“Ally—”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Don’t you like it?”
“Not when I’m this angry with you. It’s patronizing.”
“I didn’t mean it to be. It was supposed to be apologetic. I have no idea what came over me to say something so hateful.”
“Is that how you usually react when you’re angry? Do you always lash out?”
“No. Never.” His mother had done that and said things she could never take back. She’d done it a few times to the twins, but both brothers had heard their mother’s acerbic comments to their father. “I was furious, and to hear you mention my brother at the same time as considering a marriage, it pushed me too far. It was illogical and jealous, and I don’t know why I said it. The words seemed to tumble out before I could stop them. I’m no better than your mother. I’m sorry, Allyson.”
“Ally. I prefer it when you call me Ally.” She relented when she heard the anguish in Ewan’s voice.“And I understand. She has a tendency to push me too far, too. But I don’t want her to come between us. I feel like we made such progress in the past fortnight. I don’t want that ruined.”
“Me neither, mo aingeal. I should be thanking you for once again being so thoughtful rather than me being so hateful. You often put consideration into what you do for me. First my favorite food on the picnic the other day, and then my favorite brother.”
“He’s your only brother,” Allyson chuckled.
“That’s why he’s my favorite even when I’m miffed with him.”
The horse shifted restlessly beneath them, so Ewan dismounted, then lifted Allyson down. With the reins in one hand and Allyson’s in the other, he led them further along the path to where the river ran alongside it. Allyson guided them to the river bank where the horse drank while Ewan wrapped his arm around Allyson, and she rested her head against his shoulder.
“We can’t go to the Hermitage unchaperoned. There is little chance my parents won’t balk at the king’s illegitimate son being our host. We won’t marry there without Eoin, so that means sending one of Lord Robert’s men back to Redheugh. That’ll inform my mother of where we’ve gone, and she’s likely to send my father after us. I’m certain he hasn’t forgiven me for having to chase me the first time. He might throttle me if I do it a second time.”
“I didn’t give you much choice. I kidnapped you.”
“It’s hardly a kidnapping when I put up no fight.”
“Ally, let’s return to court. If I can’t take you home to Huntley yet, and I don’t want you to remain here, that’s the only place for us to go.”
“I know. I’d rather be there than here any day of the week and twice on Sundays. But we can’t wed for another three sennights. Even if you’d found the priest at the Hermitage, he wouldn’t have married us. Not until Easter.” Allyson bit her bottom lip as she wrestled with nervousness and jealousy. “I don’t know if I want to spend nearly a moon at court with you.”
“Why not?”
“I’d rather move on with life than treading water, which is what we would do at court.”
“There’s more to it than that. I can tell. What’s eating at you, aingeal?”
“I want to believe everything you’ve promised since we arrived here, especially all that passed between us today. All those sennights at court where temptation is at every table and in every chamber, well, it scares me.”
“Afraid you’ll find a mon more handsome than me?” Ewan wrapped his other arm around Allyson and lifted her off the ground, so they looked at each other eye-to-eye. “I should be the one who’s worried, Ally. I’ve pledged myself to you, and I will keep it. But you’ve made no promises to me. I won’t pressure you either. I told you, you have until Easter to decide what you want to do. I haven’t changed my mind, but you might find someone you prefer in that time.”
“But I’m not likely to bed them,” Allyson snapped before her eyes opened wide. Being at eye level with Ewan made her uncomfortable after her comment. She hadn’t intended to reveal her fears in so many words.
“I understand why you’re worried, and you have every right to be with what you know about my past. All I can do is prove to you that I won’t disappoint you.”
“Ewan, you said that with the papers signed, even without the betrothal ceremony, we are betrothed before the eyes of the law.”
“Aye. We must state before witnesses our pledge to marry in the future, but a priest doesn’t have to oversee it.”
“Could we exchange our pledges tonight with Eoin as our witness?”
“We could, but why tonight?”
“I would have the betrothal completed. Then no one can force an end to it.”
“I will speak to Eoin as soon as I can, but I still intend for us to return to court as soon as we can.”
