Highlander’s False Betrothal by Alisa Adams
13
After the encounter with Ainsley, Aodh excused himself, saying he needed some time to walk the nearby hillsides alone. Given the unpleasantness of the confrontation, Caroline certainly couldn’t blame him, although she privately wished he would invite her along so she might continue to reassure him that this sad state of affairs was not his fault. After all, he was hardly the first man who had been taken in by a lovely countenance and a pair of soft lips whispering “trust me,” would he? He had placed his trust in a lover, someone he thought he could rely on. She felt horrible for him, knowing that he would use this spate of solitude to needlessly chastise and flagellate himself.
It’s a funny thing, isn’t it?she thought, sitting in a chair in the guest chambers and looking out the window at Aodh’s distant form. If I were his wife in truth, I have no doubt I would feel much the same way about wanting to be by his side during his moments of self-doubt and anguish. When the marriage has ended, will we remain friends, I wonder? And if so, what will the nature of that friendship be?
There was a knock at the door, and it provoked a brief stab of anxiety, as Caroline thought that it might be the servant girl again to say that Ainsley had changed her mind and returned. That, perhaps, the wretched woman had chosen to march into the great hall of the manor and brazenly announce to all who lived there that the union between Caroline and Aodh was a false one.
Either way, hesitating to answer would likely not change the outcome. “Come in,” she said wearily.
Freya entered, looking concerned. “Are you all right? Only two words and I could still hear how utterly dejected you sound.”
“That is because you are an extremely perceptive girl,” Caroline answered. “What can I do for you, my dear?”
“Actually, I was wondering if there was anything I could do for you,” Freya replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I heard that Ainsley paid a visit a short while ago. I cannot imagine what would possess her to do such a thing…well, no, that isn’t true, I have no trouble at all imagining it. Still, it seemed a bold gesture even for someone as classless as she is, so I wanted to make sure you and my brother were not too shaken by the incident.”
“That’s quite considerate of you, Freya,” she answered sincerely. “Her behavior was entirely dreadful, and when Aodh ordered her to depart at once, I was genuinely worried that she would refuse and the guards would have to be summoned to remove her.”
“That would have been fun to watch, at least,” Freya snickered.
“And what of you?” Caroline asked, hoping to change the subject. “Are you and Scott getting on well?”
Freya appeared to give the question serious consideration, then nodded slowly. “I believe we are, yes. Only it’s difficult to tell, with all of the pressure that’s being placed on our getting married. The entire situation feels so peculiar, especially since I do not want to wed someone without knowing whether I might truly grow to adore them in the fullness of time.”
Caroline smiled faintly, impressed as always by Freya’s flowery turns of phrase.
The younger woman put the back of her wrist to her forehead in a dramatic gesture. “If only there were some way to…marry him without really marrying him, you know? To take some time and make sure that we are good as husband and wife, without having to commit to it as a lifelong enterprise if things should go horribly awry.”
In that moment, Caroline’s heart went out to her. And once again, she felt the overwhelming urge to tell her the truth, certain that Freya could be trusted with the secret.
“Freya, I have something to reveal to you, but you must promise not to tell anyone.”
“Of course,” Freya replied. “I would never betray your confidence. I hope you know that.”
“Aodh and I…are not actually married,” Caroline said. “There was a deliberate error in the marriage documents we signed.”
Freya’s jaw dropped. “And Aodh did not trust me enough to tell me?”
“You must not blame him,” Caroline insisted. “You ought to blame me, for I made him promise not to tell anyone.”
“Except he told Ainsley, didn’t he?” Freya stroked her chin pensively. “Of course he did. He’d have to reassure her that they could still be married, or else she might have behaved like a madwoman and disrupted the ceremony. But because she’s Ainsley—and thus, little more than a monster in a corset—she followed you both here and threatened to reveal your secret, didn’t she?”
“Your deductive skills are impressive indeed,” Caroline marveled.
Freya shrugged. “My brother likes to think he’s mysterious, but I have always been able to see through him as clearly as a pane of glass. So, are you suggesting, then, that I try something similar with Scott?”
“Not necessarily. It is a significant risk, and besides, Aodh consented to the plan, whereas I doubt that Scott would willingly—”
There was another knock at the door. Before Caroline could answer, it opened, and Laird Bhaltair walked in with a predatory smile.
“I beg your pardon, sir!” Freya said indignantly. “You might have waited for a response! She could have been in a state of undress, for heaven’s sake!”
“But she was not, lass,” he replied. “And besides, a man of my position does not concern himself with what could have been, only with what is. Now, please excuse us, for Lady Caroline, and I have much to discuss.”
“Once again, sir, your lack of decorum is most dismaying!” Freya persisted. “To think that you would expect me to leave you alone with a lady in her chamber!”
The smile remained frozen on Bhaltair’s face as he looked at Freya, but his eyes were as black and pitiless as a shark’s. “This chamber is in my manor, which means it belongs to me. Now, I have remained civil until this moment, but unless you make yourself scarce at once, you will see my civility reach a most distressing conclusion. Is that understood?”
“I understood it to be a threat,” Freya countered coolly. “Was it? Because if so, my brother would wish to know about it.”
Bhaltair took a deep breath, as though summoning every last scrap of patience he could muster. “I meant no threat, child. My manners are, perhaps, not what they should be. The recent loss of my son has made me forget myself, and for that, I apologize. Nevertheless, I do seek a private audience with Lady Caroline regarding a most pressing matter, and I do hope you will kindly indulge me.”
Freya looked to Caroline, as though asking whether she should insist on staying.
“It’s all right, Freya,” Caroline assured her. “Thank you, but all will be well, I’m sure.”
The younger woman looked unconvinced, but she still withdrew after shooting a final dark glance at Bhaltair.
The moment Freya had crossed the threshold, Bhaltair shut the door behind her, and for a queasy moment, Caroline wished she had not been left alone with him after all. “What do you wish of me, Laird Bhaltair?” she asked hoarsely.
“‘Tis more a matter of what you wish from me, Lady Caroline,” he replied, his words eerily echoing those of Freya a short while before. “More specifically, whether you wish for me to protect the secret of your false marriage to Aodh…or whether you wish for me to reveal it, and see you both denounced and thrown in a dungeon for perpetrating this heinous fraud?”
