“Aye,” Conran said on a sigh. “Thinking her experienced, I acted more quickly than I would have had I realized otherwise.”
Aulay nodded. “I suggest ye do some wooing then, and show her that there is pleasure to be found in the marriage bed.”
When Conran arched his eyebrows at the suggestion, Aulay shrugged.
“This is a good deal for you. Ye’d have a home and people o’ yer own,” he pointed out. Smiling faintly, he then added, “Besides, I like Evina. I think she’d be good for ye.”
“Ye like her?” he asked with surprise. “Ye hardly ken her.”
“I ken her actions and she’s shown spunk,” Aulay said with a shrug, and then asked, “Did ye ken she is usually the one who trains the men at practice and gives them their orders?”
“Aye,” Conran admitted. “I did ken that.”
“And she took two men and came to fetch ye herself for her father,” Aulay pointed out. “She did no’ send someone else to do her dirty work. And I gather she knocked ye out to save her cousin?” When Conran nodded, he smiled. “She reminds me o’ Saidh, and I’m thinking ye could use a Saidh in yer life. With Evina for wife, ye’d ne’er need worry about the running of the castle when ye have to rush off to help one o’ our brothers as ye’re wont to do. She can handle matters in yer stead.”
Conran blinked in surprise as he realized he was right.
“However,” Aulay said now, “Evina does no’ have brothers to make her do the right thing here. And I suspect her father will no’ be able to force her. He might order it, but I would no’ put it past the lass to run away rather than marry ye.”
Conran stiffened at the suggestion.
“I’m thinking wooing and bedding her well and often are the only way ye’ll be getting her before a priest. Understand?”
“Aye,” Conran said, and he did. He had to erase her memory of the first time with several good memories. It didn’t really sound a hardship. The first time may have been disappointing, but the situation had been unusual. The next time he’d find his pleasure, but not until he’d ensured she found hers several times first. It was a challenge, but now that he was thinking of it, one Conran was rather looking forward to. He could still feel her body closing warm and tight around him as he’d plunged into her. It had felt damned good. So much so that it had taken him a moment to recognize what the brief resistance he’d met had been. Evina’s scream of pain had helped him identify it, and then the whole situation had gone downhill fast, but the warm, wet glove of her body encasing his cock was something he would not mind experiencing again.
“By me guess ye have perhaps two weeks to do it,” Aulay commented, reclaiming his attention.
“Two weeks?” he asked with surprise.
“I should think ‘twill take that long for Saidh and Greer, and all of our brothers and their mates, to get here for the wedding,” he explained. “Edith and Murine will need to find wet nurses. Their bairns are far too young for travel.”
“Aye,” Conran murmured thoughtfully, and then pointed out, “It’s going to be hard to woo Evina while she’s stuck in bed though. She was badly wounded and should no’ be up and around.”
“I guess ye’ll have to entertain her in bed, then,” Aulay said with amusement. “I’d suggest strip chess.”
Conran blinked. “Strip chess?”
“Aye, me Jetta particularly likes that one. Every time ye take one o’ her chess pieces, ye get a piece of clothing too, and ’tis the same for her with yer pieces.”
Conran’s eyebrows flew up at the explanation. It was hard to imagine Aulay’s sweet wife, Jetta, playing such a game.
“Come to see me if ye need any other ideas. I have many o’ them,” Aulay said with a grin. Murmuring, “Good luck, brother,” he closed his door.
Sighing, Conran turned away. He started out, headed for his room, but changed his mind halfway there.
Chapter 8
Evina remained silent after the bedchamber door closed behind the Buchanans. She didn’t know what to say. Her mind was awhirl with several different worries and fears.
“A baby running the halls again would be nice.”
Evina glanced up at her father’s words and bit her lip. “Could I really be with child?”
“Ye ken that better than I? Did he breach ye?”
“Aye,” Evina sighed the word.
“Then aye, ’tis a very real possibility,” he said solemnly, and then pointed out, “Ye can no’ let the child grow up a bastard, lass. No’ when the father is here and willing to marry ye.”
Evina closed her eyes briefly, and then opened them and blurted, “But he does no’ want to marry me, Da. I was no better than Betsy for him.”
“He said that?” her father asked aghast.
“Aye,” she said, and then grimaced and admitted, “No’ the Betsy part. I sorted that out on me own, but he apologized and said he was sorry. He’d thought me an experienced widow who would be happy for a dalliance .”
“Hmm,” her father murmured. “Well, I’m no’ surprised. He is a fourth son with little in the way o’ prospects. He probably assumed his suit would ne’er even be considered. That I would be like most lairds and demand a first son with a castle, lands and wealth of his own for ye.”
“Why?” she asked with surprise. “I am yer only heir and we could only live at one castle at a time. If we had two, one would always have to be left unattended.”
“Exactly me thinking,” he said wryly. “But for some, a lot is ne’er enough. They must have more.”
Grimacing, Evina lowered her head and peered at her stomach again, wondering if Conran’s seed had taken root. And if she could bear to have a husband.
“Ye’ll have to marry him, lass,” her father repeated solemnly. “Why do ye no’ give him a chance and see if ye might no’ like him? He seems a nice lad to me.”
“A nice lad?” she asked with disbelief. “He lied about who he was.”
“Did he lie, or did ye just assume he was Rory, and he did no’ correct ye?” the Maclean asked gently.
Evina’s mouth tightened. “He lied by omission, then.”
“He also saved me life,” her father pointed out. “And when he found out I’d told his brothers ye’d kidnapped him, he defended ye, assuring them he was here willingly.”
“Did he?” she asked with surprise.
“Aye. In truth, daughter, he’s been very understanding about everything, even the manner in which ye brought him home. I would no’ have been nearly as good about it meself had some strange woman knocked me out, and dragged me across the country, naked, tied up and hanging over the back o’ me horse. It’s part o’ the reason I think he’d make ye a good husband. He’s obviously coolheaded and patient, and a lass as trying as ye needs a man like that.”
When Evina narrowed her eyes and scowled at him, he shrugged. “’Tis the truth. I fear I have no’ been a good father since we lost yer mother. I let ye do as ye like, and now ye’re far too used to having yer own way.”