Laird McGuire, the beastly man that most in the region fears, was now to be my husband?
CHAPTER TWO
“Look at me, Ari,” Hugh said. He turned, guilt written plain on his face. “I should’ve stopped this, should’ve found a way to shield ye from it.”
Arianna reached across and touched his arm gently. “It isnae yer fault,” she said softly. “Ye did all ye could.”
The carriage rocked along the rutted road, its wheels groaning as the countryside slid past the small window. Arianna watched hills roll into forests, heather bending beneath the wind while stone cottages and grazing sheep dotted the land. A river flashed silver in the distance, winding like a living thing through the valley. This was the land as she had always known it, wild and beautiful, and she wondered when it would cease to feel like home.
Inside the carriage sat her family, close enough that their knees nearly touched. Her mother’s hands twisted in her lap, her eyes red-rimmed and shining with unshed tears.
Hugh stared straight ahead, jaw clenched, while Marcus shifted restlessly beside him. The air felt heavy, thick with words none of them wished to say.
This marriage isnae only loss but purpose, a bridge between clans that would bring strength and gold to me people. If I must be given, then let it mean something.
Her mother suddenly grasped her hand, fingers trembling as they tightened.
“I daenae want to part with ye,” Eilidh said, her voice breaking. “Ye’re me heart, Arianna, and I cannae bear to leave ye in a stranger’s keep.”
Arianna squeezed back, forcing a small, steady smile. “I daenae want to part with ye either,” she said, “but I must do me duty.”
Eilidh’s tears spilled then, silent and unrestrained. Arianna leaned closer, resting her head against her mother’s shoulder.
“I’ll be well,” she murmured, though she did not know if it was true. She stroked her mother’s hand, offering comfort she herself sorely needed.
Marcus cleared his throat, breaking the moment. “Ye must write to me,” he said firmly, meeting Arianna’s eyes. “Often.” His expression darkened. “And if this Laird McGuire mistreats ye in any way, ye tell us at once.”
Arianna blinked, startled. “Mistreat me?” she asked. “Is he known for such things?”
Marcus nodded once. “Aye,” he said. “He’s a beast of a man, scarred by war and undefeated in battle.”
The words settled cold in her chest, and Arianna felt the carriage lurch as though the road itself had shifted. She folded her hands together to keep them from shaking. She knew of the stories about the man, but she didn't think that it meant he treated his close relations with the same hostility he showed in battle.
Hugh shot Marcus a sharp look. “That’s enough,” he said.
But Arianna lifted her chin. “Nay,” she replied quietly. “I should ken what awaits me.” She looked back out the window as the distant shape of Castle McGuire began to rise on the horizon.
Whatever waited beyond its walls, she would meet it with open eyes and unbroken resolve.
The carriage slowed, and Arianna leaned forward as Castle McGuire rose before her, stealing the breath from her lungs. It stood vast and commanding, its stone walls climbing high with towers that caught the pale light like watchful sentinels. The gate alone dwarfed anything she had known, iron-bound and carved with sigils worn smooth by time. She felt suddenly small, as though she had stepped into a story older and far sterner than her own.
“Oh my,” she murmured to herself.
Beyond the walls stretched gardens unlike any she had seen, wide and carefully tended despite their scale. Box hedges traced clean lines beside gravel paths, and winter-bare trees stood patient and proud. A river cut through the grounds, its dark water moving swift and sure, bridged by pale stone arches. The sound of it reached her even from the carriage, steady and alive.
The castle itself loomed above it all, layered with battlements and narrow windows like unblinking eyes. Smoke curled from multiple chimneys, proof of life and warmth within those unforgiving walls. Banners bearing the McGuire colors snapped sharply in the wind, bold and unapologetic. Arianna swallowed, awe tangled tight with unease.
“It is certainly a sight,” Marcus said.
“Aye, a place of riches taken by the hands of a long line of cruel Lairds,” Hugh said.
Her gaze drifted past the towers to the mountains rising behind the castle, dark and rugged against the sky. They stood untamed and distant, their peaks dusted pale, promising both danger and freedom. A strange longing stirred in her as she studied them. She wondered if one day she might walk those slopes and breathe without the weight of duty pressing her ribs.
For now, the castle called her forward, and the future waited within its walls. Arianna squared her shoulders and drew asteady breath. Whatever life awaited her here, she would meet it with quiet strength.
The carriage ground to a halt in the vast courtyard of Castle McGuire, its wheels groaning against the cobbled stones. Arianna’s heart beat fast as her brothers reached down, steadying her as she stepped onto the uneven ground. The chill wind whipped through the open space, ruffling her skirts, and she took in the towering walls, banners snapping above the great gate. The castle felt alive and watchful, and her stomach tightened with anticipation and dread.
A young woman approached quickly, her posture straight and careful, and Arianna noticed the way her boots tapped softly against the stones.
