She didn’t have to vanish just because she was getting married to a man known for being the practical devil of the Highlands. She was not going to be fitted into some kind of emotional emptiness as if she ought to thank him for the neatness of it.
She slowed down a little and looked at the two people beside her. The ease of being with them, of beingknownby them, made the truth impossible to ignore.
By the time they turned back toward the upper terrace, something in her had changed. Her shoulders no longer felt drawn tight toward her ears. The frantic inward spinning of the night before had settled, and her words were a bit steadier.
Rory noticed first. “There ye are,” he said softly.
Ava raised an eyebrow. “Where else should I be?”
“Hidden under that temper and lack of sleep.”
“That is still a possibility,” she replied. “But I believe I have a clearer use for both.”
Isobel looked at her closely. “What are ye thinking?”
Ava stopped walking. She drew one breath, then another, and felt no tremor in it.
“I am thinking that yer brother shouldnae be the only one to control this situation,” she began. “If he told me I may set the terms of the wedding, then I am going to do exactly that.”
Isobel blinked. Rory’s expression sharpened with interest, then something like pride.
Ava continued before either could interrupt. “I may nae be able to stop this cleanly. I see that now. But I can refuse to walk into it as though I daenae have control over what I do and where I get to stay in this castle.”
Her father’s mouth curved. “That sounds more like me daughter.”
Ava glanced at him and felt her own answering smile come easier. “I should hope so.”
Isobel searched her face. “Ye mean to speak to him?”
“I do.”
“Today?”
Ava turned toward the path that would lead to the training grounds. The thought of going there sent a wave of unease through her, but it no longer ruled her.
“Today,” she confirmed.
Isobel nodded. “Would ye like me to come with ye? I can just?—”
“Nay,” Ava interrupted, raising her hand.
Isobel frowned. “Ava, ’tis the least I can do before?—”
“Nay, ’tis nae about that,” Ava insisted, her voice sharp. “I will need to talk to him alone at some point, one way or the other. I might as well start getting used to it by now.”
Isobel nodded. “I see. That is wise.”
“Plus, he may nae have enough time to look through the rules before agreeing, since he is training with his men,” Ava pointed out.
Rory and Isobel both nodded at the same time, almost as if what she had just said was the most sensible thing in the world. As if she had gotten the entire situation under control and nothing else could go wrong.
Ava, on the other hand, exhaled and turned around, her eyes landing on the training grounds. And this time, when she started walking, it was with purpose.
CHAPTER 6
Ava heardthe grunts of men before she reached them. She could hear the sound of steel striking steel in a clean, hard rhythm.
The men moved across the yard sharply, their boots biting dust, their blades flashing in the sun. The whole place smelled of sweat, leather, and churned earth. It should have made her turn back. Instead, it only sharpened the beat of her pulse.
