Alexander had been close to his father, not merely because he was his heir but because he had admired the man. He had desired nothing more than to create a legacy his father would be proud of when his time to lead the clan came.
He thought he had been well on the path to such a legacy when he had brought the lass here to wed her. Now, he wondered if it was all in vain.
Had he not accepted her proposal, he would have missed out on the one opportunity to stop the war. He would have failed in his duty to his clan. Any opportunity to end this war was his responsibility to pursue.
The men who had attacked them outside the village had been wearing her clan colors. Helena had not remarked on it, but she would have had to be blind not to notice their kilt colors. Which he knew very well she was not. Naive she may be, but she was not blind.
Halfway up the stairs, Helena was stopped by the red-haired maid, Felicia. The maid was wearing the same scowl she had worn on her wedding day.
She unceremoniously thrust a letter into her hands and retreated without a single word.
“Thank ye,” Helena stammered as the girl disappeared, her voice echoing down the stone stairway.
The only response was the clicking of the maid’s shoes as she descended the stairwell to the ground floor.
Well, that was odd. Perhaps that girl isnae right in the head after losin’ her entire family?
Remorse filled Helena as she considered the redhead’s situation.Leaning against the wall, with that somber thought in mind, she examined the letter, noticing that the wax seal had already been broken.
Apparently, Alexander doesnae trust me either. He is havin’ me letters read.
She unfolded the letter and quickly read its contents.
Dearest niece,
With your father’s permission, I will be arriving in three days with a small escort. He is not happy with your decision to run away and marry. Though I look forward to witnessing your infatuation with each other, as per the note you left behind. I expect that he is providing for you as the lady of the clan.
All my love,
Sophia Fraser.
Helena needed to speak with Alexander right away. A wave of panic washed over her. He had never had the pleasure of meeting Sophia Fraser—he had no idea the hell that she could unleash.
As much as Helena loved her, she knew her aunt could make a world of trouble for them if she thought for even a moment that Helena was unhappy or not being cared for.
I need to warn Alexander. If I cannae get him to play along, she will never leave. Or worse, she’ll tell Faither that I need to be rescued.
Worry coursed through her, creating a sense of urgency.
Descending the stairs quickly, she wasn’t paying full attention to her surroundings and ran straight into Alexander on the bottom step. Her weight did her no favors, as she bounced off his chest with ahumph. The man was as hard as a stone wall.
“Lass, what’s gotten into ye today? Runnin’, runnin’—ye’re always runnin’,” he joked, steadying her with his hands so that she didn’t trip back up the stairs.
“Sofia—Aunt Sofia—she’ll be here in three days,” she blurted, excited and panicked at the same time, waving the letter in his face. “She’ll ken that things arenae as I said. She has a keen sense like a hound. We have to convince her that all is happy and well. That we”—she lowered her voice to a whisper—“that our marriage was consummated.”
A wicked grin spread across his face as he leaned against the wall, folding his arms over his chest with a light laugh. She looked at him, completely confused as to why and how he found this matter amusing.
“Well then, I guess ye’ll have to get over yer aversion to me touch.”
“I dinnae have an aversion to yer touch.” She took a step back when he pushed off the wall and stepped closer to her. “Well, nae exactly. It’s just… new.”
“Perhaps we should practice, then.” He advanced on her as if to wrap an arm around her waist.
Using both hands, she pushed against his arm, frustrated with his lack of seriousness.
“Nay, I think nae, especially nae here for all to see,” she protested. “This isnae a joke.”
“Oh, come now, lass. Let them see.” His grin turned taunting. “That would be convincing, would it nae?”
