“I’ll make sure ye’re never in a position where ye have to do that again,” Ava promised, pressing a kiss to her hairline. “As much as I hate to admit it, ye could do a lot worse than Finlay. He’s a good man at the end of the day.”
“Do ye think he’ll keep up his end of the agreement?” Thalia asked.
“Aye. He will.” Ava nodded. “But let me ken if he tries anythin’ funny with ye, and I will take a page out of yer book.”
Thalia blushed, thinking of the teasing and the almost kiss. “Nay. That… shouldnae be a problem.”
CHAPTER 10
Finlay arrived back late.
The full moon was high in the sky. The castle itself lay dark, indicating that everyone was already asleep.
The ride had helped to distract him from his tangled thoughts, but it did not help him come up with any new solutions. The only way forward, it seemed, would be to continue this charade. He only hoped he wasn’t making a terrible mistake.
He made the walk back to his bedchamber, pausing for a moment before his daughter’s door. He opened it gently, peeking in to get a glimpse of her sleeping.
Daisy lay in bed, eyes closed, lips parted, and he felt some of the tension in his shoulders ease. At least, having Thalia here would give her another companion, and Thalia promised she would help her adjust.
He sighed, before continuing his trek back to his room. He didn’t expect to get any sleep tonight. The only reason he had come back at all was that he had run his horse ragged. He still had too many thoughts in his head to be able to calm them all.
When he opened his door, he was surprised to find that his room was not empty. Caden looked up as he entered, rising from where he had been sitting in the corner of the room.
“Should ye nae be with yer wife?” Finlay asked, closing the door behind him.
“I was worried about ye, Braither,” Caden replied.
“If ye’re here to lecture me, at least do me the courtesy of lettin’ me have a drink first,” Finlay joked, making his way to his bedside table where he pulled out a glass and a bottle of whiskey.
“I’m nae here to lecture ye,” Caden said, reaching out his hand.
Finlay poured himself a glass and then handed him the bottle.
Caden took a long sip from the bottle before sighing. “Ava told me ye agreed to a fake betrothal.”
“Aye, I did.”
“Ye ken that her uncle and Laird MacGibbon daenae believe it.”
“Aye, I ken,” Finlay sighed heavily. “But it doesnae matter what they believe. They willnae dare to challenge me.”
“But what if it wasnae fake?” Caden asked.
The question caught Finlay so off guard that he choked on his whiskey. He coughed and wheezed as he stared at his brother, trying to gauge if he was serious.
“Are ye really suggestin’ that I go through with the marriage?” he asked.
Caden held up his hands in surrender. “I’m only remindin’ ye that it wasnae long ago that ye considered marryin’ Ava to help protect her.”
“Aye, and I changed me mind once I realized what a mistake that would have been.”
“While I’m grateful for that,” Caden said, “I’m only tellin’ ye this so ye’d consider it. That’s all.”
Finlay shook his head. “This fake betrothal is more for Daisy’s sake than Thalia’s. She’s the one who sent out that letter. Who kens what she’ll get up to next if I take Thalia away from her?”
Caden nodded. “That wee lassie needs a maither.”
“And ye would have me trap Thalia, then? Ruin her life? Just last night, ye were chastising me for taking her in.”
