Wee William's Woman, Book Three of the Clan MacDougall Series (48 page)

He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Bree thought of him more as a brother or uncle. There was no hope in that ever changing, no matter how much he wished it. What was he to do? He was tired of being alone. He did want someone to share his life with, a fine woman who would help him build his clan, a bonny lass who would happily bear his children.

While Bree was exactly the woman he wished to hold that position, deep down, he knew she deserved better. She was deserving of someone closer to her own age, someone without his history of whoring and drinking. She deserved a better man, one who could give her more than just his heart.

Aye, his clan was growing and his lands were finally beginning to prosper. But it would be years before Clan McKee would be able to boast the same successes and prosperity that Clan MacDougall currently held. He could not ask Bree to sacrifice and go without for the next ten or twenty years, just so he could wake up to her sweet smile each morn.

In his mind, he had settled it: he would begin to look elsewhere for a wife and put all thoughts of Bree McKenna away.

His heart, however, was an entirely different matter.

Nora didn’t know if she should be proud or terrified. Proud that Angus trusted her enough to get to the bottom of why Bree was insisting on marrying Gillon Randolph or terrified of failing. She felt a combination of both and mayhap that was why she felt so uneasy and worried.

Together Nora and Aishlinn sat at Aishlinn’s kitchen table across from Bree. The babe slept peacefully in his cradle near the fire. Nora didn’t know Bree well, but even she could tell the poor girl was heartbroken.

“Bree,” Nora said as she played with her cup of tea. She was not sure how to get Bree to open up, so she decided to speak to her as if it were Elise sitting across from her. “Are you excited about soon becoming a married woman?”

Bree was absentmindedly running a finger along her cup “Aye, I suppose so.” Her forlorn expression told Nora the opposite.

“Do you worry over it? Over being a wife, I mean.”

Bree shook her head no.

Nora and Aishlinn looked at one another. Neither of them believed her. She
was
worried over something and it was up to them to figure out what.

Aishlinn decided to take a more direct approach. “Do you love this boy? Love him with all your heart? It is the rest of your life we’re talking about, Bree.”

Bree’s eyes began to water as she continued to stare blankly at her cup.

“Bree,” Nora said as she gently placed her hand on Bree’s. “I can tell you, from personal experience, that if you do not love this boy, love him with all your heart, you will never be happy. My first marriage was all the proof anyone needs that if you marry the wrong person for the wrong reasons, you will never be happy.”

Bree swiped away a tear and took a deep breath. “Many marriages start out with neither party knowin’ the other. But over time, they grow a fondness for each other.”

That was all the evidence that Aishlinn needed. “Did Gillon Randolph tell ye that the only way for peace to happen between the clans is for you to marry him?”

Bree shrugged her shoulders as if that fact was of no importance.

“He lied,” Aishlinn said bluntly.

Bree looked up then, a line of confusion creasing her brow. “Why would he lie over such a thing as that?”

Connell began to fuss and whimper. Aishlinn went to his cradle and carefully lifted him into her arms. “Who knows why men do what they do, Bree,” Aishlinn answered as she sat down at the table and gently rocked the babe. “But I tell you this, the boy has lied to you.”

“Mayhap the boy himself is confused on the matter,” Nora interjected. “Mayhap he is only telling Bree what he himself has been told.” She could only hope she was correct. Otherwise, something far more sinister was taking place and that thought made her stomach turn.

“That is a possibility. But either way, she cannot marry the boy,” Aishlinn said as Connell began to cry loudly. She opened the front of her dress and offered the babe her breast. He quieted instantly as he latched on rather greedily.

“But what if what he says is true?” Bree asked as she watched her nephew. “What if there is more to everything than the two of ye ken?”

“Bree,” Nora began, “Gillon’s father has already signed the peace agreement.”

Bree was growing frustrated as well as angry. She knew she should put her faith and trust in her family, but she worried over what Gillon had told her.
An agreement is sometimes not worth the parchment it is written upon.
What if he told the truth?

Nora and Aishlinn sensed there was more that Bree was not telling them.

“Bree, what has Gillon told you?” Nora asked softly.

Bree was not sure how much she should tell anyone, least of all Nora and Aishlinn. Gillon had warned her that if she divulged all of what he had told her, war would be immediate. Men would die. Her heart tightened at the thought of losing her father, her brothers, or the man she was falling hopelessly in love with.

“Bree, has Angus ever done anything that made you doubt or distrust him?” Nora asked.

Bree gave a little shake of her head. “Nay, he hasn’t.”

“Then why can you not trust him now? What has happened that makes you doubt that your father will keep you safe?”

The words slowly tumbled out, along with the tears she’d been trying to hold at bay. “People will die if I don’t marry Gillon! If we don’t join our two clans together, lives will be lost!”

Nora stood quickly and came around the table. She sat next to Bree and cradled her in her bosom. Patting her back, she tried to soothe away the poor girl’s worries.

“You’ll save more lives by telling us the truth now, Bree. Marrying Gillon will not stop any bloodshed. In fact, it will cause more.” Aishlinn frowned, not out of anger toward Bree, but toward Gillon.

He had put the weight of the world on her shoulders with nothing but lies. She knew her sister’s love for her people was the only thing driving her to marry Gillon. It wasn’t love that led her. It was fear. It was a love and fear that Aishlinn was all too familiar with.

Last year Aishlinn had made the terrible mistake of believing that the only way to stop the English from wiping out her clan was to turn herself over to the Earl of Penrith. That decision nearly cost Duncan his life. Had she put more faith in her father and the men of her clan, more lives would have been saved that day than lost. She would carry the guilt over that decision with her every day for the rest of her life.

Bree was beginning to feel as though she had been stuffed into a tiny room and the more people talked to her the smaller the room became. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep everything straight in her mind. It was also becoming more difficult to ignore the feelings she had for a certain Highlander.

What if what Nora and Aishlinn told her was true? What if Gillon had lied? If she married him, she would be giving up any chance at a happy future with a man she genuinely cared for.

“Why would Gillon lie to me?” she asked to no one in particular.

Aishlinn took in a deep breath and glanced at Nora. Highlanders and their ways with romance continued to baffle Nora. While Nora could never understand why a man might lie about something, she knew all to well just what some men were capable of.

“Bree,” Nora said as she gave her another hug. “There are so many good, kind men in your clan. They’re all honorable and honest. Why Gillon lied is not nearly as important as knowing that he did. Please, Bree, do not make the same mistake with Gillon that I made with Horace.”

Bree studied Nora’s face for a moment. “Was it really that bad with Horace?”

Nora took a deep breath. She felt she was not gaining any ground by speaking. Mayhap
showing
the girl what a man could do might have a better impact. Nora slowly pulled up the sleeves of her dress and showed Bree the scars on her wrists.
 

“Would you like to see the ones on my back?” Nora asked.

“Or mine?” Aishlinn offered solemnly.

Bree remembered the condition of Aishlinn’s back when she had first arrived more than a year ago. She didn’t need to see the scars these men had left on the bodies of these kind, beautiful women. It was in that brief moment that clarity dawned and she knew without a doubt, what she must do.

Twenty-Four

N
ora could feel her husband staring at her from across the courtyard and it brought glorious goose bumps to her skin. She thought it odd, yet exhilarating, to think William capable of making her skin tingle with excitement with only a glance. Married nearly two months now, she no longer worried about being prim and proper, at least not where her husband was concerned. William was quite happy with her free spiritedness, especially when they were alone.

Nora stood in the courtyard enjoying the company of Aishlinn, Bree, Isobel and Maggy. They were remarking at how much Connell resembled his father and how big he was growing. Isobel was a very proud grandmother and believed Connell to be the most beautiful babe she’d ever seen, next to her own of course.

Although she’d only known Maggy but a few days, Nora liked her. Maggy was blunt and honest, yet in a way that wasn’t rude. She simply said what was on her mind. It was a trait Nora was beginning to admire and hoped to one day acquire.

The courtyard was very crowded and hundreds of people were milling about waiting for the next round of games to begin. Although similar festivals were held all across England, Nora had never had the opportunity to experience one herself. She enjoyed the jesters and acrobats, the bards and musicians, but most of all she enjoyed watching her husband as he wrestled and battled with one friendly opponent after another.

Elise and John soon joined them, happily munching on sweet cakes that Mary had given them. Elise was her usual cheerful and chatty self. Nora didn’t worry much about Elise fitting in for the child had such an outgoing personality and seemed to make friends wherever she went. Nay, she worried less about Elise but more over John.

The first few weeks had been the most difficult for him. However, he seemed to be doing much better since Wee William had taken over the roll of both father figure and older brother. The two had begun to form a friendship that Nora thanked God for each day.

She was glad to see that John was smiling and seemed to be enjoying the festivities. He was growing into a fine young man. The changes she was seeing in him of late, brought forth a great sense of pride. Wee William had remarked on more than one occasion that John was doing quite well with his sword work.

“Nora,” John said as he chewed the last bite of his sweet cake. “Will you be watching me later?”

Nora had no idea what John was talking about and voiced her confusion. She took immediate notice of his attempt at appearing as nonchalant as he could.

“Has Wee William not told you then?”

“Told me what?” Nora asked as she wiped crumbs from Elise’s face.

“I’ll be in a challenge later today. I’ll be going up against one of the McKee boys.”

Nora blinked before her brow drew into a hard line of confusion blended with anger. “You’re what?” she asked, with more than a hint of disbelief to her voice.

Somewhere in the past weeks, John had acquired that wry,
do-no’-worry-yer-pretty-little-head-over-it-lass
smile that Wee William often threw her way. That blasted smile had disarmed her on countless occasions. It was a smile she had grown to love seeing on her husband.

But now her younger brother was attempting to use that smile to disarm her into not worrying over this battle that had been planned without her knowledge.

“Nora, we’ll be usin’ wooden swords. And we’ll both be in pads and mail, so ye needn’t fash yerself.”

Not only had he acquired the smile, he was also acquiring a Scottish brogue. She’d have none of it. “Do not try to flash that smile at me, young man,” she told him through gritted teeth. “And since when do you not only act like a Highlander, but you speak like one? What happened to hating Scots? What happened to
I’ll go home with or without you
?”