He had the good grace to look a little taken aback at her bold tone. “Aye. I cannae deny I have refused the Laird Keneth’s suit. Ye must understand…”
“No, me laird,” Selene said coldly. “I do not understand. You have not so much as considered my opinion in this matter. You have not asked if I wish to wed this man, yet you make up your mind to forbid my heart’s desire.”
“I willnae give permission,” he said flatly. “I dae this because I care,” Halvard continued. “Because yer association with MacDonald puts ye in danger.”
She rose up to her full height then, and narrowed her eyes. “Laird Kenneth will protect me.”
Halvard shook his head. “Men like Aidan thrive on weakness. And love makes us careless.”
She shook her head at this and looked him in the eye. “I am not afraid of Aidan MacLeay, Halvard. And I don’t believe Kenneth is afraid of the man. Is it you who fear him?”
Kenneth watched this exchange, marveling at Selene’s boldness. He had quietly accepted Halvard’s earlier disapproval, hoping that he would change his mind when he came to recognizetheir sincerity. A smile quirked his lips as Selene continued, implacable in her indignant confrontation of her brother-in-law.
“I am not a bargaining chip,” she said. “I am of age and in Scotland I may wed if I wish, without the permission of my family. You are not responsible for me, Halvard. It was your blessing we wished for, not your permission.”
Halvard’s gaze softened – only a fraction – as he looked at her. “I ken that is so. I wish tae persuade ye both from marriage because of me concern fer ye. I wish only fer yer happiness.” He paused, gazing deep into the fire as if seeking an answer there, before turning back to address them again. “I fear yer marriage will put ye both deeper intae harm’s way.”
Kenneth placed an arm at Selene’s waist. “I understand yer concern, Halvard. Yet the die is cast. I believe Aidan wishes tae destroy what is dearest tae me.” His eyes lingered on Selene standing beside him. “We love each other and it is our love fer each other, nae the marriage, that puts us in harm’s way.” He shook his head, defiantly. “Even if we are nae together, that is something I cannae give up, fer Selene is part of me now.”
Selene turned her grey-blue gaze to Kenneth. “My love for Kenneth only makes me stronger.”
Halvard sucked in a noisy breath. Clearly, this was almost as difficult for him as it was for Kenneth and Selene. Frowning deeply, he raised a hand and ruffled his fair hair with long, worried fingers.
“Let us sleep on it. We may speak again on the morrow before ye take yer leave, MacDonald.”
With that, he swiveled and marched to the door, departing without any further comment.
Kenneth folded Selene into his embrace, planting soft kisses in her hair as she clung to him. It was some time before either of them spoke.
It was then that Elsie bounced in, seeming not at all concerned at seeing them locked in each other’s arms.
Kenneth turned, his heart aching at the thought of leaving Selene in the morning as he set sail for Duntulm.
“Goodnight tae ye both.” He walked to the door and made his way back to his chamber with heavy steps and an equally heavy heart.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The castle lay wrapped in an uneasy silence, the kind that followed days of strained politeness and heart-rending refusals. Selene waited in her bedchamber until the last echoes of movement had faded and she dared to slip out into the passageway.
Barefoot, she moved slowly, her discarded slippers tucked under her arm. The stone beneath her feet was bitterly cold, sending shivers up her legs, but she welcomed the bite of it. It kept her sharp. Awake. Focused.
Her heart pounded so fiercely she feared the sound might give her away.
She had only the vaguest notion of where Kenneth’s chamber was located, only that it was on the floor below hers and not far from the stairs. Perhaps if she pressed her ear to the doors she could discern which was his.
She had never done anything quite like that before. Never crept through shadowed corridors in the dead of night, never had she defied the rules she was expected to abide by with such deliberate intent. Of course, there’d been one time – it seemed a lifetime ago now – when hunger had driven her to the kitchen at Castle Duntulm in the dead of night. But that was quite different. There was nothingreallyunladylike in seeking a little something from the kitchen.
She smiled, recalling the wicked way Kenneth had frightened her half to death with his tales of the ghost of a woman stalking the castle, searching for her lost love.
She could be that ghostly woman now, seeking the solace of Kenneth’s presence and his strong arms surrounding her.
The thought of remaining in her chamber – knowing Kenneth was somewhere else in the castle, just as restless, just as unable to sleep – was quite intolerable.
Now she was setting forth on another midnight ramble. Only now her hunger was not for supper, but for Kenneth.
A treacherous voice whispered that this might be their last night. Her heart twisted. No matter what, she knew he must leave. He could spare no further time away from his own lands.
He would sail tomorrow for Skye.
