Page 67 of The Highlander’s Kilted Affair

Since awakening, she had been under the impression she would be meeting the same fate as her mother. But the laird actually planned on marrying her? Why? Why did he not want to kill her?

After the shock, came the anger, and snarling at him, Evelyn spat, “Ye can go tae hell. I’ll never marry ye.”

“Again, me lady, nae yer choice.”

The laird pushed himself up and moved across the room to a dresser. After pouring himself a drink, he came back, but stood, looking down at her.

“All this could have been avoided if only yer faither hadnae have been so stubborn. Yer mother didnae have tae die. If he had given me what I asked fer, she would still be alive. So, ye see, yer maither’s blood isnae upon me hands. It’s upon yer faither’s.”

“He would never have agreed tae an alliance with ye. Ye have always been rivals fer years. Why on earth would he dae such a thing?” Evelyn barked.

“I’m nae talking about the alliance, Lady Sinclair.”

“Then, what are ye talking about?” Evelyn cried, feeling completely confused.

“Our marriage.” The laird said simply, as though she ought to know to what he was referring.

With her head still throbbing from whatever was in that drink, Evelyn could not piece it together. This man had done nothing but cause their clan pain and grief for over a year. And now, he wanted to marry her.

“Ye’re nae making any sense.”

He crouched down and looked up at her. “Then let me spell it out fer ye. I asked fer yer hand in marriage two years ago. But yer faither refused. He told me that there was nae way on God’s good earth that he would allow his daughter tae marry a man like me.” The laird snorted. “Like he ever had a choice. So, yer faither needed tae be punished fer his insolence.”

The laird stood to his full height again. “I am a man who gets what I want, Lady Sinclair. I always have and I always will.”

Slowly, the pieces began to fall into place, and Evelyn realized that her mother’s death had not only been caused by her father’s refusal to make an alliance with Laird Keith. Clearly, the horrible man had demanded Evelyn’s hand. Her mother had been murdered in revenge for her father’s refusal.

“Ye murdered me maither because me faither wouldnae give me hand in marriage?” she gasped.

“Och, now ye’re getting it. Nae too bright, are we?” He sneered. “It was the best way tae make yer faither pay. That, and a warning that, until I got what I wanted, I would continue tae make his life a misery. Like I said. I’m a man who gets what he wants.”

Me maither was murdered because o’ me. This is all me fault.

Her mother had paid the ultimate price for her father’s refusal. If she had known, if he had told her, maybe she would have gone along with it just to keep the peace. Had she not done the same with Laird Gunn?

But Audor was never yer faither’s rival. Nor is he a cruel and sadistic man. Yer faither was trying tae protect ye from this monster… And he lost me maither in the process.

“Now I have ye,” the laird said, “yer faither will never see ye again. Ye are mine, and ye will remain mine.”

“Ye cannae dae this,” Evelyn cried. “Ye cannae just take me without giving me a chance tae at least say goodbye.”

“Had yer faither agreed tae our union in the first place, it wouldnae have had tae happen like this, Lady Sinclair. Yer faither only has himself tae blame. As fer ye, I’m sure ye’ll get over it.”

As the laird downed the remaining dregs of his glass, Evelyn’s mind whirled with ideas of how she could escape. There was no chance she could loosen these ropes. They had been tied so tightly; she was starting to lose feeling in her fingers.

Perhaps there was another way out of this. She eyed the fire. A much harder way out of this. She was so close that if she toppled herself into it, she would be scarred for life.

And be in excruciating agony.

But would it not be worth it? The laird would not want a scarred and hideous looking wife.

Nae. But he might kill ye instead.

But that would be no worse than spending the rest of her days as his wife. Clearly, he had no reservations about raising a hand to her. And then, there were the other things he would do with his hands.

Urgh!

She shivered and felt sick to her stomach at the very thought of it. If she did not take her own life now, she would certainly do so in the not-so-distant future.