Page 9 of The Cursed Highland Bride

Rage flared in her eyes, making their emerald-green hue dance and leap as if possessed. “I am nae cattle tae be bought and sold at market,” she snapped, her face daring anyone around the table to disagree.

For the briefest moment, Dunn feared that Morgan might hit her. The look of outright danger that crossed his face was a warning to all who knew him. Dunn had seen more than a few hardened fighters back down at such a look. Lady Katherine did not. She stood toe to toe with her father as if daring him to act. Then, something changed in his expression, and she took a step back as if suddenly remembering that she feared him. It was an odd exchange. The girl ran from the room as if she were fleeing for her life or someone else’s.

“I dinnae believe that faither and daughter are in agreement about this marriage,” Tor remarked under his breath so that only Dunn would hear him. “Ye might have misjudged the lass being a spy for her faither.”

“Something is nae right here,” Dunn noted quietly. “Either they are acting for our benefit so that she might earn my trust, or they are nae as happy a family as we were led tae believe.”

“It would nae be the first time such a harsh truth was hidden,” Tor mused. “I will slip out quietly and see what I can discover. Watch yerself,” he entreated sincerely. “I dinnae wish tae return tae find yer corpse here upon the table.”

“Then I suggest that ye be swift in yer interrogations, or it might be Morgan who is dead. I dinnae care for the way he looked at her.”

“Ye care for the lass?” Tor asked in surprise.

Dunn shook his head in denial. “Nae, but nae lass should be subject tae a man such as Morgan.”

“On that, we agree.” Nodding his head in understanding, Tor left the hall in search of answers.

Dunn watched him go, then turned to find Morgan’s eyes upon him, gleaming as if in on a private joke that only he knew. Something is nae right here. Nothing is as it seems.

CHAPTER FOUR

Katarina had no idea what to expect when she descended the stairs to the great hall. What she discovered was most certainly not it. Two tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed men, that were so stunningly beautiful she nearly stumbled on the last step, awaited her. They were nearly identical but for minor differences. One had a scar down the side of his face, with his long blonde hair in a braid from the back with the sides shaved. It gave him a dangerous edge that was terrifying yet thrilling. His eyes seemed to bore into hers as if they could see her very soul. The other man wore his hair loose with a small braid near the face. He was more boyish in appearance than the first, with a mischievous light in his eyes that made a person want to smile back.

When Alistair Morgan came over to lead her to the men, Katarina could not help but wonder which one of them would be her husband. She did not have to wait long to find out. “May I present tae ye both my daughter, the Lady Katherine.”

“Lady Katherine,” the more rugged man murmured, bringing her hand to his lips. Katarina’s body prickled as he took her hand in his. A jolt of lightning passed from his lips to her skin, unsettling her further and causing her hand to shake.

“My laird,” Katarina replied, lowering her eyes so that he would not see the guilt and anger she was feeling.

Morgan turned toward Katarina with a warning glare. “Daughter, may I present tae ye yer husband, Laird Dunn Leòideach.” He gestured toward the man who had taken her hand. “And this is his younger brother, Tor.” He waved a hand at the more mischievous looking one.

“My lady,” the one named Tor greeted her. He reached for her hand, but Dunn had not released it.

Katarina attempted to pull it away, but he resisted. Morgan, seeing this, pulled their hands apart and led her over to a wooden table on the raised dais. The one called Dunn came to stand beside her as Morgan motioned for a manservant to come forward with a scroll of paper, an inkwell, and a feather pen.

Laird Leòideach leaned toward Katarina, and she turned to glare at him as a warning to keep his distance. “Do ye enjoy being used as a pawn in yer faither’s political games?” he accused, his eyes seeming to transfix her soul. She prayed that he could not see the guilt she felt for being a part of Morgan’s lies.

“I dinnae,” she snapped, nearly forgetting to use a Scottish accent. His superior attitude made her even angrier than she had already been about the entire situation. She wondered what Lady Katherine would say to such a charge, but she had no way of knowing. In the end, she chose to speak from her own observations. “It is the fate o’ noble daughters, is it nae? Dinnae forget, ye are a pawn as well.”

A spark of amusement flashed in his eyes. “Ye will nae kill me in my sleep, will ye, Lady Katherine?”

The notion had appeal, but she much rather would have killed the Morgan laird and been done with the entire ordeal. “Dinnae tempt me,” she said instead, speaking softly so that no one else would hear her. She did not wish to be slapped in public should Morgan overhear.

“I would nae dare,” Leòideach replied, his expression unreadable.

Morgan turned to address Katarina. “Daughter, it is time for ye tae ready yerself while the men discuss yer bride price.”

Rage filled Katarina’s entire being. It was one thing for her to wed this man to save her sisters. It was another thing entirely for the monster who had killed their family to benefit financially from selling her into sexual slavery. No matter the danger involved, she could not hold her tongue. “I am nae cattle tae be bought and sold at market,” she snapped, her eyes meeting each man’s eyes around the table, daring any of them to disagree. She was not about to let any of them benefit from her pain.

For the briefest moment, she feared that Morgan might kill her there in front of everyone. The look of outright danger that crossed his face was a warning to her that said if she did not do as she was told, her sisters would be murdered before her very eyes. She stepped back away from the table, signaling to him that such violence would not be needed. She would do as he had asked. Fearing any hesitation would be punished severely, she ran from the room, fleeing not only for her own life but that of Idalia and Leonor.

I have put us all in further danger! What have I done?

She fled to the nearest room she could find and leaned out of the window to breathe in some fresh air. She felt as if she were suffocating under the weight of what was happening. Taking deep breaths, she attempted to hold down the bile that threatened to rise once more. In the courtyard below, she saw a flash of blonde hair and leaned out further to investigate. It was the one named Tor. She wondered what he was doing as he went about talking to the servants.

Have they come to an agreement so swiftly?

Katarina listened for footsteps coming to retrieve her but heard none. Perhaps the laird’s brother had been dismissed from the hall as well. She stood watching him for a time. It was easier to focus on something else than it was to deal with what was happening to her. A bird swooped past, and she envied its freedom, wishing she could leap from the window and let the winds carry her far away. Katarina backed away from the windowsill in fear that she might actually follow through with such a thought.