"Why isevery so afraid of the Laird?" Izzy blurted as she glanced at the castle to see servants staring out the windows. Each one sharing the same baffled and pitiful expression.
"What makesye think that the people daenae like the laird?" Ryan asked. His voice was even and unaffected by her question, yet, even in his stoic nature, there was a secret she felt he was hiding.
Izzy chewed her lower lip.There was no way she was going to rat out the servants who were kind enough to offer to smuggle her out, but if she told the man at arms of such things, surely they'd be punished.
"Just a feelingI get when I'm around the staff. They all seem to shift the moment the Laird's name is mentioned or when he comes around."
"Areye sure ye're nae just seein' respect and loyalty?" Ryan asked as they made their way down the bumpy road. "After all, yer in Scotland now, and we tend to be a bit more traditional in certain matters."
Izzy shookher head and let her attention shift to the trees. The morning dew clung to the field like a blanket as they passed by the wildflowers and wheat. Izzy's heart fluttered "It's not respect and loyalty. More like fear and worry. What is it that you're not telling me?"
"Whatever questionsye have about the Laird, best ask him yerself. I'll nae betray me master and put me position in jeopardy to satisfy yer curiosity."
"I wasn't askingyou to betray anyone," Izzy argued as the forest gave way to a large green field with a rock wall surrounding the plot of land. "Just wondering why everyone thinks of him as a monster."
"If I recall,ye once used that very name against him too, did ye nae?" Ryan asked with a knowing smirk that made Izzy uncomfortable. Was there anything the Laird didn't share with his man at arms?
"You're right,"Izzy mumbled. "I called him that once."
"And what?Now ye've seen the error of yer ways and see him as worthy of yer time; is that it?" Ryan asked, his tone far more mocking than Izzy had liked. She shook her head, trying not to get offended by the snarkiness of his tone.
"I doubt the Laird is a saint,"Izzy countered as guilt pricked her. She too had once thought of him as nothing more than a brute. But after yesterday, it seemed there was more to Aaron than met the eye. He wasn't mean or ruthless. By her account, she couldn't even call him a tyrant. He was too protective of her, too kind and far too patient to be anything more than a man looking to marry for convenience. "I called him such a name out of fear. He'd killed before my own eyes."
"From what I heard,it was to protect ye," Ryan said.
"And I'm notproud of saying such things, but unlike you, I've never been around such violence or so much blood. But surely the scars play a part in what people think, don't they? Is that why everyone sees him as a monster?"
"Ye've got questions,so ask the Laird. Gettin' yer answers from the horse's mouth is better than listenin' to the rumors that spread like wildfire."
The carriage cameto a stop as did Izzy's heart. Her palms felt clammy and wet as the carriage door opened. Out of all the ways Izzy had envisioned her wedding, she never thought it would be like this. Steeling herself to her fate, she stepped out of the carriage. Ryan offered his arm. Izzy slipped hers into his and started for the door.
Every nervein her body tingled as they moved closer to the church doors. Doom seemed to settle on her shoulders as the bells rang through the countryside announcing the celebration. But what was there to celebrate? Was it the fact that she was about to be tied to a man she barely knew? Tears pooled in her eyes, but there was no way she was going to let them loose. She'd get through this moment, somehow, someway.
Ryan pausedat the steps of the church. Izzy swallowed the lump of uncertainty clogging her throat. For just a split second, Izzy allowed herself to wonder what it would be like to flee. She'd run for the coast and jump on the first ship willing to take her away. But then what would she do?
It wasn't likeshe could go home. Her family would no doubt just send her right back here to fulfill her obligations. She pressed her lips into a tight line and glanced at Ryan. He arched his bushy eyebrow and took the first step. The question in his eyes made Izzy nervous. It was clear he was plotting his next move based on what she did.
"Are ye comin'?"he asked. "Because quite frankly, I daenae want to have to go chasin' after ye. But if ye're thinkin' of boltin', I can tell ye right now, ye willnae get far."
Izzy shookher head and pulled in a long breath to calm her frazzled nerves. Despite the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks, she remained in place.
"I'm not goingto run if that's what you're hoping for. My family would be ruined. I can't, I won't do that to them."
"I've got to say,that's rather admirable. I dinnae think ye had it in ye. Well, if that's the case, then let's get this over with," Ryan said at the ringing of the bells. Izzy stared at the door for a moment, trying to will her legs to move. Yet, no matter what command she gave them, Izzy didn't budge.
"You wouldn't happento know who all is in there, would you?" Izzy asked as panic settled in her heels, planting her to the spot.
"And who exactly are ye hopin'to see in there?" Ryan asked as he arched a suspicious eyebrow. Izzy glanced to the stone steps and let out a remorseful sigh.
"I was wonderingif my family had shown or if they were even invited," she whispered as her chest tightened. She wasn't certain she really wanted to know the answer to her inquiry.
"Cannae say,"he answered. "Me task was to bring ye to the kirk, and so I have. Who was on the invite list would be somethin'—"
"I'll haveto ask the Laird about, right?" she interrupted. Ryan flashed her a wry smile and knocked on the kirk doors. The oak doors of the kirk moaned in protest as they parted for her. Izzy's heart fluttered wildly as she stepped into the dimly lit room. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but as she blinked, the room became clearer, and to her humiliation, no one but Aaron was there to greet her.
