"I just want tae ken how he convinced a lass as bonny as her tae marry him so quickly," Catherine defended.
The question hung in the air. Liliane stared into her tea, searching for words that wouldn't be a complete lie but wouldn't destroy their obvious affection for their brother.
“It was… sudden,” she managed finally.
“Sudden can be romantic,” Sofia offered kindly. “Sometimes the heart knows afore the mind can catch up.”
If only that were true. Liliane’s heart knew only panic and desperation.
“Where are ye from?” Alyson asked. “Yer accent sounds familiar, but I cannae place it.”
“Foulis. Near Inverness.”
“Foulis?” Catherine’s eyes widened. “But that’s Munro territory. Are ye his daughter?”
“Aye.” The word came out sharp. “I’m Roderick Munro’s daughter.”
Silence fell over the room. The sisters exchanged glances, and Liliane saw comprehension dawn in their faces. They knew about the feud between their clans, knew her father had been no friend to the MacDonalds.
“Well,” Alyson said briskly, breaking the tension. “That explains the hasty weddin’. Tòrr never daes anythin’ by half measures.”
“He mentioned ye’d be wed tomorrow,” Sofia added gently. “Are ye… pleased with the arrangement?”
Liliane wanted to scream that she wasn’t pleased, that this was a nightmare, that she’d been sold like livestock and dragged there against her will. But those women spoke of Tòrr with such obvious love and respect, how could she destroy their image of him?
And beneath the fear and anger, a quieter ache settled in her chest—shame. Not because of Tòrr, but because of the manwho’d put her on that platform in the first place. Her father had done that. Her father had made her a prize to be won. Whatever else Tòrr was, he hadn’t been the one to sell her.
"I'm... adjustin’," she said instead.
"That's understandable." Alyson's voice held surprising sympathy. "Marriages between our families are complicated at best. But Tòrr is a good man, truly. He'll treat ye well."
Will he?
"He's fiercely protective of those he cares about," Sofia continued. "Sometimes too much so. Our braithers can be... overwhelmin’ in their certainty."
"That's one word fer it," Catherine muttered, earning a sharp look from Alyson.
"What Catherine means," Alyson said diplomatically, "is that our braithers sometimes forget tae explain themselves. They're so used tae makin’ decisions fer the clan that they forget nae everyone is accustomed tae their methods."
"Methods," Liliane repeated hollowly.
"Aye. But beneath all the gruffness, Tòrr has a kind heart. He's raised us since our parents died, kept the clan together through troubles that would have broken lesser men." Alyson's voicesoftened with affection. "Whatever brought ye here, ken that he'll protect ye with his life."
The words should have comforted her. Instead, they only highlighted how little those women knew about how she'd come to be there.
She set down her teacup before her shaking hands could betray her. "I should... I need tae freshen up before supper."
"Of course." Alyson stood gracefully. "We'll leave ye tae rest. But if ye need anythin’, anythin’ at all, please dinnae hesitate tae ask."
"The blue gown will suit ye beautifully," Sofia said, indicating a dress of deep sapphire silk. "It'll bring out yer eyes."
After they left, their cheerful voices fading down the corridor, Liliane sank onto the bed and pressed her hands to her face. Their kindness made everything worse. If they'd been cruel or suspicious, she could have justified her hatred of that place. But they welcomed her with open arms, offered friendship without condition.
It would be so easy to stay. To accept that comfortable chamber, those kind women, the protection of a powerful clan. To let Tòrr MacDonald marry her and try to make the best of an impossible situation.
But what about Nessa? Sweet, innocent Nessa who trusted Liliane to protect her, who had no one else. If their father couldn’t reclaim Liliane, he’d turn to Nessa instead, sell her off to a laird aligned with the Pact without a second thought. And Nessa was too young, too gentle to survive what Liliane had endured.
She had to try again. Had to find a way out of that castle and back to Foulis before the wedding made escape impossible.
