Just as he was about to take up another cup of ale, the guards assigned to her chamber door appeared at the entrance of the great hall. Behind them stood Father Michael and Leah. A head taller than most men, Alex still strained to catch sight of his bride through the throng. When the guards finally stepped aside, a lass handed Leah a bouquet of flowers, and Father Michael took up his position at the front of the room.
Alex couldna breathe after he spotted Keely in the gown he’d carefully chosen. The soft material clung to her curves, the ruby necklace sparkled in the torchlight at her throat, and the red stones in the combs she wore in her unbound, waist-length hair captivated him. Everything about her made him wild and dangerous. But nothing pleased him more than the idea that she was about to be bound to him by the holiest of oaths in front of enough witnesses that she could never challenge the validity of their marriage. The little bird had been caught and her wings clipped.
Father Michael silenced the musicians, and Alex strutted across the room, full of pride and confidence. He stopped in front of the priest. The crowd parted to let Leah and Keely closer.
“Harlot!” someone screamed.
“Stop this unholy alliance,” another called.
“Ye canna marry yer brother’s wife!”
Madness unraveled inside Alex, and he drew his sword. He’d silence their contemptuous tongues forever. Angus’s death hadn’t served as a strong enough deterrent. There was plenty of room on the outer wall for more pikes and heads.
The agitators had gained access to the great hall through the main doors. And as Alex got closer, he recognized several of the men—Angus’s supporters.
Mathe and Jamie were at his side, clearing a path through the crowd.
“We demand justice!” the obvious leader said. “Come back to Christ, Laird Alex, pick a chaste wife from among our daughters.”
“Shut yer bloody mouth, Levi,” Alex spat as he bludgeoned the man with the hilt of his sword.
Levi stumbled backward, his brow bleeding profusely. “I am unarmed, but unafraid to die for what is right.”
Alex handed his weapon to Jamie. “And now I am unarmed.”
Blood blurred Levy’s vision, but he dinna relent. “That woman…” he pointed at Keely who had made her way to the doors. “Is an abomination. A witch. She is responsible for Laird John’s death.”
Alex growled like an animal and lunged. He knocked Levi off his feet and they rolled, Alex landing on top of him. Straddling his chest, he’d give the naysayer one chance to take back his words.
“Ye have a death wish?” Alex asked.
“I have the truth.” Levi spat in his face, which unleashed Alex’s rage.
He punched him repeatedly—crushing his nose and breaking his jaw. “Marbhphaisg ort!” Alex would gladly provide Levi’s death shroud.
“Alex!” Jamie tried to pull him off Levi.
But Alex wouldna stop.
“Laird Alex, the man is half dead already,” Father Michael admonished. “Please, for the sake of yer bride, show restraint.”
As he raised his fist, Keely’s tiny hand covered his. “Alex.”
He gazed up at her, sure he looked like a berserker covered in his enemy’s blood.
“Ye have defended my honor. Let Jamie deal with him now.”
Something about the way she gazed at him, the soft but firm sound of her voice, and the fact that she’d maintained her composure in the face of such violence on her wedding night, allowed him to think clearly again. He’d stop for her and no one else.
Alex slowly stood up.
“Get the bastard out of my sight,” he said.
Jamie signaled for two other guards to assist him.
Once the men were removed, Alex turned his full attention to Keely. She seemed unbelievably calm for what she’d just witnessed. He bowed out of embarrassment for not safeguarding her properly. No woman should be exposed to such violence. “I am sorry for what those men accused ye of, Keely. Are ye all right?”
She dinna say anything for a long moment, but peered across the great hall, taking in the decorations and the finely set high table. “I am unharmed, Alex. But something troubles me more than anything those men could say. Are ye my groom?”
