“I’ll nae allow it,” Eilidh shouted, the words cracking like a whip.
Arianna slowed, heart stirring with unease, and edged closer to the open doorway. Inside, her brothers stood rigid near the hearth, while her mother faced them with fire in her eyes. The air between them felt tight and charged, as though one wrong breath might shatter it. Arianna stayed at the threshold, unseen, listening.
“There's naught that can be done,” Hugh said.
Eilidh stood with her hands braced on the table, her knuckles white. Her hair had slipped loose from its braid, and anger flushed her cheeks. Hugh faced her squarely, arms crossedin stubborn resolve. Neither yielded ground, and the silence between their words pressed heavy.
The library of McDonald Castle was tall and narrow, its shelves heavy with leather-bound volumes and rolled charters tied in twine. A great table sat at the center, scarred by age and use, ink stains dark against the wood where the group convened.
“There’s nae choice left to us,” Marcus added, his voice strained but firm. “The contract’s binding, and ye ken it well.”
Eilidh struck the table with her palm. “I daenae care what ink says on old skin,” she snapped, “I’ll nae send me daughter away like coin to be paid.”
Hugh’s eyes flashed, frustration cutting through his composure. “This is bigger than us, Mother,” he said. “If we break it, Clan McDonald bears the cost.”
Eilidh shook her head fiercely. “I’ll nae let Arianna be the cost,” she replied. “She’s me child, nae a bargain.”
Arianna stepped forward then, the floor creaking beneath her boot. “What’s goin’ on?” she asked.
They turned sharply, startled, as though she had appeared from thin air. Her mother’s anger faltered at once, replaced by alarm.
“Ari,” Eilidh said quickly, “ye were nae meant to hear…”
Hugh exhaled and looked away before meeting his sister’s gaze. “Ye should ken,” he said quietly.
Arianna’s brow furrowed, dread creeping in like cold water. “What is it?” Arianna asked, clutching her book tighter.
Hugh’s voice was flat when he spoke again. “Ye’re to be married in two weeks’ time,” he said.
Arianna stared at him, uncomprehending.
“Married?” she echoed, a breathless laugh escaping her. “What nonsense is this?” Her eyes moved between them, seeking sense. “Why would ye even say such a thing?”
Hugh swallowed before continuing. “A messenger came from Clan McGuire,” he said. “Our uncle, gods curse him, signed a contract years past.”
Eilidh turned away, her shoulders stiff, as though the words pained her.
“He took a loan,” Hugh went on, “and pledged repayment in blood or bond.”
Arianna felt the room tilt. “What does that mean?” she asked, her voice barely steady.
“It means a lass of the immediate family must marry into the McGuires,” Marcus said. “And that lass is ye.”
The words struck hard, leaving her breathless. “Who am I to marry?” she asked faintly, though fear already whispered the answer.
Hugh did not soften it. “Ian Bell,” he said. “Laird McGuire.”
Arianna’s grip loosened, and the book slipped from her hands to the floor. The name echoed in her mind, heavy with something dark and unknown. She had heard of the McGuire Laird, spoken of in low voices and half-finished tales. None of them was kind.
Her mother moved toward her at once, hands reaching. “It willnae happen,” Eilidh said fiercely. “I willnae let ye marry this monster. I swear it, Arianna.”
But the certainty Arianna once found in her mother’s voice was gone. Doubt crept in where comfort should have been.
Arianna shook her head slowly, trying to gather her thoughts. “Two weeks,” she murmured, the words foreign on her tongue. Her future, once clear and familiar, cracked apart before her eyes. She felt as though the castle itself had shifted, no longer a home but a cage.
She backed a step, then another, unable to bear the weight of their stares. Her heart pounded, grief and fear tangling tight inher mind. Marriage, exile, duty, all bound together without her consent.
In that moment, Arianna Mullen felt her whole world collapse inward, leaving only silence and the echo of a name she did not wish to know.
