This time Dominic let his scowl play across his face, and his eyes held no humor. He hoped King Robert would be discreet and not mention the situation to anyone else at court. He suspected the king and queen had already discussed it, or they would after this conversation. But he didn’t want it to be common knowledge beyond what people already observed.
“Since you seem aware of the situation, you might accept that if she agrees, we will say we handfasted during one of my previous visits.”
“Is that necessary?” King Robert examined Dominic’s expression, seeking any hint of whether his suspicions were true.
“Nay. But I would prefer people not to think Lady Emelie impetuous and flighty. It’s been some time since Pringle has been here. During that absence, people have seen me come and go. It stands to reason that I replaced him as her suitor, but we were discreet in our interest.” Dominic interpreted the word necessary as he saw fit. He wouldn’t confirm that Emelie was with child, even though he was certain the king now believed that.
“Very well. If the lady agrees to your offer, I will say naught aboot when and where the handfast took place. I shall act as pleasantly surprised as I was today.”
“Your Majesty, you do know that pleasure and dread aren’t the same, don’t you?” Dominic asked with a devilish grin, but the king took his point and nodded.
“I shall do my best.” With that, King Robert dismissed Dominic, and he was only too happy to escape the Privy Council chamber. He wound his way through the keep, headed to the lists. He’d already been for a walk with Emelie that morning, then met with the king. He looked forward to sparring with his men to burn off much of the tension and frustration that made knots upon knots form during his time with King Robert.
As he descended the stairs to the ground floor, Dominic heard women’s voices before he caught sight of the cluster walking together, their skirts swishing around them. His eyes gravitated to Emelie, who happened to look up at the stairs as she passed. She whispered something to a woman who was clearly her sister, Blythe, but no one had formally introduced them yet. Emelie hung back from the group and slipped into an alcove.
Emelie hoped Dominic would follow her into the private nook. They hadn’t spoken alone since the last time they ducked into the recessed area with a tapestry hanging as its door. It meant they hadn’t shared another kiss since then, and Emelie found herself thinking about it constantly. She chided herself for being a harlot when she wanted to explore her desire while she carried another man’s child. A man she never should have coupled with since he wasn’t her husband. Recrimination and lust warred within her while she was awake, but it was Dominic who filled her dreams. They weren’t all explicit in nature. Many of her dreams painted scenes of them walking hand-in-hand along a river. Many showed Dominic carrying a little boy while he wrapped his arm around Emelie’s shoulders, much like it had been when they met. That dream always ended with them facing one another and Dominic’s hand on her swollen belly.
Emelie told herself that she couldn’t—shouldn’t—base her decision on the whimsy of her dreams. But it wasn’t a flight of fancy that drove her. There was bone-deep certainty that there was no better man for her than Dominic. His stoic presence during their walks gave her a confidence she hadn’t experienced before. She felt comfortable talking to him about her childhood and her experiences as court. He was attentive and serious, where Henry had seemed indulgent and patronizing now that she could compare the two men.
Dominic was jovial when they danced each night, twirling her extra times to make her giggle. Their obvious difference in build drew stares, and Emelie saw the envy on other women’s faces, but they never lingered at the end of a set. She’d overheard women talking, and most assumed they merely enjoyed partnering. She didn’t think there were any suspicions or rumors. At least, not yet.
“Lady Emelie,” Dominic whispered as he came to stand in front of her, the tapestry dropping back into place.
“I’d like you to call me Emelie.” Emelie smiled but looked away, embarrassed at her forthrightness without offering him a greeting.
“I’d like you to call me Dom,” Dominic offered in return. He was happy to oblige and do away with the formality of her honorific, but he wasn’t ready to confess that he already thought of her as Em. He didn’t know when the pet name came to mind, but it was what he thought whenever she did, which was altogether too frequently.
Emelie bit her top lip, debating whether she should engage in pleasantries before saying what she wanted. She opted to be forthright. “I accept and would like to handfast.”
Dominic smiled, and it transformed his face from striking to dazzlingly handsome. Emelie swallowed as her breasts tightened and her sheath ached. She held her breath as she waited for him to respond.
“When?” Dominic breathed.
“Now? Could we do it now? I don’t know too much aboot the Highland custom beyond what you already told me.”
“And you’d agree to it based on just that?”
“I agree based on me trusting you. I pray it’s not misplaced, but I don’t think it is.”
“I will never do aught intentionally to betray your trust, Em. I put too much credence in my honor as a mon, a Highlander, and my clan’s tánaiste. I don’t lie.” Dominic didn’t notice that the first chance he had to use Emelie’s name, he let the pet name slip.
“Em?” A bashful smile flashed across Emelie’s face. She whispered, “I like that.”
Dominic slipped his arm around Emelie’s waist, and she stepped into his embrace without hesitation. With one massive arm wrapped around her, he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, then cupped her cheek.
“If you decide even before the year and a day is over that you no longer want to remain with me, I will take you wherever you wish. I never, ever want you to feel trapped. I made my offer because I found a brave young woman in need who already seemed to feel trapped. But I’ve been praying you would accept because I’m growing fonder of you by the day. I will strive to be the best husband I can to you, Em. But if it isn’t enough, tell me. I will try to make amends. If it still isn’t enough, I will take the fault and ensure you are safe wherever you choose.”
“I offer the same. If I am not a wife you wish to keep, even if only for a year, I will not contest your decision for us to part. I never imagined such a selfless and considerate mon would enter my life when I most needed support. You are a blessing in more ways than one, and I grow fonder of you by the day. I will strive to be the wife you want, and I will honor you always. I know you didn’t come here intending to find a bride. I know you weren’t ready, which makes me appreciate your offer even more. I don’t feel trapped, Dom. I feel free.”
Dominic tilted Emelie’s head back, catching a particular phrase that troubled him. “I am ready, Em. More so than I thought. I want to be your husband. Don’t doubt that, please.”
Emelie saw such earnestness in Dominic’s gaze that she could almost forget the grief she witnessed any time his first wife was mentioned. She wanted to believe that the widower who stood before her was ready to move on, but she would respect that he might not be as able as he believed. If nothing else, she gained a friend and a confidant. She might have to live with the memory of a dead woman in her marriage, but Dominic offered too many other blessings for her to turn him away.
“What do we say to handfast?” Emelie asked.
“Truly, what we just pledged is enough. There are no specific vows to recite. A handfast is an agreement to a trial marriage, and that can happen merely by the mon and woman saying they wish it. Some couples exchange more traditional blessings, but it isn’t a requirement. I rather liked what we just promised, rather than flowery phrases.”
Dominic fought to push aside the memory of the vows he’d sworn to Colina on the steps of the MacLeans’ kirk. They’d been the same that every couple recited to make a marriage binding before God and the law. He’d been heartfelt and reverent when he pledged himself to Colina, and was devoted to her in all ways. But the simplicity of his promises to Emelie felt even more authentic than saying the same words thousands of other people had.
