It felt good to stand up for herself, to show strength and purpose and address him as an equal. Unfortunately, Laird Drummond did not appear to appreciate either her words or her position. His face was molten red, his eyes wide and bulging. He tried to respond, yet succeeded only in sputtering a string of incoherent phrases.
Though her father looked none too pleased at her outburst, he refrained from comment, sitting silent and pensive. As for her former betrothed, well, Hamish favored her with a smirk that was clearly a threat.
“Ye dare to unbraid me with yer wicked tongue?” Laird Drummond bellowed when he finally found his voice. “I understand the high-strung nature of some females, but I’ll not sanction it and allow one to make a fool of me and my son.”
Katherine’s mind spun quickly. Trying to keep her simmering temper under control, she stepped forward. “Yer son hardly appears heartbroken over the incident. And if he were, surely there are females eager and available to comfort him. Is Mistress Fenella no longer residing at Drummond Castle?”
Hamish actually snarled, while his father, looking stunned, sputtered again in outrage.
“I will not be ruled by the dictates of a headstrong, foolish lass!” Laird Drummond shouted. “Ye have broken an alliance between our clans and created a divide that establishes us as enemies.”
“I remind ye, Drummond, ’tis customary to show respect and deference when sitting in another laird’s hall.” The McKenna spoke calmly, yet there was no mistaking that he was poised to inflict bodily harm if further provoked.
Laird Drummond looked none too pleased at the rebuke. Holding her breath, Katherine exchanged a worried look with her mother. Lady Aileen appeared perfectly serene and unconcerned at her husband’s blunt retort. However, both women were very aware that this was the best opportunity to peacefully resolve this issue, if somehow the McKenna and Laird Drummond could manage to subvert their pride and hold on to their tempers.
Graham marched forward. “Fergive me, Laird Drummond, but ye are being too hasty with yer declaration of animosity between us. The union between our clans is a sensible and desirable alliance, yet it need not be made between Katherine and Hamish.”
There was a flash of ire in the older man’s eyes. “Hamish is my only unmarried son.”
“I believe ye have an unmarried daughter?” Graham asked, lowering his voice to a most respectful tone. “Of marriageable age?”
Laird Drummond paused, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “Cordelia is in a convent. ’Twas her mother’s wish that she serve the Lord.”
“A commendable notion.” Graham rocked back on his heels. “Tell me, has Lady Cordelia taken her vows and in truth pledged herself to our Savior?”
“She is a novitiate.”
Graham lowered his head. “Then I propose to unite our families with a marriage between Cordelia and myself.”
“Graham, nay!” Katherine grabbed her brother’s sleeve. “There has to be another way. Ye need not sacrifice yerself.”
Graham placed a hand over Katherine’s and leaned close to whisper in her ear. “I am a third son,” he said softly. “Father has been generous, as has Malcolm, but I understand that I need to make my own way in the world.” He turned and faced Laird Drummond. “If ye agree, I will take yer daughter as my wife. I will protect and care for her and treat her with reverence and respect.”
There was a long silence. Hamish bent down to speak with his father, but Laird Drummond shooed him off with a tight wave of his hand.
“As she was promised to the Church, Cordelia will bring no land and no dowry to the marriage,” Laird Drummond declared cagily.
“That can be remedied,” the McKenna interjected. “I will gift the newlywed couple with a parcel of land along my southern border, if ye will match the acreage. Even combined, it will not be an overly large holding, but one which will provide Graham and Cordelia a comfortable living and create a stronghold between our lands.”
“I shall construct a suitable keep on the property and we will marry once it is completed,” Graham concluded.
“I dinnae trust the McKennas to honor a betrothal contract,” Laird Drummond announced with a hard stare at Katherine. “I’ll not be taken in a second time, especially if I’ve pledged land and allowed ye to build a keep upon it.”
“Then I shall forgo a betrothal and marry Cordelia by proxy,” Graham replied.
“When?”
“Today.”
There were several gasps of shock. Laird Drummond rubbed his chin again and gazed intensely at Graham, as though trying to judge his sincerity. He must have liked what he saw, as the disgruntled look of distrust on the laird’s face abated.
“My daughter has many laudable traits. Among other things, she has been taught by the nuns to read and write and been given lessons in the healing arts.” Laird Drummond turned to the McKenna. “This union has yer blessing?”
“Aye. ’Tis a surprise to me as well, but my son shall marry whomever he chooses,” the McKenna answered. “If this is what he wishes, then so be it.”
Laird Drummond nodded. “Have someone fetch parchment and ink so that we may set the terms in writing.”
“Nay!” A disgruntled snort rushed from Hamish’s lips. “Ye cannae be serious, Father. ’Tis blasphemy to force Cordelia to wed. The only honorable alliance between our clans is fer me to marry Katherine. My mind is set upon it—I’ll not give her up!”
“Ye already have, Hamish.” Laird Drummond turned his back on his son. “Yer sister will marry Graham McKenna. Today.”
The entire hall seemed to exhale at the pronouncement, but Katherine’s heart sank. Despite Hamish’s protests, it was an excellent way to keep the peace and finally unite the two clans, but the sacrifice was too great. She would never ask this of anyone she loved, especially her younger brother.
“Graham, please, ye must reconsider.” Katherine pulled him aside, refusing to let him leave until he listened to reason. “Ye’ve never even set eyes upon the lass. Ye cannae marry a complete stranger.”
“Many couples do. I am content with the decision. ’Tis the best solution to avoid a feud with the Drummonds,” Graham insisted, trying to go around her.
Blocking his exit, Katherine blew out a frustrated breath. Why did her younger sibling have to be so pigheaded?
“What if she objects?” Katherine asked. “What if Cordelia has set her heart upon serving the Lord? What if she hates ye fer arranging a marriage that she never expected and has no say in accepting? What sort of a life will ye have then?”
Graham stilled. “’Tis true that many women are at least granted an opinion in the selection of their husbands, though ’tis their fathers, brothers, or guardians who make the choice. In this circumstance, it is not possible or practical. Cordelia is a gently bred female. She knows her duty to her father and her clan and will graciously accept her fate.”
“She believes her duty is to become a nun!” Katherine shouted, quickly lowering her voice when several others turned to stare at them. “Ye are cheating yerself, Graham, tossing away yer chance fer a loving marriage and ’tis all my fault.”
“Yer guilt is misplaced, Sister,” Graham said patiently. “I have never held with the notion of making a love match, but always knew that I would marry fer more practical reasons. I’m pleased with the arrangement and enter into it freely and without regret or reservation.”
“Ye might not feel the same after ye meet yer wife,” Katherine grumbled.
Graham waved his hand dismissively. “I have no home in which to bring my bride. Therefore, I willnae fetch her until a proper keep has been constructed upon the land gifted to us by our sires.”
“That could take years.”
“Precisely.” He regarded her with an amused expression. “A lot can happen as the seasons change.”
Her brother’s cryptic words brought Katherine little comfort. A marriage by proxy was as legal as if the bride was standing beside the groom. The one piece that was missing from the e
vent was the consummation of the union, yet that alone did not constitute grounds for an annulment.
Or did it? Had her brother already concocted a way to dissolve the union if necessary?
Graham walked away and Katherine allowed him. ’Twas clear that nothing she could say or do would change his mind. However, ’twas also true that this marriage would benefit her and Lachlan as well and neatly solve the sticky problem of the Drummond alliance. Her broken betrothal would be forgotten.
The conundrum of the situation twisted inside her. Katherine’s worry over the wisdom of such a hastily arranged and considered marriage increased tenfold when the priest was summoned. Events were moving at lightning speed. She looked to her mother for a voice of reason and calm, hoping she would stop things before it was too late.
Lady Aileen was engaged in earnest conversation with Graham. When it ended, she hugged him tightly, then kissed his cheek, apparently giving him her blessing.
Biting her lip, Katherine ran her hand back and forth across her brow, trying to rub away the pain that was throbbing behind her eyes. She had to do something to stop this travesty—but what?
“Leave it be,” a soft feminine voice commanded. “He has made his decision without prejudice or coercion.”
Katherine cast her sister-in-law an incredulous look. “There has to be another way to make peace between our clans. I dinnae know how I shall live with the dark guilt that already begins to consume me.”
“Ye had no part in this turn of events,” Joan countered in her usual direct manner. “Becoming a martyr over it willnae serve any useful purpose except to make ye miserable.”
“Perhaps ’tis what I deserve.”
Joan regarded her with a jaundiced eye. “Or perhaps the unthinkable will happen and Graham will be content in his marriage.”
“The world truly has gone mad when ye are the one spouting words of matrimonial hope and happiness,” Katherine groused.
Taking no offense, Joan laughed. “Exactly my point. I never believed that I would love any man, but Malcolm stole and keeps my heart. The impossible can happen. All ye need to have is faith.”
If only it were so simple. Still, Katherine heeded Joan’s advice and resisted the temptation to disrupt the proceedings. With a sharp huff of resignation, she joined the rest of her family as they stood together. Word quickly spread throughout the castle and beyond and clan members soon crowded their way into the great hall to witness the event.
“This is a dreadful idea.”
Katherine looked over, startled to realize that it was Hamish who had spoken. “For once we are in total agreement,” she replied, stepping toward him.
Hamish’s expression turned eager. “Then let’s stop it, Katherine. If we speak up now and declare our intention to marry, we will save our siblings from this fate.”
Katherine slowly shook her head. He was like a dog with a bone, nay worse, for he seemed incapable of letting it drop. “Why, Hamish? Why is the notion of our marriage such an obsession fer ye?”
Hamish’s shoulders slumped. “’Tis the most important task my father—and my clan—ever asked of me and I failed them.”
“Not intentionally. Yer heart had other plans, as did mine.” Katherine laid her fingertips gently on his arm. “What of Fenella?”
His eyes grew dim. “She is gone. Father sent her away. I know not where.”
“Then find her. Prove yer love fer her and she will gladly be yer wife.”
Hamish grimaced. “’Tis not as simple as ye make it sound, Katherine. Not everyone has the courage to defy their father and forsake their duty.”
“Fie! No one can fault ye on how persistently ye tried to fulfill our betrothal,” she remarked dryly. “I swear ye would have followed me to the ends of the earth to have yer way.”
“Aye. And ye would have run even farther to avoid me.”
Katherine’s lips curled in an ironic grin at the truth of his words. “Search fer Fenella,” she urged. “’Tis not too late to find the happiness ye seek.”
Hamish’s expression contorted with doubt. “I could have made ye happy, Katherine.”
“Nay. My destiny lay with Lachlan. He is the man that I was meant to marry, just as Fenella is meant fer ye.” She lowered her chin. “Ye dwell too much in the past, Hamish. Look toward the future instead.”
Looking torn with conflicting emotions, Hamish shifted his weight from one foot to the next. “Fenella might not wish to see me. She was very upset the last time we spoke.”
Katherine cleared her throat. She could well imagine how Fenella felt, yet she also believed that all was not lost. “If she cares fer ye as much as I think, her anger and hurt will abate.”
“Truly?”
Surprised by the sudden glint of hope in his eyes, Katherine nodded. “Aye.”
The dark scowl on Hamish’s brow lightened. “Then I shall be a bold and courageous fellow and follow yer advice.”
“Good.”
Shocking her utterly, he then graciously bowed. “Good-bye, Katherine.”
“Farewell, Hamish,” she replied, a genuine smile upon her lips.
Turning her attention back to the activities in the great hall, Katherine realized the wedding was about to take place. Joan was chosen to stand in for the bride. Her lovely smile lent an almost festive air to this most solemn ceremony. Graham remained relaxed, sounding very pleased with himself as he spoke his vows.
Katherine was still struggling to grasp the enormity of it all when Father John gave his final blessing. A hearty cheer went up from those in attendance, no doubt in anticipation of the celebratory meal that would be served later that night, which would include free-flowing ale and whiskey.
Mercifully, the Drummonds elected to depart the moment the ink had dried on the marriage documents, forgoing any celebrations in the hopes of returning to their land before full darkness descended. Graham dutifully escorted them outside, along with the McKenna, Lady Aileen, and Joan.
Still struggling to comprehend and accept all that had happened, Katherine stayed behind.
“Mistress Innes said there was a wedding and that Mama was the bride,” a young voice intoned. “Who did she marry?”
Katherine glanced down at her young niece, Lileas. The child’s face was ringed in curiosity along with a touch of annoyance, for Lileas always wanted to be included in everything.
“No one,” Katherine answered. “She married no one, since she is already married to yer father.”
“I heard Mistress Innes tell one of the maids that Mama married Uncle Graham. Is he my papa, too?” Lileas’s expression brightened. “He always has treats fer me and Callum and takes us the farthest away from the castle when we ride our ponies. I think I shall like it very much having another papa.”
Katherine could not contain her smile. Ever the opportunist, Lileas looked to find the best in every situation, especially when it benefited her. Perhaps Katherine could learn something from the lass’s attitude?
“A child has one father and one mother. Malcolm, and only Malcolm, is yer father,” Katherine explained.
“But Mama is my second mama. My first mother is in heaven,” Lileas reminded her solemnly.
“Ye may only have one father and one mother at a time,” Katherine clarified.
Lileas’s brows knit together tightly. She was a bright, inquisitive child and Katherine assumed after digesting the information she would understand the difference.
“Callum has two fathers,” Lileas said slowly. “I heard Papa speak of it once. He called him a bloody Fraser bastard, unfit to walk—”
“Honey cakes!” Katherine shouted, not wanting to be reminded of Joan’s brief, disastrous marriage to Archibald Fraser. The only good that had ever come from the union was the birth of her son, Callum. A child that Fraser disowned, but Malcolm willingly adopted as his own.
“Honey cakes? Where?” Lileas’s eyes widened with excitement.
“In the kitchen. Hurry now, before they are all eaten.”
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Lileas turned and started running across the great hall. “I shall eat one and then take two,” she called over her shoulder. “One fer me and one fer Callum.”
Katherine felt a pang of guilt as she watched the lass scamper away. ’Twas a cowardly way to abruptly end the conversation, but the first thing she could think of to distract the lass. Her biggest hope was that Cook had in truth baked a large supply of Lileas’s favorite treat or else the commotion in the kitchen would rival the upheaval that had just taken place in the great hall.
Katherine turned to leave just as the family returned. Her gut tightened when she caught sight of the dark, brooding expression on her father’s face. Her brother had just married an unknown woman in order to secure the alliance he craved. Should he not finally look pleased? Or was his displeasure with her too strong to overcome any feelings of joy?
Every muscle in Katherine’s body tensed as she struggled against the urge to burst into tears. The words she had just spoken to Lileas about having only one father echoed through her head.
And mine despises me. Stifling a sob, Katherine turned away.
“And just where do ye think ye’re going, Katherine?”
The McKenna’s voice boomed through the vast chamber, nearly rattling the glass in the windows.
Katherine turned back and met her father’s gaze with one of defiance. “Below, to be with my husband.”
Lady Aileen jabbed her husband in the side. The McKenna grimaced. “There is no need to go to the dungeon, Katherine. Yer husband is here.”
Katherine turned and did indeed see Lachlan, standing in the shadows, flanked by two McKenna guards. His eyes were dulled from fatigue and lack of sleep, his jaw covered in a heavy blanket of stubble.
The urge to race to his side and embrace him was strong, yet Katherine held back. Instead, she cast a suspicious eye toward her father.
“Is he still yer prisoner?” she asked.
“Nay.”
The Bride Chooses a Highlander Page 23
