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Niall had been thinking about the matter of this marriage for some time. The news had yet to settle in his mind. Marriage had never been his intention when he returned home, yet now he found himself with a wife, and what’s more, a wife that clearly did not have any affection or even liking to him. He supposed it was natural for her to dislike him, considering he had slain her husband, but now he would have to spend a life with her. Sometimes tradition was like a noose around the neck. He was beginning to remember some of the reasons why he had left in the first place. The initial reaction was to run, to flee again and embark upon another adventure in the wilderness of the world where he could make his own rules and did not have to be beholden to any arbitrary ones.

But the whole reason why he had returned here was for the good of the people he had led in that wilderness, and by turning back, he would have been leading them away from safety. He had to think of the losses he had suffered, of the people who had died. It was for them that he was doing this, for them that he had stripped himself of his pride and spilled his own kin’s blood, so he was going to have to find a way to make this marriage work, even if it was only in a civil capacity.

So in the middle of the day, he sent a servant to fetch his wife. He stood at the entrance of the castle and waited for her. When she appeared, he was struck by her beauty. He hadn’t noticed it the previous night, perhaps because he had been so focused on the surroundings and preoccupied with thoughts of his fallen brother. Tovie’s green eyes sparkled with such intensity that it was almost a bright glow, like a cat’s eyes in the dead of night. Her vibrant, lustrous hair bobbed as she walked, and her body swayed in a graceful and elegant manner. It had been a long time since he had laid eyes on such beauty, a long time indeed, and there was a twinge of guilt in his heart as a whisper drifted through the back of his mind, an echo of a memory that he could never forget.

“Good day,” he said, nodding his head.

Tovie pursed her lips and folded her arms. “Aye,” she said bluntly, making it clear that this was not going to be an easy task. “Ye summoned me?”

“I wanted tae talk tae ye,” Niall said, keeping his voice as calm as he could. “I thought that we should spend some time taegether given as how we’re married now.” He almost choked on his words.

A shadow fell across her face. “If ye think that’s best. Ye are the laird now, after all. I am at yer mercy,” she said.

Niall sighed. “I know this must hae been a shock for ye. I thought it would be a good idea if ye showed me around the clan tae help me get acquainted with the clan after all these years.”

“If that is what ye wish,” she said, wearing an exaggerated look upon her face as she started to walk past him and lead him out.

Niall watched her move past, his gaze drifting along the curves of her body down to her hips, which had a mesmerizing movement to them. He breathed in deeply and fell into step beside her.

“It’s what I request,” he said, still trying to make it clear that he did not mean any ill will toward her. He doubted she would take it like that, though. It was probably going to take her a lot of time to get used to his presence.

“Well, here is the castle, and there is the pyre, and over there are the stables,” she said, listing all the locations in the village with a sarcastic tone. The truth was that it hadn’t really changed much in his absence. If he closed his eyes, he could well imagine that it was years ago, before he had left, when he was still young, and his father was alive, and he had the choice ahead of him of whether to leave or not.

“It looks as though the castle is still strong after all these years,” Niall said, squinting at the ramparts. “It seems as though Fraser added tae the defenses. Good,” he said.

“Aye.” Tovie scowled and marched away.

The ferocity of her reaction should not have taken him by surprise, but he supposed any mention of Fraser must have hit close to her heart. It was strange for him to accept that someone could love his brother in such a powerful way, but she knew him in a different way than he did. He told himself that he had to be more sympathetic to her. After all, he knew what it was like to lose someone dear to him, and just because Fraser didn’t qualify for that category didn’t mean that Tovie didn’t feel that way about Fraser.

He strode behind her, his long loping strides eating up the distance, catching up with her easily. As they moved around the village, he noticed the way people treated her and greeted her. They nodded with respect, and she knew all of their names, asking about their families and their well-being. It was clear that she had taken the role of the laird’s wife seriously and had endeared herself to the clan. He expected that given her impassioned plea to be laird, but to see it was impressive in its own right. She could have easily shut herself away in mourning or occupied herself with the usual things that women busied themselves with, but instead, she had clearly spent time with the clan. Perhaps he had judged Fraser too harshly. If his brother had chosen her then his judgment must have improved compared to the last time Niall had seen him.

“Ye know the people well,” Niall said, speaking in a complimentary tone. If Tovie appreciated it, she did not make a show of it.

“I hae lived with them for a while now. It’s only polite tae get tae know them,” she said.

“Many people would nae.”

“Aye, well, I suppose I’m nae many people. I would nae hae left the clan either,” she said pointedly.

Niall took the insult, deciding that it was his burden to bear.

“I’m sure ye would nae. Ye know I will need yer help if I’m tae be the laird here,” he said, hoping that by offering her an olive branch he would be able to smooth out the tension that existed between them. It was not that easy, however. She stopped walking and regarded him coolly, speaking in a low and dry voice.

“Are ye being serious? Ye come back here, take this clan away from me, and then ye tell me ye need help? Why should I help ye? Because I’m yer wife? I never agreed tae marry ye, Niall. I agreed tae marry yer brother, a brother ye killed.”

There it was. He assumed that she was still mourning. He closed his eyes and clasped his hands in front of him.

“I am sorry that I killed Fraser. Ye must know that it weighs heavily on my heart. I dinnae know if I can ever forgive myself for it. I know ye must be hurting terribly, and ye will nae be able tae forgive me either, but I hope that we can be civil. The laws are the laws here, and I hope that we can work taegether tae keep this clan strong if we are tae be married. I didnae come back here expecting tae find someone like ye,” he said.

“I’m sure ye didnae, but ye know nothing of which ye speak, Niall. I dinnae know why ye left, or why ye came back, and frankly, I dinnae care. The fact is that ye dinnae belong here, and I’m nae gaeing tae make it easy for ye. We may be married, but if ye expect tae slip intae my bed, then ye hae another thing coming. After Fraser’s death, I hae taken tae sleeping with a dagger, and if ye dare try tae come intae my chamber, well, ye may find yerself reunited with yer brother sooner than ye expected. Ye dinnae belong here, Niall. I hope ye realize that sooner rather than later. Ye should hae stayed away.”

Her words lashed out like a fierce and bitter wind. Niall felt the full brunt of her fury. It was clear she was not a woman to be reckoned with. He was horrified at the implication of his sin, though, for he would never have forced himself into another woman’s bed like that. He wanted to tell her that she had nothing to fear. He had a feeling that her threat of meeting his flesh with a dagger was not an idle boast either. There was a certain glint in her eyes that suggested she might well welcome him trying. However, she had already turned away from him, marching deeper into the village, always seeking to leave him behind. He knew what it was like to want to flee from something hated. She barely knew him well enough to hate him, although perhaps she knew all she needed. He had killed her husband, after all.

There were so many things he was never going to be able to gain redemption for in this world, but at least his clan was safe. That was all that mattered to him now. If Tovie hated him then she would hate him, and he would find some way to release her from her vows. He did not want or desire a wife, and he certainly did not want to tie anyone to unhappiness. He stood in the shade of the castle before he trudged after her again.