Page 31 of It’s in his Highland Kiss

“Aye, I ken, thanks, faither,” Eiric said, rolling his eyes at the other man. His father had never liked the idea of Marion being there, in the castle, or in Scotland really. He had voiced his concerns and objections several times, and Eiric had stopped trying to convince him otherwise. “She willna like that. She willna want to leave. Do ye ken what she told me? She said she wants to fight for Scotland!”

That seemed to get his father’s attention, and he gave a thoughtful hum, nodding his head. “Good lass,” he said, the first time that he had given Marion any sort of compliment. “But I canna let her do that. She’ll be killed before she kens it.”

“Perhaps if it comes from yer mouth, she’ll listen,” Eiric said. “She doesna listen to me.”

“Ach, Eiric, I have me own things to do,” his Father said, which only meant that he didn’t want to deal with whatever argument would arise by telling Marion to leave for England. “I’m sure she’ll listen to ye, and if she doesna, have yer maither talk to her. She seems to ken how to handle the lass.”

That was true, Eiric thought. Perhaps his mother would make her see reason. Then again, he worried that maybe his mother wouldn’t agree with him and his father. What if she thought it would be best to keep Marion in Scotland, where she could be near her? What if she thought that Eiric and his father were overreacting?

He was certain that they weren’t. How could they be overreacting when there was a war coming? Eiric had seen the effects of war, and so had his father, but they both knew it would be different this time. There had been no battle in their lifetimes that was as fierce and bloody as the battle to come. People would die, many more than Eiric could count, and he didn’t want Marion to be one of them.

“Isna it time for her to go back, regardless?” his father asked, and it was in that moment that Eiric remembered he hadn’t told his father about the offer he had made to Marion. As far as his father was concerned, she was supposed to return home at the six-month mark.

“Right,” Eiric said, instead of telling his father the truth. What good would it do, telling him about his promise? Marion would return to England, and his father would be none the wiser.

Better than listenin’ to him yellin’ at me about it.

“Weel, go on, then,” his father said, making a shooing motion with his hand. “Go and do whatever it is that ye do in this castle.”

“Ye ken what I do in this castle, Faither,” Eiric said. “I take care of everythin’ that ye dinna want to do.”

His father gave him the kind of look that made Eiric fear he would launch his pen at him, and so he gave him a cheeky smile before turning around and leaving his study. For a moment, he considered searching for his mother and asking for her help in convincing Marion to leave Scotland, but before he even had a chance to consider where his Mother could be, Edan caught up with him.

He looked as though he had been running, sweat gathered on his forehead as he panted, trying to catch his breath.

“I’ve been lookin’ for ye up and down this castle!” Edan said. “Listen, ye have to go to the MacAuley clan.”

“The MacAuley clan?” Eiric asked, a small frown forming on his brows. “What for?”

“They say Laird MacAuley has changed his mind about the cause,” Edan said, much to Eiric’s frustration. It hadn’t been long since Eiric himself had made the deal with the laird that their clan would contribute to the war. “I dinna ken much about it, that’s all the messenger said, but he was verra clear that Laird MacAuley wants nothin’ to do with the war.”

“One setback after the other,” Eiric said with a sigh, his hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “I dinna ken how we’re supposed to fight this war if everyone keeps backin’ out of their promises.”

“I’m sure ye can convince them to fight,” Edan said, and his tone was so full of hope that Eiric couldn’t help but feel bad.

What if he couldn’t convince them? They couldn’t afford to lose the help of an entire clan. They had hundreds of men, and Eiric had been counting on their support.

“Perhaps me faither himself should go,” Eiric suggested. “Perhaps they should speak together, laird to laird.”

“If ye think so,” Edan said. “But ye’re the one who sealed the deal in the first place.”

“Aye, and what good did that do? Noo the MacAuleys dinna want to fight.”

“I’m only sayin’, their laird seems to listen to ye.”

That much was true, Eiric knew. Laird MacAuley liked him, it seemed, and he even had his eyes set on him for one of his daughters. Surely, he would want to keep Eiric happy, and he could only do so by giving him the men that he needed.

Eiric would make sure to flatter his daughters, even though he had no real intention of marrying any of them.

“Aye, alright,” he said. “Alright. I’ll go first thing in the mornin’. I have some other business to take care of first.”

“Is that what we call it noo?” Edan asked, and Eiric immediately hated that smile on his face. He had seen it many times before, that teasing, sly smile, and he knew precisely what it meant. “We all ken what that business is.”

“Ach, do ye?” Eiric asked. “Because I dinna think ye do.”

“It’s Marion, of course,” Edan said. “Why else would ye be in such a hurry?”

“Aye, it’s Marion,” Eiric confessed. “I must tell her that she’ll be going back to England.”