“Perhaps takin’ Malmuira with me wouldna be a bad idea,” agreed Mari. “Aye. I will ask for her help. No one will question her leavin’ the castle. And while she’s with me, perhaps I can get her to read the cards and help me find Duncan.”
“Mari, are ye sure ye really want to do this?” Tillie’s brow wrinkled. “After all, if Malmuira says Duncan’s dead, it is goin’ to crush ye.”
“Aye, it will,” agreed Mari. “But if she tells me he is still alive, then it will give me hope that I can spend the rest of my life with the man I love.”
Things were going as planned until right after the meal when Eideard raised his hand in the air to get everyone’s attention.
“Listen to me,” he said, making Mari look up in question. “I’d like to announce my betrothal to Mari.”
Mixed mumbles went up from the crowd.
“Mari, please stand up and join me.”
Mari did so, not realizing what was happening until Eideard waved his hand and a priest came to the foot of the dais.
“What is this all about?” she asked, feeling a sickness in the pit of her stomach.
“We’re gettin’ married . . . now,” said Eideard.
“Now?” Her eyes shot open wide and she could barely breathe.
“The guid priest will assist us in sayin’ our vows and, tonight, ye shall be my wife . . . in every way.”
“Nay!” she cried, gripping on to the edge of the table. “We’ve just gotten betrothed. It’s too soon. It’s too early. We have to wait.”
“There’s no need to wait. Now, please proceed,” he told the priest with a nod of his head.
In total shock, and not sure what to do, Mari looked out at the sea of faces while Eideard repeated his vows. Then it was her turn and, before she knew it, the priest was telling her to say I do.
“Nay,” she told Eideard through gritted teeth, glaring at him in disgust. “This is no’ right and I willna do it. I will never become yer bride.”
“Keep yer voice down, wench,” said Eideard from the side of his mouth. “And I think ye’ll change yer mind just by lookin’ over at Baldair standin’ in the far corner.”
Her eyes shot across the room to see Eideard’s henchman holding on to Duncan’s mother. Emmaline looked horrified and tears dripped down her cheeks.
“What is he doin’ to her?” she gasped.
“He’s got a blade to her back,” said Eideard under his breath, smiling out at the crowd as if everything was fine. “If ye refuse to marry me, I will give him the signal and Duncan’s mathair will die because of ye.”
“Nay! Ye canna do that,” she cried. “Please,” she begged. “Dinna harm her.”
“All ye have to say is I do, and her life will be spared. The choice is yers, Mari. But if ye refuse me, her death will be on yer conscience, no’ mine.”
Mari looked back at Baldair and, this time, she saw the blade in his hand, glimmering in the light of the great hall. Emmaline’s eyes begged for Mari’s help. There was no way she wanted to marry Eideard because she loved Duncan. But if she refused him, an innocent woman would die.
“Ye are wretched, and ye willna get away with this,” she hissed.
“And who is goin’ to stop me?” he asked with a chuckle. “Yer precious Duncan?”
“He’s alive, I ken he is.”
“Ye’d better hope he isna. Because if he comes back to discover his mathair died because of ye, he will never forgive ye. He’ll hate ye forever. Now, what is yer choice?”
Everyone waited as Mari once again looked back at poor Emmaline. Mari’s heart went out to the woman for all the misery she’d had to endure lately. She couldn’t let Duncan’s mother die because of her. The woman didn’t deserve this. But neither did Mari deserve marrying a wretched cur she despised.
Closing her eyes and holding her breath, she spat out the words she never thought she’d be saying to anyone other than Duncan. “I do,” she said, trembling and crying. When she opened her eyes, Eideard was smiling. He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms and kissed her so hard on the mouth that she felt as if he’d bitten her. Then he raised her hand up over her head and looked out at the crowd once more.
“My bride,” he announced. Slowly, the crowd started to clap, although none of them were smiling. “We’ll dance now,” he told her, grabbing her hand so hard he almost broke it as he dragged her out to the middle of the great hall. “And later tonight, after I celebrate our marriage by drinkin’ whisky with my men, I’ll take ye to our weddin’ bed and make ye my wife in every way.”
Mari was so frightened that she couldn’t even respond. What had she done? In trying to save Duncan’s mother, she had doomed herself to a life of being the wife of a man she truly despised and one she would never love. Part of her secretly hoped Duncan was dead now. Because if he wasn’t, how would she ever be able to face him again?
Chapter 3
Duncan and Angus trudged through the snow, having managed to escape by the skin of their teeth. However, they’d had to fight for their lives, and killed two guards who had discovered them on the road. Thankfully, their attackers had horses. Now the journey in this snowstorm wouldn’t be half as bad.
Dressed only in ragged clothes, Duncan had no qualms in taking the cloaks, boots and gloves of the English they’d killed. But he’d drawn the line at wearing their clothes. He’d told his brother they were safer wearing their plaids while traveling back to the Highlands. The last thing they needed was for the Scots to mistake them for bloody Sassenachs and take off their heads before they made it home.
“Blethers, Duncan, we need to stop,” complained Angus, riding close behind him in the dark.
“Ye need to piss again?” grumbled Duncan. “We havena had enough to drink to have to relieve ourselves.”
“Nay, I dinna need to piss. But we need to build a fire before we freeze to death in the cold. Besides, the horses canna keep up this pace in a snowstorm.”
“Mayhap ye’re right,” Duncan agreed. His only thought was on getting back to the Highlands to find out why the hell their ransom hadn’t been paid for their release. He also needed to feel the warmth of Mari in his arms right now as well. He longed for her presence in his life and only hoped she hadn’t taken another husband in his absence. “I just thought ye’d be in a hurry to see Tillie, that’s all.”
“Tillie?” Angus’ head snapped up. “Why would ye say that?”
“Dinna think that I didna notice the way ye come to life around my betrothed’s sister.”
“She’s a widow. No’ to mention she has two wee lassies to care for.”
“Even more reason.” He continued riding. “She needs someone to protect her, and ye’re no’ married.”
“Now wait a moment,” Angus warned his brother. “When I do get married, it’ll be with a virgin who has never shared another man’s bed nor given him bairns. Just like ye have with Mari.”
“I hope I still have that,” Duncan mumbled under his breath.