"Now hear me out,"Ryan said as his voice pitched with excitement. "The lass falls for ye; ye make the king happy. Ye squeeze out an heir, and now, ye both are untouchable. Why? Because this is the King's decree, is it nae? The council kens this."
"Aye,"Aaron said as his smirk grew the more Ryan painted the perfect picture of his future.
"So, if somethin'goes awry… then there's an enemy tryin' to go against the King's decree. Ye get the King involved, and all yer enemies cower before ye, and what do ye have?"
"Everythin',except who actually killed me parents," Aaron said rubbing his chin as he mulled over the path before him.
"Then use the weddin'to figure out what ye need to," Ryan suggested. "Get an heir to secure yer future, and then ye'll have all the time ye want to right the wrongs set against ye."
"I daenae ken,"Aaron mumbled as he started pacing once again. "And what happens when all is right in the world and the lass realizes I used her? I cannae do that. I willnae do such a thing."
"The way I see it,"Ryan said, squaring off with Aaron, "ye've got two options here. Ye trail down the path of the family man, or ye use this time to pull some weeds out of yer garden. This is yerlairdship they're tryin' to steal from ye, yer legacy. Ye cannae let them do that."
"Aye,"Aaron agreed strongly as the resolve settled in his bones. "Hell will have to freeze over before anyone takes the lairdship from me."
"Who's plannin'on takin' the lairdship?" Chloe 's voice trailed into the room. Aaron craned his neck to spy around Ryan. Chloe stepped into the room, the concern on her face evident.
Shoving Ryan off,Aaron flashed Chloe a reassuring smile as he approached her. She stepped back as if he were about to snatch her up and carry her off.
"What's goin'on, Aaron?" she whispered as she glanced at Ryan for the answer. Aaron shook his head and let out a hearty chuckle.
"Nothin';all is fine. Why daenae ye go see if the cook has some biscuits?"
"I'm nae five anymore,"Chloe said. "Ye can tell me what is goin' on here. Why are ye talkin' of losin' the lairdship?"
"'Tis nothin'we havenae spoke of before," Aaron answered.
"Yer life was threatened again,wasnae it?" Chloe asked.
"It wasnae so much a threat,"Ryan chimed in. Pursing his lips into a tight line, Aaron shot Ryan a warning glare.
"It's doneand over with, but ye ken they'll keep tryin'," Aaron said.
"Well, I hope ye have a plan,"Chloe said, her voice pitched with worry. Aaron's lip curled at the corner into a mischievous smirk.
"And what makesye think I daenae? I always have a plan. Now, why daenae ye go and see Izzy is welcomed. I'm sure she must be goin' out of her mind with worry."
