The captain sighed. “Aye, that’s true enough. Still, there’s nothing wrong with a leader instillin’ a bit of fear, is there?”
Perhaps not,Alex lamented inwardly,but even so, I’d prefer to command their respect without frightening them.
They reached Alex’s study, and found Kirk Oliphant sitting behind Alex’s desk with his boots up.
The laird’s collection surrounded Kirk: The books that filled the shelves on every wall contained knowledge regarding a wide variety of topics, from the histories and legends of various countries to principles of warfare, from the greatest plays ever written to ancient philosophies and mathematical theories. Alex had read them all a dozen times over or more, and strived mightily to understand all that was within them, so that his view of the world would be as complete as possible. Likewise, the room was adorned with maps of nations, charts of the stars, and rare artifacts from afar.
Alex harbored an intellectual curiosity that his father never had, and he was proud of himself for that.
“I knew ye’d be back from yer daily inspections soon, cousin!” Kirk remarked jovially. “And ye’ve brought Bryan with ye. Splendid, for we’ve much tae discuss.”
“Do we?” Alex answered wryly. “If so, I’d as soon discuss it from behind my desk, which means ye’ll have tae get up out of my chair this instant.”
Kirk grinned and stood, gesturing grandly for Alex to have the seat. Alex lowered himself into the chair and steepled his fingers in front of him. “Now, then. What did ye have in mind?”
“No doubt the same thing I’ve been sayin’ for weeks,” Bryan interjected. “That ye must settle the matter of a bride at once. The longer ye delay, the more precarious yer position becomes. If anythin’ should happen tae ye in the years tae come, the clan must know that ye have an heir.”
“I dinnae believe the situation is nearly as dire as ye make it out tae be,” Alex replied.
“It is, actually, now that yer betrothal to Lady Romilly MacGregor has been broken off!” Kirk reminded him. “Thatwould have been a fine alliance indeed, if only ye had nae offended her!”
“Ye know that I am tremendously exactin’ in my standards for all things, Kirk,” Alex pointed out. “Would ye expect me tae be any less careful in selecting a wife?”
“But she was so fair of face and form!” Bryan exclaimed. “Her clan had great wealth! Once united with them, the Oliphants would have been stronger than ever before! Instead, we’ve all but made enemies of them!”
“Lady Romilly was lovely enough tae look at,” Alex conceded, “but her head was more or less empty. If I must be married, let it be tae someone with whom I can converse, else the remainder of our lives together will be a woeful thing indeed.”
“At any rate,” Kirk spoke up, “I believe I have found a suitable replacement.”
“Oh?” Alex arched an eyebrow. “Who might that be?”
“Lady Isla MacDonell.”
“How on earth isthattae be arranged?” the laird demanded. “We may have maintained civil relations with them, but given the history between our clans…”
He did not need to elaborate on that, for every man in the room knew precisely what he referred to: A wedding many years ago, during which his grandfather had fought the father of Laird Hamish MacDonell during a drunken disagreement over a perceived insult. The particulars of the incident were long forgotten, but the outcome was not: Oliphant had run MacDonell through with his dagger.
The two clans had bitterly loathed each other for years after that, though neither wished to go to war over it. When Douglas Oliphant became laird, he began to exchange letters with Hamish, which spoke of easing the hostilities between them. These missives led to Douglas’s visit to MacDonell Manorwith his sons, and since then, neither clan had done anything to provoke the other. They lived side by side in an uneasy peace.
Now that Douglas had taken ill and Alex was the new laird of the Oliphants, he had hoped that he might someday find occasion to mend things between the two clans more fully, so that they could become allies.
This, however, was not the manner in which he’d expected to go about it.
“The history is simply that—history,” Kirk assured him. “I have spoken with Laird Hamish about the prospect of leaving the past behind us, and he was exceedingly open tae it. If anything, such a marriage would do much tae heal those old wounds, and it would create a strong alliance.”
“That sounds like the best prospect available tae us, certainly,” Bryan agreed.
Alex sighed and stood, pacing the room. “I have nae seen her since I was a lad of sixteen. My father berated me for speakin’ tae her. I recall that she was quite bonny, and seemed tae have a way about her that was remarkably compellin’.”
“She is bonnier still now that she’s grown,” Kirk said. “And I am given tae understand that she has retained her quick wit.”
“Then she sounds promisin’ enough,” Alex remarked briskly. “How much time will her father need in order tae make his final decision?”
“I emphasized that time was of the essence,” Kirk told him. “We should have an answer from him soon. If we’ve nae heard from him in the next day or two, I can ride out tae speak with him again and determine where he stands on the matter.”
Alex nodded, impressed as always by Kirk’s thoroughness and attention to detail. “Good. Well done. Was there anything further?”
“Aye, as a matter of fact.” Kirk put his hands on his hips. “In this undertakin’, I’ll thank ye tae bear in mind that thiscan be an excellent opportunity tae secure the MacDonells as allies… or tae push them into becoming very real enemies, if handled poorly. We are all aware of yer high standards in all things, and nae one would demand that ye wed yerself tae one ye find distasteful. Even so, it would be best if ye tried tae see what is appealin’ about this lass, instead of immediately lookin’ for reasons tae dismiss her as unworthy. We’ve angered the MacGregors already, we dinnae need tae upset this clan as well.”
