Page 32 of The Highland Heir

“Which one do you find more handsome?” Jennyasked sometime later.

“One of them doesn’t count. Kieran is only afriend.” Or he had been. Ella had found Arran handsome indeed. Infact, on looks alone, one might argue Arran was the more handsomeof the two. Kieran’s black hair was rather long and a bit shaggy.While Arran kept his golden-brown hair trimmed to curl invitinglyat his ears.

Arran’s voice was not so deep, and his wordswere full of flattery.

But it was Kieran who made her heartflutter.

“I wouldn’t be so sure that Kieran is only afriend. I saw the way he watched you while you flirted withArran.”

“I wasn’t flirting. I don’t even know how togo about such a thing.” Except she had seemed flirtatious. Perhapsit was a skill that came out only when faced with a man who flirtedwith her. Arran had flirted. He’d been intriguing. And mayhap mostimportant, he wasn’t promised to marry someone else.

He had a warm smile and an infectious laugh.It would not be a hardship to grow old listening to that laugh.

“And even if I was, by some chance, flirtingwith Arran, Kieran wouldn’t care. He is betrothed.”

Jenny tilted her head. “Some men are notcontent with one lass.”

Ella laughed. “I can assure you, Kieran wouldnever betray his vows.”

“Ah, maybe not, but he’s not spoken any vowsyet, has he?”

Ella thought of the day before, when he’dbought her flowers, and let out a sigh. It wouldn’t do to wantKieran as more than a friend, for he was not to be hers.

“Arran was charming, and more importantly, heis available,” Ella spoke her earlier thoughts aloud. Maybe morefor herself than her aunt.

“Maybe so, but I know well enough that onecannot simply make do with the one that is available.”

Ella tilted her head, taking in the sadnessthat came over her aunt’s expression.

“What happened, aunt?” Ella asked, knowingeasily her aunt was remembering something unsettling.

“It was a long time ago. I was even youngerthan you. I thought myself in love with a man who was visitingBalnagown. My father was laird, and while I was the third daughter,I would still have been considered an honorable match. I fellvictim to his charms immediately. No one had ever looked at me theway he did. I gave him my heart, among other things.”

She frowned, and Ella’s hands clenched intofists, wanting to seek vengeance on this man who took Jenny’svirtue and left her brokenhearted.

“My father didn’t allow us in the hall, so Iknew nothing of clan business or why Roger was visiting. It wasn’tuntil the wedding was being planned that I learned Roger was theMacKinnon laird and had come to marry my eldest sister.”

Ella gasped in surprise.

“Did Aunt Helen know what he did?”

Jenny shook her head. “Nay. It wouldn’t havedone her any good for her to know. Helen had no choice but to marryhim. She was just as enamored by his charms as I was, and it wouldonly hurt her to know he’d used me. It wasn’t until Roger and Helenleft that Rachel, my next older sister, told me he had seduced heras well.”

“Good Lord, that rotten bastard.”

“It’s the way of men in power. They alwaysget what they want. My own father was much the same. It is thereason Teague left. Your mother was lovely, and he worried one ofhis brothers or some lord who visited would claim her as hisown.”

“And his father would have allowed theirmarriage to be put aside because my da was not titled.”

Jenny smiled sadly and nodded.

“William’s second wife has given him threefine sons, and he is a good laird. He’s not like my father. He’dnever force anyone to marry.”

Jenny looked away, the sadness back in hereyes, and Ella couldn’t help herself.

“Roger was not worthy of this heartache. Evenif you loved him, he doesn’t deserve to take up so much of yourtime.”

Jenny smiled and shook her head.