Page 35 of A Bride for the Kilted Beast

“I see congratulations are in order, Braither, for consummating yer marriage… at last,” he teased, punching Diarmaid’s arm.

Diarmad rubbed his arm where the blow had fallen and scowled at Ciarán. He felt a prickle of embarrassment, but he knew there was no point in trying to hide the truth from his brother.

“I havenae,” he admitted shortly.

“What? Did I hear that right? Did ye say ye havenae?” Ciarán repeated, his brows shooting up in surprise.

“Aye, and if ye say another word about it, I’ll lay ye out flat,” Diarmaid told him, meaning every word.

“Ach, there’s nae need tae be so touchy about it,” Ciarán said with mock offence, stifling his laughter.

“Did ye send out the messenger with the letter fer MacDonald?”

“Aye, he set off yesterday evening. With luck we should get an answer with a couple of days.”

“Good. The sooner the better,” Diarmaid said, now more anxious than ever to establish the veracity of Lillie’s claims. He wanted them to be true, and hoped that if they were, MacDonald would accept his explanation for marrying her in such a hurry.

But in the meantime, he put the matter of Odhrán Lennox to the forefront of his mind.

Diarmaid settled into his chair at the head of the council table, with Ciarán at his right hand.

“Good day tae ye, gentlemen,” he said, opening the meeting, casting his eyes around the table. There was a chorus of gruff greetings from the councilmen in return. “Before we go any further, Ciarán here has some important news tae share with ye.” He nodded at his brother.

“Aye. As ye’ll all nae doubt recall, there’s a question about Lady Kincaid’s identity that has arisen and needs tae be dealt with ungently. Our new lady denies being Caelin McIrving’s daughter, as she was sold tae our laird. Instead, she claims tae be Lillie MacDonald, the sister of Laird Aiden MacDonald.

“In an effort tae resolve the matter swiftly, a messenger was sent yesterday tae the castle of Laird MacDonald, tae find out the truth. So, I wish tae inform ye that, within a few days, we should be able tae confirm the true identity of our new Lady Kincaid,” Ciarán said.

“Aye, it’s imperative we find out the truth as soon as possible,” Andrew Latham said. “If she’s nae Caelin McIrving’s daughter, that will automatically negate any claim Lennox thinks he has upon her.”

“He’d have nae reason tae attack us then,” Dougal Ross, sergeant at arms, put in.

“All the better if she’s a MacDonald then,” said the man next to him, nodding.

“Aye, ye may well be right, Dougal,” Diarmaid said, “but I wouldnae bank on it. Ye ken very well the Lennoxes would like any excuse tae attack us and wipe us out. Murphy Lennox may just as well decide tae try tae dae so anyway, whether me wife’s a McIrving or a MacDonald.”

“I agree,” said Andrew, frowning deeply. “Whatever the case, we’re still facing a potential attack. We need tae be prepared.”

“We already are,” Ciarán told them. “I have scouts out in the country watching fer any sign of Lennox’s men coming this way. I’ve increased the watch on the towers and security at the gates, and I’ve had extra arrows and arms from the arsenal taken up tae the battlements, all ready tae defend ourselves.”

“But dae we have any idea of when an attack could come, or the size of it?” asked another councilman.

Diarmaid shook his head. “I only wish we did, but there’s nae way we can find that out. The best we can dae is hope the scouts will spot them and give us a few hours grace before they arrive. Enough time tae sound the alarm and bring in the people from the outlying villages.”

“Aye,” Ciarán added, “so be aware that security around the castle is going tae be very tight over the next week or so. Naebody will be going in or out without identifying themselves.”

“This is an extremely worrying position we find ourselves in,” Andrew put in worriedly.

“Nae worse than any we’ve been in before,” Diarmaid told him sternly. “I’d ask ye all tae remember that me buying me wife at that auction might be the only chance we have of finding out if Miss Makaliyn’s alive and maybe even getting her back safely. And I’m sure ye all want that.” A litany of ayes came from around the table.

“Good. Now, I too have news fer ye. The marriage has nae yet been consummated,” Diarmaid told them bluntly, seeing no point in beating about the bush.

“Och, the Wee Man!” Andrew cried. “M’laird, ye said yesterday⁠—”

“I ken what I said, but the lady is nae well. I told ye, I’m nae prepared tae force mesel’ on her just fer the sake o’ pleasin’ the council.”

“’Tis nae fer our sakes, M’laird, but simply expediency. If Lennox comes and she’s still a maid, ye ken as well as I dae, the marriage can be annulled.!” Andrew replied, sounding at the end of his tether.

“Well, as I say, Andrew, the situation is as it is, and I’m nae in the mood tae enforce it. So, we’ll just have tae cross that bridge if we come tae it, eh? Now, I dinnae wish tae discuss me marriage bed any further today if ye dinnae mind. Are there any questions before I close this meeting?”