Page 9 of The Highlander’s Kilted Affair

“He kissed me,” Evelyn said finally.

“Och, Evelyn. Ye’re allowed one little fling before ye’re married. Who’s tae ken? I’ll bet the laird has had his fair share o’ the lasses before ye arrived.”

“The thing is,” Evelyn continued slowly, “the man was strikingly handsome. He was also tall and broad with piercing green eyes.”

It took a few seconds for her sister to come to the only conclusion available, and then suddenly, Yvaine gasped, her eyes flying wide. “The laird?” she cried.

Evelyn dropped her gaze and began fiddling with her fingers. “I dinnae ken.”

“What dae ye mean, ye dinnae ken?”

“He didnae tell me his name.”

Her sister’s hand flew to her mouth as she gasped again, and a second later, Yvaine started laughing.

Evelyn gawped at her sister. “This isnae funny.”

But Yvaine continued to giggle. “It is, a wee bit,” she tittered. “I mean, only ye could get yersel’ intae such a mess.”

“Aye well, be that as it may, now, I dinnae ken who I kissed. It could have been the laird, or it could have been Benedict, his brother. I looked both o’ them in the eye earlier, but neither o’ them gave anything away. What am I supposed tae dae?”

Evelyn caressed the necklace at her throat. If only her mother had been there. Though, if she were, would Evelyn tell her what had happened?

O’ course, ye would. Ye told yer maither everything.

And she had. Their mother had had such a soft and tender way about her, always kind and concerned for everyone else’s well-being before her own. Evelyn was determined that it was for that very reason, the fact that her mother had been such a gentle creature, that her father had taken her death so badly.

“This marriage is so important tae the clan, Yvaine. Dae ye think a silly kiss could ruin this alliance if it were discovered it was Benedict I kissed, and nae the laird?”

Yvaine took Evelyn’s hand in hers. “I am certain everything will be just fine. But tell me this. What was it like? What did it feel like to kiss him?”

Evelyn had replayed the scene in her mind so many times, she didn’t even have to think about the answer. “It was heaven, Yvaine,” Evelyn breathed. “That’s how it felt. Like I had left this earthly plane and floated to the most wonderful place anyone could imagine.”

Evelyn turned to look at her sister, but was surprised to see her looking sad.

“Whatever is the matter?” Evelyn said.

Yvaine shrugged heavily, the sadness clearly affecting her entire person. “I just think that all these sacrifices ye make fer everyone but yersel’ will make ye miserable yer whole life.”

“It was good enough fer Maither,” Evelyn replied gently.

“It was different fer Maither, Evelyn. She and Faither were head over heels in love. Ye are being asked tae give up yer life. What happens if ye did kiss Benedict? What happens if that feeling of heaven ye had, was with a man ye can never be with? What happens then?”

Evelyn didn’t know what would happen. She had no answer for her sister. More than that, Yvaine’s very valid point had not yet occurred to her. While she was worrying about ruining the alliance, Yvaine worried for Evelyn’s heart. Yvaine’s questions sat heavily in Evelyn’s stomach.

There was a buzz in the great hall when they went down for dinner. Clearly, word of their arrival had spread quickly. At the high table, Laird Gunn stood and pulled her chair out, smiling as he gestured for her to sit in the chair beside his own.

“I trust ye are well rested, me lady,” he said kindly, as he pushed the chair into the table once she was seated.

“I am, thank ye, me laird.”

“Please, we are tae be married. Call me Audor.”

“Then ye must call me Evelyn,” she replied.

He nodded. “Very well, Evelyn.”

Perhaps, given his kindness and that soft smile, it had been Audor who had kissed her. He was being more than pleasant, though that could just be because they were soon to be husband and wife. It was only when Benedict came and sat on the other side of her that Evelyn began to feel the nerves tightening in her stomach. She, this slight and slender thing, was situated between two huge men, one of which, she had already kissed. But which one?