Page 32 of The Laird's Unwanted Wife
“Over the couch, Bannock!” Mollie practically vaulted over the furniture, Bannock gracefully leaping after. Aileen let out a startled gasp as the deerhound nearly crashed into the Ladies of their respective clans, looking ready to drop to her knees and apologize profusely.
“Ye’ll have to forgive Mollie, ladies,” Gerald interjected, setting a heavy hand against Aileen’s shoulder to keep her in place. “I believe this is her first time amidst lassies her own age.”
“It is indeed,” Aileen admitted sheepishly. “I’m so terribly sorry.”
“Och, nay bother, Aileen!” Alison assured, shifting her arms to adjust her grip around a bundled baby boy. “It’s nae only yer sister who is actin’ like a wild animal.”
“I imagine our own castle will be just as busy once wee Forrester gets a handle on walking,” Duncan added from beside his wife.
“I cannae remember a time when the MacKimmon castle was peaceful,” Katie laughed. “Bonnie and Lyall will go at it like starvin’ dogs sometimes. I cannae imagine how much livelier things would be if we didnae drop him off at the keep, but the boy insisted on beginning his training for his eventual title of man-at-arms. I hope ye’ll get to meet him soon, Aileen.”
Gerald felt Aileen’s shoulders relax, and he slowly removed his hand and returned it to his side. “I’m sure me wife would be thrilled to host him.”
“Bride,” Aileen corrected quietly under her breath.
Gerald raised a brow, leaning in toward her ear to whisper back. “Careful, now. Ye daenae wish to embarrass yerself like last night, aye?”
Her head immediately whipped toward him, a flicker of anger flashing behind her gaze. But before anything could spark between them, one of the maids caught his attention by the double doors, gesturing toward the dining room to indicate that dinner had been prepared.
But before he could make the announcement, Hector suddenly stood from his own chair, crossing the room and clapping a hand against his shoulder. “Not to interrupt ye,” Hector began. “But ye daenae happen to have those documents I asked about in me last correspondence, do ye?”
Gerald’s expression remained carefully neutral as he offered a slight nod. “Aileen, could ye help gather the children and escort our guests to the dining room? We’ll join ye ladies momentarily.”
She nodded, quickly rising to act in her role as hostess. Offering a hand to theverypregnant Katie, both she and Alison made their way through the double doors, hoping not to run into the children as they continued running about the castle. Once their footsteps faded away, Gerald turned to his oldest friend, his brow rose, and suspicion weighed heavily in his voice. “Documents, Hector?”
“Well, if it’s nae documents, I’m certain ye foundsomethingof interest in Marcus’ study,” Hector replied matter-of-factly. “And though the alliance of the Highland Gods has officially been broken, I reckon we two are still the only ones with some vested interest in Marcus’ history.”
The somber note in his companion’s tone smothered whatever fight Gerald had in him. “Suppose ye’re right. Come on. I’ll show ye everything I managed to dig up.”
Hector stared at the map for a good, long while, his cup of whisky untouched as he clung tightly to it. Gerald had long since polished his glass, pouring another serving for himself before returning to his armchair.
It hadn’t taken long for the pair to make it to their study, and it took even less time for Gerald to pull out any evidence he’d managed to salvage from MacGunn’s Castle. Admittedly, discovering the Hughes sisters and theirratherprotective deerhound had distracted him quite a bit … but Gerald made sure someone within his party went back for that map.
He watched Hector’s rage begin to bubble and build, visibly reddening his cheeks as small cracks spidered across his cup. Then, all at once, the glass shattered in his grip, his hand trembling with unspeakable rage. A stream of swear words hissed from his lips, and Gerald was certain his companion would have long since destroyed the study, had it been his own.
“Kin-killin’, gutless fear-tie of a sleekit! Boggin’ scunner, that … that absolute—!” Hector let out a snarl, visibly desperate to do more than lash out verbally. Gerald threw a small pillow his way; not surprised in the slightest, Hector snatched it up and tore it in two, sending a flurry of feathers into the air. “Oh, I wish I were the one who ended him! I would have enjoyed stanglin’ the absolute life out of him for all the sufferin’ he caused. Ewan—damnit all, he planned for Ewan to go down that day!”
“He had a hand in many deaths,” Gerald replied coldly. “Nae just Ewan’s.”
“But still, to see the map itself … I just cannae …” Hector groaned, finally dropping into a chair of his own as a plume of feathers kicked around his feet. He checked his hand, a few shards of glass remaining behind, and bleeding rivulets of blood. “Oh, God’s sake … Katie will kill me if she sees what I did to me hand.”
The pair sat in seething silence, Gerald uncertain where to take the conversation next. He had long since unleashed his anger. All he had left was an endless numbing. A void in his heart that Marcus had wormed his way into. The right thing to do next was to put it aside and join the ladies for dinner, but …
“Are ye goin’ to be all right, Gerald?”
Gerald glanced up, noting the genuine concern knitting between Hector’s brow. “I had me time to hide and mourn. There’s nothin’ left.”
“I meant with the pair of Hughes ye brought into yer home,” Hector clarified. “Yer choice of marryin’ Marcus’ sister. Are ye goin’ to be all right with these choices farther down the line?”
Gerald snorted, downing his second glass of whisky in one go. “At least I didnae lock Aileen up in the dungeon upon first meetin’ her.”
“Aye, I suppose ye cannae start a relationship worse than that,” Hector chuckled weakly. He took a sip of his own drink, sighing heavily as he swirled the remaining contents. “Ye didnae answer me question, though.”
“Relationships daenae always have to be romantic,” Gerald argued. “She wanted security for her and her sister, and I want to take everythin’ Marcus worked so desperately toward. It’s nothin’ more than two adults workin’ toward similar goals.”
“That’s yer plan, then?” Hector laughed. “Ye’re goin’ to treat her like ye would a battle brother? Yer man-at-arms ken ye’re lookin’ to replace him with Aileen?”
“As if ye’re suddenly an expert in relationships?” Gerald asked, aware of how irritated he sounded.
