“Is there truly nae one else?” she protested.
She had hoped she’d be able to put off being married for just a bit longer. But that hope was rapidly vanishing.
“Nae one else that ye have nae already chased away,” he retorted. “Nae one else who’s in a position tae help this clan more than the Oliphants. It must be Laird Alex, lass, and it must be soon. Will ye consider it?”
Isla found herself filled with loathing toward him for this entire spectacle, and for the terribly unfair pressure he was putting on her. That he would manipulate her in such a fashion to get his way, so that she would consent to being used as a thing to be bartered! To expect her to agree to marry a man she didn’t even know, someone she’d only briefly met once eight years ago! It was simply horrid for words!
And now this? Acting as though she had any real choice in the matter at all, when she so clearly didn’t? It made her ill.
She turned her back at him and returned to the manor, her heart sinking further with each step.
She knew that she had a duty to the clan, just as he said. She knew that the Oliphants were, indeed, a powerful enough clan to ensure that no one would take up arms against the MacDonells if the two were allies. She knew that likewise, the farms and orchards of the Oliphants produced enough to allow them toshare food with the MacDonells—which would be vital if there were ever a drought, frost, or famine that cost the MacDonells their crops for a season or two.
But she hated that all of this had to rest on her, and whether she would agree to marry Laird Alex. The weight of such a duty was unbearable.
As she reached the front entrance of the manor, she found Elspeth waiting for her there. “Come into the Dining Hall, lass,” she said kindly, “we’ll have a spot of breakfast and a wee chat.”
Isla followed her, and found eggs and salted pork waiting for her. She dug in at once, for she was beginning to feel faint from hunger.
“Yer da can be a right eejit at times when he loses his temper, as ye well know,” Elspeth began. “I’m sorry he made ye pass the night locked in yer room. However, he only wants what is best for his clan. Hamish was a very young man when his father died, and so when he became laird, he always fretted that he might nae be up tae the task… that somehow, the entire thing would come down with a crash while he ruled over it, and it’d all be his fault. Everythin’ he’s done has been tae make the MacDonells as prosperous as possible, tae prove that he’s equal to the memory of his father.” She sighed. “Which, of course, he’ll never be able tae do tae his own satisfaction, but he tries just the same.”
“I know,” Isla said quietly. “I just wish there were some other way for me tae serve the clan, rather than promising my bed and my future tae a near-total stranger.”
Elspeth lowered her eyes. “Do ye still pine for young Kenneth? Is that what keeps ye from accepting this proposal?”
“I most certainly never ‘pined’ for Kenneth!” Isla balked indignantly. “We were merely friends, nothing more!”
Her mother shrugged mildly. “I see. There were times, here and there, when I thought perhaps there might be more betweenye than that. He’s a fine lad, tae be sure, but a marriage tae him would nae strengthen our clan.”
“Itoldye, I dinnae have such feelings for him! Now let the matter rest!” But as she said this, Isla could feel her face turning red.
The words were true enough.
Butwhyhad her mother chosen to mention Kenneth in such a context? Could it be that she knew more of what had occurred between them than she’d ever let on?
It was an uncomfortable thought, and Isla did her best to suppress it. “I suppose I dinnae have much choice in this, do I?” she continued hotly. “I’m tae be given away like livestock tae appease the Oliphants’ new laird, and that’s all there is tae it. Or if nae him, then someone just like him, who views me as a commodity instead of a person. Just like my own father does.”
As if on cue, Hamish entered, peering at Isla hopefully. “Have ye given it further thought?”
Isla sighed. “I will do as ye demand, father. Nae for yer sake, but for the people of the clan.”
His relief was visible, and he went to her, embracing her tightly. “Thank ye, lass, an’ bless ye! This shall make a better life for the clan’s children, and their children’s children! All will turn out well, ye shall soon see!”
Isla doubted it, and she cared little for her father’s fawning now that she’d done as he asked. She knew that like so much of what he’d already said and done to persuade her, it was nothing more than a lie, meant to conceal his pathetic manipulations.
As she’d said, she hadn’t done it for him.
Now what sort of life shall I have?she wondered bleakly.
Later,Isla wandered the perimeter of the manor’s property aimlessly, considering the prospects for her future and trying to find a bright side to any of it. Sadly, she could find none, and soon tears begin to sting her eyes. She sat down on the ground with her back against the stables, and this time, she took no joy in how the dirt and grass stained the seat of her dress.
She simply felt exhausted and hopeless.
A shadow fell over her, and when she looked up and wiped her eyes, she saw her childhood friend Kenneth standing over her. He was a short and somewhat scrawny fellow, with unkempt blonde hair and heavy-lidded blue eyes. His clothes were careworn, as he did not come from a wealthy family—his father was a peddler, and not a particularly successful one. In all, he generally resembled a friendly sort of scarecrow.
“Here, what’s this, then?” he asked gently, crouching down next to her. His face was filled with concern.
Isla was grateful for his presence, and reached out to touch his shoulder. “The day has come at last, Kenneth,” she replied hoarsely, trying to compose herself. “My father is forcing me to marry.”
