Page 2 of Highlander's Rebellious Affair
She shuddered again as dread filled her.
How can I let this man touch me when we get married?
The thought of it made bile rise up in her stomach and she felt it climbing to her throat. She knew she would throw up if she did not get out of the Hall soon, but when her gaze met her father’s, she saw his excitement and knew if she ruined it then, she and her mother would pay for it with long hours of yelling and insults, so she pushed down her irritation and forced on another smile.
“Hope,” her father said, flashing her his satisfied smile. “Ye have made me proud, Laird Galloway is a man worthy of yer virtue.”
“Faither,” she began, but he cut her short with a wave of his hand. “Does any other man wish to bid higher?” he announced and Hope saw Lyall’s hawkish gaze survey the Hall. When no one obliged, he smiled again and turned his smile to her.
“Then so be it. Let the dance begin, and when it is over, we shall have the blessed marriage tonight.”
Hope nearly shrieked at his last statement.
Tonight? He is selling me off tonight?
The music started again loudly, and she watched her father drag a woman from the midst of the dancers and started to dance with her while her mother sat alone at the table. Hope saw the deserted look in her mother’s eyes due to her father’s inattention as she blinked and looked away, and she heard Laird Galloway’s cackle.
The only thought on her mind as he dragged her to him and started to step to the music was: would her mother’s fate of a loveless marriage be hers? Would she end up her like her mother, drained and exhausted because of the man she had agreed to spend the rest of her life with?
2
Ian was not deterred from the reason he had traveled so far from Galloway to Drummond even though it didn’t seem like his plan was going according to how he mapped it out. It had been simpler in his mind, he had to get into the Drummond Castle and see for himself what his uncle’s grand plan for stealing power was.
When he entered the Castle alongside the other Galloway men that came with his Uncle Lyall, he had concluded his plan would go smoothly, but now that he knew what Lyall’s secret weapon was, he knew he couldn’t just sneak in and sneak out.
He had to be smarter, he had to make sure Lyall didn’t get control and allegiance with Laird Drummond by wedding his daughter. He had to do something to stop the union.
The moment Lyall wed the lady, he would have a woman to bear him an heir. And once he had an heir, then his seat on the Lairdship was sealed. Ian was a contestant for that seat, he couldn’t let Lyall win, not after everything.
He paced around the dark corner of the garden, one hand on his hip and the other shoving through his thick dark strands of hair.What do I do?
The image of the Lady, the daughter of Laird Drummond, slipped into his mind. Her beauty stole his breath away, and made his loins stir. The first time their eyes met, it hadn’t been intentional. He was trying to sneak out of the crowd, and get out of the Hall through the corner doors, and when he mistakenly met her gaze, he froze in his tracks. Her eyes were mesmerizing and they had taken him off guard. An instant thrill raced up his spine, and he was unable to breathe. It had lasted only a moment because he had turned away immediately before he got lost in them.
The second time he met her eyes on purpose because he knew she was the reason they had all traveled to Drummond. Lyall was willing to buy the woman for a thousand shillings, it was more money than Lyall owned, and Ian knew this.
How did he get so much gold? Is it possible that he has found the Treasure of Galloway?
Ian contemplated, but shook the possibility of his uncle knowing about the treasure out of his head. No one knew the tale behind the Treasure of Galloway beside him. It was a tale passed down from generations of first-born males in Cowan Clan, and his father had passed down the secret to him.
Even though he still had not solved what the tale meant, he knew he would eventually solve the mystery. So, if Lyall did not possess so much gold, how did he intend to pay off Laird Drummond for his daughter’s hand?
Ian continued pacing until he heard footsteps approaching where he was in the garden. He rushed and hid behind one thick shrub, and pulled on his cloak so he could blend in with the darkness.
How do I stop this weddin’?
The men approaching walked past him and past the garden heading for the corner leading to the back yard, and from where he hid, Ian recognized them as Drummond guards from the color of kilts and tartans they wore. He cleared his throat and moved to come out of hiding when he heard the movements of shrubs, and then the retching sound of someone vomiting.
He froze for a moment, and the sound came again before a small muffled sob replaced it. Curious, Ian came out of hiding to peep at who hid in the darkness and then caught sight of the white embodied gown the Lady wore.
She was bent over in a crouched position, and when she moved and tried to walk, the hem of the dress was stuck in a branch of shrub, so she nearly tripped and fell over on her face into the hard ground.
Ian’s reflexes were sharp, so he caught her before she touched the ground. She gasped, and opened her mouth to yell, but he immediately pressed his palm to her mouth to muffle the sound.
Slowly, he raised her back to a standing position, and their eyes met. She was breathing heavily; her eyes were wide as she stared at him and this time, he was lost in the gold flecks in her brown eyes. Her lips hovered so close to his, made his mind swoon.
His hands were around her waist still, wrapped securely so he could measure mentally how narrow her waist was. It was like she fit perfectly into his arms, and his mind began to reel with thoughts of what she would taste like if he were to dip his head and take her lips.
Her gaze furrowed, and slowly he removed his palm, but replaced it with a finger pressed against her lips. “Dinnae speak,” he ordered before she could say anything and he saw her swallow. “Why are ye out here in the dark alone?” he asked.
