Page 31 of A Kilted Marriage of Convenience

“What made ye change like that?” Ciara asked curiously.

Hannah had a sad smile on her face. “It was Darragh who made me change.”

“Och, I think I remember this. Dae ye still feel guilty about it? He forgave ye all that time ago,” Lillie asked as she was adjusting some herbs in her basket.

Hannah blushed so violently that Ciara had to stop herself from laughing out loud. It was crystal clear that she was in love with Darragh, but Lillie seemed not to realize it. Perhaps it was easier for her as an outsider looking in.

“Tell me what happened,” Ciara said.

“I was… pretty terrible back then. With the loss of my father, and mother throwing herself into work to forget the pain, I was left to deal with my hurt my own way and I chose the wrong way. I had watched mother work hard to save father, and nae be able to, so I developed a hatred for healing. I used to make a mess of her healing station. Burning herbs and tossing her mixtures out the window. It was a hard time for both of us, and we were always arguing.”

“We were accepted like family here at the castle, but I acted like a wild animal. Always causing trouble. One day, I stole Darragh’s horse and I ran into the forest. But I could nae ride very well, and we ended up crashing when I stirred him to jump. The poor creature landed badly on its front legs. They were broken… The stallion was in so much pain, it had to be put down.”

“I was sure that was the end of my stay in the castle,” Hannah continued. “I was sorry for the horse, and I was scared for me and my mother. I thought Darragh would hate me. That he would be angry and take it out on us. Instead, Darragh was just sad and quiet, and that made me feel worse,” she explained.

Somehow, Ciara could picture that being Darragh’s reaction.

“I apologized to him, crying, and I expected nae to be forgiven, yet he forgave me. He said he forgave me, but that I needed to learn that my actions had consequences and that I had to be more conscious of the choices I made, as they could affect other people too. He just patted my shoulder and left, but it stuck with me ever since. I realized I was hurting my mother with my own grief and causing trouble for everyone who cared. I decided to change after that.”

Ciara reached out to rub Hannah’s shoulder. “Ye are an amazing lass. It isnae easy to learn from yer mistakes and change,” she said.

“Thank ye, Ciara,” Hannah managed to say, before Lillie suddenly jumped on her.

“Ach, I am so proud of ye, Hannah!” she squealed, causing Ciara to laugh and focus on picking herbs again. Once they were done, the girls headed back.

During dinnertime, Aidan was nowhere to be seen.

“Ach… by the way, erm… Aidan wanted me to tell ye, Lady Ciara, that ye two might have to postpone yer wedding a bit. The priest is quite busy, ye see,” Darragh announced between bites.

Ciara’s hand froze midair as she lifted her fork to her mouth. Once again Lillie voiced her thoughts. “How could the priest be too busy for the laird’s wedding?” She was much less bothered by it than Ciara, however, and just sounded confused. Then she shrugged. “Och well, more time to make sure yer dress comes out perfectly!”

Ciara wasn’t thinking about the dress at all. She was reeling. Really, how could the priest be busy? Wasn’t this just Aidan avoiding her? What if it wasn’t about last night? What if he had discovered her lies?

* * *

A few hours earlier…

Aidan sat in the council room tensely as the members of his council filed into the chamber, one by one. Darragh stood behind his left shoulder, with a softer pose. Regardless, both men were given a wide berth as more council members came in and settled down.

This was the second meeting the laird’s council would hold regarding the ‘abduction’ of Ciara MacNeil, and Aidan was nervous. More than the previous time. Darragh had already briefed other members concerning the plans for the betrothal, as Aidan hated being directly involved with men he considered too indecisive at times.

There were pockets of allies in the room, he could tell, judging by where each clan member sat. He could say which ones would be problematic at this meeting with just one look. Sadly, that would be most of them. He was unbothered; he had made up his mind about getting married to Ciara anyway, and this meeting was nothing more than a formality. Nothing this band of men decided today would change that fact.

“The sharks have arrived,” Darragh muttered softly from behind Aidan. “Best sharpen yer harpoon, brother”.

Aidan grunted quietly as the clan elder stood up and cleared his throat ceremoniously. The chatter died down as he made his way to the center of the meeting room.

“I willnae waste yer time. We all ken for what purpose we left the warmth of our wives to gather today. Laird MacDonald wishes to marry the daughter of that vile monster who did in his folks and kidnapped his sister. He says he daes it to punish Keir MacNeil, yet I think he is being blinded by his own desire. Many in this room think like me, and ye shall get yer turn to speak. I dae appreciate the irony that the MacNeil girl is the clan heir, and by marrying her, the clan becomes ours by forfeit. But the lass is still a MacNeil. Any bairn birthed by this woman would be tainted by the blood of this horrid man. We shall end up with a laird who holds MacNeil blood in him in the next generation. Our heirs would be his men, being led by him. How can we accept such? I leave the council to decide”.

The elder clansman had barely gotten his second foot off the platform before the room erupted with shouts and cries as both sides thrust hands into the air in protest and agreement, each group struggling desperately to be louder than the other. The whole time, Aidan sat with his hands folded on his barreled chest, increasingly feeling the urge to slam his fists into someone. His frustration reached a boiling point, and he was getting ready to stand and have his say when he felt an all too familiar hand on his shoulder, patting him back down on his seat.

“Enough!” Darragh’s bellow was louder than a storm’s wind. The cacophony of a burning forge. Darragh did not bother climbing the platform; he was tall enough that every man in the room could see him clearly. The shocked expressions of the council members were enough to force a weak smile out of Aidan.

“Aye, Keir MacNeil is a dirty bastard. Let me at him with nae a thing but my fists, and I would flay him with my fingers, inch by inch. Nae one remembers the crimes of that mongrel like I dae. My sister remembers. So daes my brother. We are reminded every single day. But Ciara isnae her father.”

A loud ruckus interrupted him.

“Nae, Gail. Let me finish. Ciara is not Keir. Ciara helped us save Lillie, defying her own father under his roof, whilst ye lot sat on yer arses and didnae a thing but complain. Fed her in the dungeons, kept her warm, and gave her a friendly face to look forward to. She never brought it up or rubbed it in our faces the whole time she’s been our captive, never asked for favors nor her freedom in return. Had Lillie never figured it out, we would never have kent. Aye, MacNeil she may be, but she’s nae the same as Keir, nor is her blood tainted by the swine.”

Aidan looked around and saw the words Darragh spoke settle into the hearts of the councilmen. He could see their countenances sway and shake. But blood doesn’t forget. MacNeil had hurt too many a man in this room, and no words would mollify them. The meeting eventually came to a close, with no decision being made after several hours of deliberation. Aidan, however, had his mind made up and left the council room with assurance.

On his way up to his chambers, he fell into deep reflection. What could it be that made him want Ciara so much? Why was he so determined to marry her? Was he just another possessive man, desiring the impossible? What were these feelings he had for this woman? Why did his heart beat so fast at the thought of her? Was it plain old lust?

One thing he was sure about was that Ciara was a good woman. He had witnessed her goodness on several occasions and knew it intimately as a fact. A woman who almost killed herself to save a child from a wild horse. A woman who risked the wrath of Keir MacNeil for a woman she barely knew. Aidan could not help but feel like his intentions were impure, and that she deserved a better man than him.

He knew in his heart that he was too selfish to let her go just because he thought she deserved better. Not feeling up to it, he decided to skip dinner that night, lacking the appetite and care for food. Overwhelmed by thought, he got to his chambers and pushed straight into bed.

With no lock on the door behind him.