“How can ye be so certain? I’m the daughter of his sworn enemy, after all,” she pointed out hesitantly. She was not entirely comfortable talking about this with anyone, let alone her future sister-in-law. “I’ve heard… rumors about him.”
What if he truly hates me? What if he makes it his goal to make me life a living hell for the sins of me family?
“Aye, that is true. But I believe he looks at ye more as Broderic’s younger sister than Chester Fraser’s daughter. Consider for a moment that he has a younger sister,” Alice reminded her.
“Alexander can be a cruel man, that is true. But he doesnae put up with any man bullyin’ a woman—nay one at all. He may be a hulkin’ brute, but he would never take advantage of a woman who wasnae willin’, regardless of the situation,” she continued, her voice soft and reassuring.
“I’ve heard tales of me braithers both takin’ to fists with men over offenses to the lasses.” She smiled down at Helena warmly, shaking her head. “On more than one occasion, I heard Alexander even threaten Michael’s life if he dared to put a lass in a compromising situation. He can be a bit of a gallant if ye get me meaning. Boys, unscrupulous the lot of them.”
Her genuine affection for her brothers was obvious.
Helena’s expression must have conveyed her uncertainty, as Alice licked her lips, hesitating before she spoke again.
“If that doesnae reassure ye, perhaps the fact that yer late braither was one of his closest friends will. He wouldnae do anythin’ to hurt ye, lass.”
Wait, what did she just say? Broderic and Alexander were friends? Nae just friends but close friends?
The claim took Helena aback.
“What?” she blurted, forgetting the uncomfortable subject that had brought them to this point. “How do ye ken about Broderic? What do ye mean they were friends?”
Alice paused, confused by her alarm, and slowly sat beside her. “Did ye nae ken that they were friends?” she asked.
“Nay, our clans have been at war for as long as I can remember. I only kenned that they had met before me braither and cousin died, but… Well, besides that, neither Broderic nor Ian had ever mentioned their friendship,” Helena confessed.
“Oh.” Alice looked hesitant. “Perhaps this isnae me story to tell, then. I will say that both Broderic and that handsome cousin of yers visited the castle often.”
“Ye mean to say that they have been here? In this castle?” Helena’s mind was reeling from this new information. “Why?”
“Aye. They would sit with Alexander and Michael, and discuss how to end this silly war for hours on end,” Alice divulged, an amused gleam in her eyes. “The boys never paid much mind to me—they thought I was just another curious lass. But I often eavesdropped in the hallway. They had many ideas and dreams.”
Helena fell silent for a long moment as she absorbed this new information. Her thoughts wandered back to the last time she had seen Broderic and Ian. They had been on their way to Glencoe to meet with Alexander. She had simply assumed it was their first and only meeting.
There is so much I dinnae ken. It’s honestly embarrassing that Alice kens so much when I had kenned so little of the truth. About me family, about this war—all of it.
She sighed, deflating as she considered how sheltered she had been.
“Now, now, this is supposed to be a happy day for ye and me braither,” Alice piped up, rubbing her shoulders comfortingly with a genuine smile. “With this union, we can all finally put this senseless thing behind us and look to the future.”
Drawn by her welcoming nature, Helena returned her smile and drew her into a hug. Perhaps she could make a new life here after all, despite marrying her brother’s murderer. However, she was even more confused as to why her brother had died in the first place if he and the Laird were friends.
Why would ye kill someone ye considered a friend, Laird MacAllister?
CHAPTER SIX
“There we are, lass,” Margaret spoke curtly, looking her over closely.
Once Margaret and Alice finished fidgeting with her dress, her hair, and her jewelry, Helena was deemed ready.
“Thank ye,” she said quietly as Margaret led her out of her room.
They descended the stairs to the main hall, with Alice preceding her and Margaret following her, ensuring that the short train of her dress did not snag on anything.
“Ye look beautiful.” Alice smiled at her as they reached the last step.
The hall had been prepared for the feast to follow the ceremony. Flowered decorations matching those that Helena had seen from her window brought color to the otherwise earth-hued room. Asmall area in the corner had been set aside for musicians. The bards were gathered there, tuning their instruments.
“Thishall is beautiful,” Helena returned, and Alice’s smile widened.
