Katherine blinked, shocked. “Forgive me, Laird Alex, but I seem tae have missed the part where such a fellow proposed tae me!”
“This must be a marriage of convenience, not of romance,” Alex informed her. “The best way tae ensure peace between our clans is tae join them through matrimony, as I tried tae do but failed miserably.”
“Then, who am I tae marry?”
“Kirk Oliphant,” Bryan said quietly.
“But we’ve barely exchanged two words since I arrived here!” she balked. Now his dubious expression and muttered comment upon leaving the Hall made more sense to her.
“He is the best candidate by far,” Alex pointed out. “He is my cousin, after all. Marrying ye tae him will show yer father that we dinnae mean tae insult him with this arrangement. Quite the contrary, in fact. Once our clans are joined, both shall benefit.We can share our resources with the McGregors, and in return, we can call upon them if we ever need their forces tae fight alongside our own.”
“Do ye believe it will work?” Bryan asked, peering at her intently.
Katherine did her best to put aside her own surprise, and disappointment, as she considered the question carefully.
“He will be outraged at first, naturally,” she began tentatively. “But tae learn that his daughter is tae be married tae the cousin of the laird, there is a chance that it might force him tae see reason at last, where all else has failed. I dinnae think he would prefer tae lead his armies tae certain death against the superior Oliphant forces. Not if there’s another way out. One that will spare his pride and allow him tae continue as laird of the McGregors.”
“‘Tis settled, then,” Alex said. “I shall compose a letter and send a messenger at once so that we may hear his response as soon as possible. I can only hope that he will rein in his temper and do the right thing for his clan, before this madness gets out of hand.”
And with that, Alex strode out of the room, leaving Bryan and Katherine alone together.
“May I assume, at least, that ye did not come up with this plan yerself?” she asked with a stunned laugh. The notion of it was still too big for her to fully contemplate.
Bryan shook his head. “‘Twas Alex who arrived at this conclusion.”
“But why must it beKirk?” she demanded. “Why not…”
He gave her a forlorn smile. “Ye forget, my lady, that I am naught but a guardsman. One with a questionable past, at that. Yer father would take such a thing as a grave insult, and then war would be certain tae follow. Kirk is by far the most noble-born member of the clan, since he shares the laird’s bloodline. ‘Tisa fine match. Yer father must see that.” His smile faded. “That said, I am not altogether certain that this will put ye back in yer father’s good graces when all is said and done.”
Katherine sighed. “Nay, I should think not. He’d welcome Romilly back, of that I have no doubt. But he’ll not wish for my presence, as it will no doubt remind him that he will be related tae his bitterest enemies. Romillywillbe released, will she not, if the wedding occurs?” she added, hopefully.
Bryan nodded. “It is clear that we dinnae mean tae execute her for her crimes, else we’d have done so by now. As such, ‘twould be unseemly tae keep her under lock and key once her clan is no longer a threat tae ours. Unless ye believe she will inflict further violence upon us?”
“She worships our father,” Katherine answered. “If he truly commands that the conflict cease, she will do as he bids.”
“That remains quite an ‘if,’” the captain observed with a pained grimace.
“Aye, there is too much uncertainty all around.” She searched his eyes. “Is this truly the only way, Bryan?”
“I’m afraid it is.” He reached out, taking her hands in his. “I wish it were otherwise. But of course, ye must know that, though we hope ye will help us in this way, we cannae compel ye tae marry him if ye refuse.”
Katherine thought about the village in the aftermath of the McGregor raid. She remembered the stricken faces of the townsfolk; the eyes of the children, staring mutely at the charred wreckage of the homes they grew up in. The agony they’d endured at the hands of her family was more than she could bear. She was deeply ashamed of her father’s actions.
And had she not promised to do whatever it took to prevent any more Oliphants from enduring such horrors?
Well, here was her chance. Her only chance, from the sound of it.
She did not dare say no.
“If this is the path tae peace,” she said, “then I will do what I must. ‘Tis up tae my father, and out of our hands now.”
Bryan’s mouth tightened into a thin line, and he nodded once. “I thought ye would say so. Good. It is settled, then, Lady Katherine.”
He lingered in the Hall a few more moments, and it seemed as though there was much more he wanted to say to her. She wondered if some part of him had hoped she would say no to the plan so that he would not be forced to watch her wed to another.
His sense of duty prevailed, though, and he turned and left without another word.
Katherine returned to her chamber and gazed out the window. After an hour had passed, she saw the gates open, and watched the messenger ride out toward the borderlands. As she did, she found herself uncertain of which outcome she was truly hoping for.
