And William knew this.
God help him, he knew. His wife knew. Gar’s mother knew. The women in the family knew that Gar was wildly handsome and, in truth, quite gentle toward the opposite sex when he wanted to be, but he had no idea that the way he lived or kept himself was offensive. He was an idiot when it came to sensing a woman’s thoughts or needs. If they said the sky was blue, he would think they meant it was red because all things were redand brutal and harsh in his world. The world of a knight living in a border castle that was always on the alert. Always fighting for its life. Gar wasn’t used to not being in battle mode, every hour of every day, so to relax with his family was difficult for him. To relax and be pleasant around a woman he had just met was even worse.
Mattie de Reyne had no idea what she would be getting in him.
William wasn’t sure how he was going to break it to Gar.
Clean up, lad. Your betrothed is expecting you.
But Gar had to know.
“Now?” Gar finally said, breaking into William’s train of thought. “De Reyne is bringing that up now?”
“Now.”
Gar frowned. “But why?”
William shrugged. “Because the lady is of an age where she should be married,” he said. “There is nothing unusual about that, Gar.”
No, there wasn’t, but Gar wasn’t ready for it. It was written all over his face. “We have only been betrothed eight or nine years and—”
“Nine. Closer to ten, actually.”
“—andsome betrothals go on for many more years,” Gar said, finishing strongly because he didn’t like being interrupted. “Men must become established.”
“You are established.”
William seemed to have an answer for everything, which was driving Gar to desperation. “Poppy, I do not wish to bring a wife to this place,” he said, gesturing to the hall, to Gleann na Fola in general. “This is no place for a woman, especially not now. It is too rough. Too volatile.”
He had a point, but William wasn’t going to let him off so easily. “Mayhap that is true,” he said. “But you said yourself thatthe battle with the Maxwell is finished. Did you not just tell me that?”
Gar had. He silently cursed himself for giving his grandfather ammunition in this argument, but that didn’t matter.
He didn’t want a woman here.
“I did,” he said. “But you know as well as I do that sometimes, battles do not remain finished. Sometimes they flare up. I cannot be worrying about a new wife when I have to worry about the Scots.”
William nodded thoughtfully. “I thought you might say that,” he said. “Therefore, I am sending you five hundred more men in addition to another five hundred that are part of your de Reyne dowry. I will also send Atreus de Norville to you. You will be well fortified with men and knights and can, therefore, afford the time to focus on your new wife.”
“I don’t want to focus on my new wife.”
“You have no choice.”
Gar didn’t know what to say. The man had everything figured out. Trying very hard not to have a tantrum, he looked at his father, who had thus far remained silent throughout the exchange.
“Well?” he said to Troy. “Do you have anything to say about this? Do you agree with him?”
Troy grunted and scratched his head. “Lad,” he said after a moment. “All of the refusals in the world will not change this. When you marry a member of the House of de Reyne, that means we will be linked to the Lords of Hensingham by marriage and then by blood when you have children. That is an extremely valuable alliance and I, for one, see the strength in it. It is a noble calling.”
Gar could see that he’d get no support from his father. “And you agree that I should bring her back here, to this dangerous outpost?”
Troy sighed. “She will be your wife and she will go where you go,” he said. “Women have survived at dangerous castles before. And before you say another word, know this—your mother told me to tell you that if you voice any further objections, thenshewill come here and you will be very, very sorry. Are you willing to risk the wrath of your mother?”
Gar wasn’t. There were a lot of things he could deal with and do so ably, but an angry mother wasn’t one of them. Rhoswyn Kerr de Reyne had been the only child of Red Keith Kerr and he had raised his daughter like a warrior. As his grandfather once told him, Rhoswyn and Troy got into a battle years ago and Rhoswyn defeated him, which led to a marriage. Rhoswyn was as tough as nails, so under no circumstances did Gar want to tangle with her.
Heavily, he sighed.
“Truly, Papa?” he said with displeasure in his tone. “I musttrulymarry this girl?”
