Her eyes filled suddenly, unexpectedly, and she looked away to blink the tears back. ‘Thank you, Laird McKenna.’
He chuckled. ‘Perhaps now that we are to marry you could endeavour to use my given name and I yours?’
‘Aye.’ She smiled. ‘Thank you, Rory.’
The more time he spent with his future wife, the more Rory realised he was completely out of his depth. He watched the gentle sway and pitch of her upper body as the carriage rolled along its way trimming the distance between her past and her future. What woman would be so at ease with such a drastic change in her circumstances in such a short time? What woman cared more for the welfare of three potted plants than the rest of her belongings that remain hitched to the outside of the carriage?
This one.
But who was she? With every answer he gained, twelve more questions edged their way into his mind begging to be asked.
‘Tell me more about Blackmore,’ she asked, and he cut his eyes to her.
‘Not a great deal to tell, really. It is like most castles of its age. Large, a bit draughty, and full of stories and heritage. It has been the heart of Clan McKenna for centuries. Since it is along the coast, many of our clan make their living farming, fishing and mining for slate. Perhaps a bit more rugged terrain than you’re used to, but other than that I think you will find it comfortable and comparable to your own home. I know you’ll love the wildflowers and plants that grow along the hillsides. You can see them nowhere else.’
‘Then perhaps a hillside shall be the perfect spot for our vows.’
‘Outside?’
She shrugged. ‘I have never been married outside. It shall just be us and those needed to witness our handfasting and declarations, I suspect. But if you prefer a chapel, perhaps you could—’
He reached out and squeezed her hand. ‘Nay. The hillside shall be perfect. I know just the spot as long as the weather cooperates.’
She stilled and slid her hand from his, and a blush warmed her cheeks. He would need to take great care with her. Now, if only he knew how to do that. He wasn’t exactly practised in caring for people. He didn’t really have friends any more as he’d pushed them away to protect them. He knew the agony of loss and he wished to keep them from it if he could. And, well, most of the people he had ever loved had died.
Just like he would soon.
And what would become of her?
He shoved the thought away. He cared not to think about leaving her when he’d just found her.
He scrubbed a hand through his hair. He needed to watch himself. Feelings, caring for her, wasnotpart of his plan. Gaining a wife, producing an heir and leaving Blackmore with some sort of a future was what he needed to focus on. Everything else was just a distraction. One a dying man like himself didn’t need.
Chapter Ten
‘Moira?’ Rory’s voice and a gentle touch to her shoulder jostled her to wakefulness. ‘Moira? We are almost there.’
Good heavens.Moira squinted and blinked open her eyes, startled and confused. Where was she? Slowly the earlier memories of the day snapped neatly into place and she remembered. She was engaged to be married to this man and headed to Blackmore. She struggled to sit upright. When and how had she fallen asleep? She wasn’t one to ever be lulled to sleep along a bumpy journey, yet here she was. She attempted to smooth her skirts and noted her lap was barren. Where were her plants? She scanned the small compartment.
‘Don’t worry. I’ve kept watch over them.’ Rory smiled and patted the seat next to him where her bag of plants sat carefully nestled between him and the carriage door. ‘When you fell asleep they began to slide, and I didn’t want to risk them falling.’
‘Thank you,’ she murmured, rubbing her eyes. What a picture she must paint. ‘I’m sorry. I’m not prone to falling asleep in carriages.’
Especially with a man who is little more than a stranger, even if he is to soon be my husband.
‘It has been no ordinary day. I will admit that I was envious of how soundly you were sleeping.’
Heavens, what he must think of me.
She could only hope she hadn’t dozed off while he was speaking to her in mid-sentence. The last thing she remembered them speaking about was Blackmore.
She patted her hair, which was now a bit mussed, and grimaced. And she’d be meeting his household in minutes.Ack.
‘You look absolutely perfect. You need not worry.’
‘I’m sure I look something quite short of perfection, but thank you.’
‘Here we are.’ A full smile lit his face and eyes as he pointed out in the distance to a large dark towering castle that rose like a phoenix from the grassy hillside surrounding it, emerging as if it were part of the cliffs itself.
