“But it does matter. Everyone has a preference when it comes to their spouse’s physique,” his mother insisted. “Judging by her demeanor, I daenae think she is verra pleased with her fair-haired fiancé.”
“And ye came to the conclusion simply by looking at her face?”
“Aye. It is obvious to anyone who kens her that she is unhappy.”
“But she is smiling, Maither,” Darragh pointed out, a hint of incredulity in his voice.
“Well, she does have a crinkle around her mouth that tells ye she is grinding her teeth.”
This conversation was ridiculous at best, but his mother was right. Talia did have a crinkle around her mouth, one that appeared whenever she was vexed or irritated. She definitelywas not happy, but he was sure it had very little to do with her husband’s hair color.
“Well, she chose him, so she has to live with her choice.”
“Well, she wouldnae have made such a choice if ye had given her a better one. Ye are the cause of her misery,” his mother said quietly.
Darragh whirled to her with wide eyes, shocked. The last thing he would ever do was cause Talia pain.
“How so? I made sure she had the best suitors in all of Scotland. I made sure she had thebest.”
“Aye, ye did,” his mother acknowledged. “But ye left out the one suitor she wanted.”
“Who might this perfect suitor be?” he asked.
“Ye, silly boy,” she said with a laugh.
“I didnae realize I was a suitor.”
“Why? Ye are unmarried, ye come from a reputable family, and ye are in yer prime. Is that nae the criteria ye used to choose her other suitors? I would even venture to say that ye have a better chance, since ye have something they daenae.”
“And what might that be?” he asked in a whisper.
“Well, love. Ye love her, and she loves ye.”
“But I am nae good for her.”
“Well, the lady in question is a grown woman. I think she can decide what is best for her,” she argued. “One more thing, Darragh. I would hate for ye to throw away such a gift. Nae many of us had the chance to find a love match. It is a gift that life doesnae usually grant twice. It will be such a shame if ye lost this opportunity because of some flimsy reason.”
With that, she left him alone.
Apparently, she was done poking and cutting him open and forcing him to examine his thoughts and decision in order to make a clear decision. That hard look just exposed how foolish he had been, almost losing the greatest joy of his life because of a fear that seemed so silly now.
Now that fear did not compare to the one he felt at the thought that he might lose Talia forever.
Looking around, he noticed that the party was just stirring to life. At least he was not too late to stop his foolishness from destroying his life.
21
Darragh tapped a spoon against his glass, inwardly wincing at the grating sound. Guests turned to watch him with unabashed interest.
It seemed that his initial plan not to cause a scene was now moot because what he was about to do would serve as fodder for gossip for a very long time. But he did not care, not when this was the only way he could recover and breathe properly for probably the first time in a very long while.
It was a little jarring, being vulnerable in front of a large group of people, but it was time that he pulled off the jacket of ice and showed the bleeding heart within. He was willing to go through even worse if it meant he had a better chance of winning back the most important thing in his life.
“Me clansmen, our guests from far and wide, welcome. I am most grateful for yer presence. It is me delight that ye honored our invitation. I ken ye have hoped to see a betrothal between meuncle’s ward and Laird Alan, but I regret to tell ye that it will nay longer hold.”
A wave of murmurs rippled through the guests. When he turned to look at Talia, her face was red with anger, her eyes blazing. If she had the power, she would have incinerated him with the force of her glare alone.
Laird Alan just stared at him with a confused frown, not an expression one would expect from a man who was about to witness the end of his betrothal.
