Page 143 of Claimed Highland Brides

“What do ye no ken, Miss Douglass? That I wish to marry ye?”

She snatched her hand away from his, flailing a bit. “If it is a bride ye want, ye can have anyone⁠—”

“Aye. So? Does tha’ mean ye’ll have me?”

That simply added to her bewilderment. “Why?”

Barclay laughed. “Because I am in need of a wife, and ye are in need of a husband that wants ye.”

“I am not in need! I am quite happy to die a spinster!”

“Ye dinnae have to. Will ye no’ help me?”

That brought Aileen up short. This was not just about her. Barclay needed a bride. For some strange reason, he had decided to ask her of all people, despite the fact that both Fenella and Maisie were both still available.

“Why not ask one of the twins?”

Barclay grinned. “For one thing, judging from how much they were raving aboot them, I think my cousins might have their eye on them. For another, I dinnae want them. I want ye.”

“But…why me?”

“Because…yer words sustained me for years. Because ye’re kind and loving. Because ye care.”

“Because I’m here?”

“God has put ye in my path at the right time. Who am I to question it?”

Despite her declaration earlier that she was content to be a spinster, Aileen was still disappointed at his words.

It would have been nice to have been more than just a conveniently available body.

Why can no one want me for me?

She gave a wistful sigh, looking away from him.

“Aileen?”

She looked back at him.

“Will ye marry me?”