
