Page 85 of In Bed with a Highland Brute

Eloise flinched in her seat, as did Aila. The only one who didn’t jump was Callie who waved a hand madly in front of Avery.

“Be calm,” she urged him.

“How can I be based on what I have just learned?” Avery slowly stood to his feet and turned around. “Murdoch, I should strike ye down where ye stand for hiring me sister.” He marched toward Murdoch.

Clyde put himself in front of his brother, but Murdoch moved him easily out of the way, clearly happy to take his punishment. Eloise dropped her steaming tea in her eagerness to stop her brother. She thrust herself between the two of them as they met in the middle of the room, as she thrust her hands against Avery’s arms and stopped him.

“Avery? Avery, would ye look at me?” she snapped, trying to earn his attention.

“After what ye have just told me –”

“What dae ye nae understand about the fact that I love him anyway? Ye hear me, Avery! I am in love with him. Maybe this all started as a mess, and it has ended that way too, but something good has come out of this.” She shook his arms, trying to break some sense into him. “I love him, ye bampot.”

Avery’s eyes flicked to meet hers, then he looked back at Murdoch again, the smallest signs of his resistance cracking as a muscle twitched around his eyes.

“What’s that old phrase?” Callie called as she moved to her feet and walked up behind Avery. Standing on her tiptoes, she whispered a line too him, not overly subtly. “The course of true love did never run smooth. Aye, ye could say the same for us, Avery.” He glanced her way, then stared forward once more, glaring at Murdoch.

“Avery, listen tae me.” Murdoch held onto Eloise still. That touch warmed her, and she latched her hand over his arm, wanting to be close to him. His other hand came up in front, reaching out to Avery. “I am sorry. I am sorry how this all began, but I hope ye’ll see that I never meant tae hurt ye or Eloise. I’d sooner die than see her hurt.”

“Aye, I saw that today.” Avery sighed heavily and folded his arms across his chest, cocking his head to the side. “What is it about ye inspiring such love, eh? One stands between ye and me now thinking I’ll kill ye, and another tries tae kill Eloise just tae get tae ye.”

“Laird of hearts, eh, Murdoch?” Clyde said, walking to his brother’s side and chuckling deeply. “Fer one, I’m glad of it.”

“Glad?” Murdoch muttered, cricking his neck as he turned his head to look at his brother. “Whatever fer?”

“Well, it’s a bloody good job I didnae marry Harper after all, isnae it?” Clyde said with a sudden chuckle. His laughter broke the tension in the room and other laughter followed.

Eloise ran her hand over Murdoch’s arm, needing that touch. He squeezed her softly around the waist, an intimate touch that reassured her how near he was.

“Aye, nae many people look as happy as ye two now,” Clyde murmured as he turned to face the two of them completely. “I fer one am happy for it, nae matter what the circumstances are that led tae this moment.”

“Ye trying tae calm me down, Clyde?” Avery said with a heavy sigh. “If me wife cannae dae it, ye are unlikely tae.”

“Ye say that, but ye dinnae look half as angry as ye did a minute ago.” Clyde laughed once more and jerked his head toward Murdoch and Eloise again. “I’ll still applaud at their wedding. Willnae ye?”

The group seemed to wait with bated breath. Eloise looked around as Aila and Ian stood close by, arm in arm, and Callie continued to prod Avery in the back.

“Ow, Callie,” Avery muttered after a few seconds.

“Would ye just accept Murdoch as yer brother-in-law already? Then I can get Eloise properly clothed. She’s currently embracing her betrothed nae wearing very much at all,” Callie reminded him.

“From what we’ve seen –” Before Ian could say anymore, Murdoch shot him a dark glare and Aila elbowed him harshly in the stomach. “Never mind,” he said through gritted teeth as he bent forward, rubbing the sore spot on his stomach.

“Please, Avery.” Murdoch extended his hand to Avery once more. “I am sorry fer the way things happened, but I’ll happily spend the rest of me life proving meself worthy of yer sister. I give ye that vow.”

Eloise angled her head, looking at Murdoch with such a smile on her face that it took her a second to notice the intense way Avery was staring at her. She wondered later if it was her expression that had made his final restraint give way.

“Aye, very well.” Avery took Murdoch’s hand and shook firmly, just once. “But dinnae expect me tae make it easy on ye joining this family fer a while. I want tae see ye are worthy of her first.”

“Fair enough.” Murdoch nodded, wrapping his other arm around Eloise. She sank back into him, overawed by how much had changed.

I am safe, and I am in Murdoch’s arms again. Nothing can happen tae us now.

EPILOGUE

One Month Later

“May I announce the happy couple, my son, Murdoch, and his wife, Eloise!” Fergus’s voice boomed across the great feasting chamber as Murdoch led Eloise into the room. With her on his arm, he kept looking down at her, finding it very hard to look away.