Page 25 of Highlander’s Dangerous Love

7

September, 1740

Bryce stood in front of the mirror, straightening his tartan kilt and adjusting his sporran. His mother, Catriona, stood behind him, fussing with the fabric of his jacket. They were alone in his bedchamber, getting ready for his betrothal feast. He was excited for the feast, to be sure, but he had not yet spoken to his mother about what he’d seen through the keyhole that day.

Catriona’s fingers hesitated on his jacket, sensing the tension in her son’s body.

“Is something troubling ye, Bryce?” she asked, her voice gentle.

Bryce tried to keep his tone neutral.

“Nay, Mother. Just nerves, I suppose.”

Catriona smiled at him, her eyes crinkling with affection.

“There’s no need tae be nervous, Bryce. Gemma is a wonderful young lass, an’ the two o’ ye make a great match.”

Bryce forced a smile, but he couldn't shake the anger and frustration that burned in his chest. He wanted to confront his mother, to demand answers for her betrayal, but he didn't know how to do it without causing a scene. As she helped him with his attire, Bryce couldn't help but feel a sense of bitterness. How could his mother do this to their family? How could she betray his father's trust like this?

But it was difficult to remain so angry with her. His mother was a kind woman. Even if she had brought disgrace upon the clan, her sense of duty and kindness were hard to ignore.

“How did ye ken that Father was the right one?” he asked suddenly.

“To be honest wi’ ye…it was an arranged marriage. I didnae have much choice in the matter,” she explained.

“Oh,” he said glumly.

“But…love came softly. I kent it was true when I held his hand an’ dinnae feel my heart flutter. Instead, I felt at peace, and safe, like there was no one else I’d rather be with.”

That seemed like very general advice, he thought, but perhaps it was different for women. Women needed to feel safe and protected, and men needed to know their wives were worth protecting. That was the way of the world, was it not?

“How do ye feel when yer with Gemma?” She asked, interrupting his musings.

It took him a moment. Quite honestly, he had not considered these feelings before. Finding a wife while he was still in his prime had been his main objective. Gemma was lovely in every which way, and when he looked at her, he felt as though he were being warmed by the sun after a long bout of rain.

“Victorious,” he finally said.

His mother straightened out his shirt under the tartan.

“An interesting feeling. Be sure ye treat her as well as I ken yer capable of.”

It sounded almost like a warning, and Bryce was a little upset with his mother for implying anything other than duty and affection.

But as the time for the feast drew nearer, Bryce pushed his anger aside. He couldn't let his personal feelings ruin his betrothal celebration. He would deal with his mother's affair another day, when his emotions weren't so raw. So, he took a deep breath and forced a smile, ready to celebrate his betrothal to Gemma, putting his mother's betrayal aside for the time being.

It was infuriatingto Gemma that men insisted on making decisions for the women in their life, even though they were not directly affected by their consequences. One could certainly argue that choosing a husband for one’s daughter would affect the whole family, but at the end of the day, it all fell on the daughter. Gemma especially felt this way. Yes, being intimately connected with the laird’s family would bode well for the Gordons, but she was the one who had to share Bryce’s bed, bear his children, and live at his behest. Her family would still be free to live as they pleased.

But she would be unhappy.

Ever since Colin left, Gemma had not been the same. Where once she’d been a witty conversationalist, quick to laugh, and ready to cheer up anyone who needed it, everything seemed gray and dull to her now. As summer passed into autumn, her grief did not abate.

“Ye ought tae look a bit happier, ye ken. ‘Twill not do tae have ye look so glum this evening,” Muriel counseled as she brushed Gemma’s long dark locks.

“I dinnae want tae go through with this,” Gemma answered sullenly.

“Why not? Bryce is yer friend, an’ I’ve always said that friendship is the best basis for a marriage!”

“Could it not also be its undoing?” Gemma countered.