Highlander’s False Betrothal by Alisa Adams

5

That evening, Edmund hosted dinner for Lord George and his daughter, giving them his deepest apologies and telling them that Aodh was not feeling well. It was an obvious lie (and an even more obvious insult on the part of the Campbells’ laird), but neither Lloyd nor Caroline pressed the point. Lloyd simply had too much on the line to allow himself to become flustered or angry, and for her part, Caroline felt it would only harm matters further if she and Aodh were forced to spend more time together before they’d both had a chance to calm down from their earlier altercation.

Even so, this whole scenario was going far more poorly than Caroline had expected, which was certainly saying something.

She had anticipated being pressured into marrying someone she was not necessarily enamored with. But she had not thought for a moment that there would be so much overt hostility between the two of them. She had believed she would have to contend with indifference, nothing more. Aodh was stubborn, prideful, hotheaded when challenged, saddled with a lover who was clearly jealous and conniving…

And the fact that he was so damnably handsome made the whole thing all the more frustrating.

If only his manner were more agreeable and he wasn’t having his strings pulled by Ainsley, marrying him might not be such a dreadful hardship,she thought, finishing her meal and dabbing the corners of her mouth with her napkin. As it stands, however, I must come up with a solution to this whole situation. My father’s life and future depend upon it. And by extension, mine does as well.

And Aodh might not know it—or rather, might not be willing to acknowledge it—but this arrangement needs to work for his sake as well. My father might run out of money before he manages to triumph in this war, or he might not, but either way, the losses on Aodh’s side are sure to be catastrophic.

To the point where I doubt his precious clan might ever fully recover.

Caroline passed another sleepless night, but this time, she did not wander the castle. She remained in her room, staring into the dark corners as her mind worked furiously to come up with a solution that might benefit everyone involved, at least partially. There had to be a way. She was sure of it.

And shortly before the sun rose, she arrived at one.

When Aodh came down to breakfast that day, he found that Caroline was waiting for him in the dining hall.

Alone.

With the food already on the table.

He frowned. “Where is your father? And Edmund? Are they not joining us this morning?”

“I informed them that I wished to enjoy the pleasure of your company without them,” Caroline replied. “That we might take this chance to get to know each other better.”

“And no doubt you instructed the servants to bring the food before my arrival,” he grouched, taking his seat, “in order to ensure that my plate has gone cold before you ‘enjoy my company’?”

“There is no need to display such a grumpy disposition,” she countered. “The food was brought moments ago, and I have no doubt that it is piping hot. However, before you begin to consume it, a question: You were born and raised in this castle, were you not?”

Aodh briefly considered the span of years when he, Sorcha, and Freya had been imprisoned by another clan at the behest of their spiteful uncle, then decided that was more detail than she required and simply nodded. “Aye.”

“Then you would doubtless know of any hidden passages or nooks where people might spy upon each other’s endeavors?”

He raised an eyebrow. “I do. Why, do you wish to surveil someone unawares? Is that an activity which will allow us to become better acquainted?”

He had to admit that in an odd way, the idea was not entirely unpalatable to him. At least it would be interesting, and it would demonstrate that she had a mischievous streak. In other words, a personality that was defined by something other than hating the Scottish and wanting to go home.

But she shook her head. “No. I would appreciate it if you would briefly check those spots in this room in order to ensure that we are not being overheard.”

Aodh let out a frustrated sigh and stood, making a show of examining the hidden corners he was aware of (and wondering if he would ever get to enjoy his breakfast). Bad enough he was being pushed into marrying this woman, but now he had to go through this ridiculous charade on her behalf as well?

It was a shame he found himself so irritated with her because she was, perhaps, the fairest and loveliest woman he had ever laid eyes on. Even prettier and more graceful than Ainsley, though he was loath to admit it to himself. Whenever he found himself in her presence, he discovered that at first glance, he was consistently smitten with her.

Then she would open her mouth and speak, and the spell would be instantly broken.

If only her temperament were more agreeable,he lamented inwardly, I might not feel quite so horrid about poor Ainsley being shoved aside in this awful manner. If only there were some wonderful magic that might place Ainsley’s soul in this person’s body…ah, then all involved might profit from it.

Well, except for Caroline’s expelled soul, of course. But then it could settle into a boar or a toad, or something else with a countenance to match her appalling demeanor.

“Yes, it appears we are alone,” he told her gruffly. “Now, may I please have my breakfast before it becomes as chilled as a gravestone?”

“You may,” she answered, “as long as you listen to my proposal while you eat.”

He speared a forkful of egg and some ham, popping them into his mouth. “And what proposal might that be? Pistols at twenty paces?”

“A tempting proposition. If you do not care for my idea, perhaps we might give yours a try next.” She folded her hands on the table before her in a businesslike fashion. “The concept of this marriage is ridiculous, as I’ve said, but given your position and that of my father, it would seem to be unavoidable. Nevertheless, I believe I can say without fear of contradiction that neither of us is eager to spend the rest of our lives with each other. True?”

“Aye, true enough,” he muttered. “Have you any other astonishingly obvious comments to share?”

She chose to ignore his comment, pressing on. “It would stand to reason, then, that we must find a way to appear to be married without being genuinely shackled to each other in such a manner.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You mean lie before God Himself as we take our vows? That would be a grave and dishonorable blasphemy, would it not?”

She shook her head. “If one of us truly believed in this union and the other did not but took their vows anyway, then yes, that would be wicked indeed and quite a sin. However, in this instance, we would both be well aware of what we were doing and knowing that such feelings were in our hearts in a mutual sense, I believe God would forgive us.”

“You’re comfortable speaking for Him, are you? Where, then, did you study divinity?” He chortled, taking another forkful of food.

“You may tell any silly jokes you wish,” she retorted primly. “The fact remains that we would be going through with such a charade in order to save lives—primarily those of your people—but also, it would prevent more needless slaughter of the poor souls my father insists on hiring to fight his wars for him. I have every reason to believe the Almighty would be firmly on our side.”

Aodh thought it over. He didn’t like to concede it, but she was making a valid point. “Very well, but even if our intentions are not genuine when we take our vows, the union shall still be witnessed, signed, and binding in the eyes of the public and the law.”

“Not if the documents we sign contain errors,” she pointed out. “Which we can arrange. Then later, once things between our clans have stabilized, we can ‘discover’ these errors and announce that we do not intend to see them rectified. By then, no one will much care whether we are truly married or not, and both of us will be able to go on our merry way. Does that not sound appealing to you?”

“Getting caught in such a fraudulent enterprise does not sound appealing to me,” Aodh replied. “You might not be aware of this, but my older brother was meant to be laird, but the exposure of a personal disgrace cost him that position, which is why it fell to me. My family has no other male heirs. Which means the entire future of my clan rests upon my shoulders.”

“That sounds like quite a burden.”

Aodh curled his lip angrily. “Save me your sneering. I have no need of it.”

Caroline frowned gently. “I apologize if I gave offense. I was not sneering in the slightest. Rather, I meant every word: I can only imagine the weight of such a responsibility, and I am not the least bit surprised that you would take it so seriously. I have no wish to jeopardize your position, Aodh. If anything, I only seek to strengthen it with the plan I have proposed.”

“To strengthen it, only to weaken it again later?” He inwardly conceded that he had too quickly jumped to the conclusion that she had been mocking him. She did seem oddly sympathetic to his plight.

And what she was proposing was not entirely unheard of. They’d hardly be the first betrothed couple whose marriage turned out to be for show and was annulled later as a result.

So why, then, did he find himself so bothered by the idea of this scheme? Why was he so certain that it would all go wrong somehow?

Again, he thought back to the arranged marriages which had already plagued two of his older siblings. Dand and Sorcha had both entered into such pacts with the best of intentions, believing that they would benefit all involved, but the things that had gone wrong in both cases had been bloodcurdling and had nearly torn the clan apart.

Aodh had thought himself entirely safe from such a fate when, all those months ago, he had told Ainsley that he wished to marry her. She was a noblewoman, he was enamored with her, she felt the same about him, and both were overjoyed at the prospect of making their own choices in such a situation. He had breathed a tremendous sigh of relief that there would be no matchmaking in his future, no uncertainty with regard to who he would be prodded into marrying and whether that person might have some heinous agenda of their own that threatened the interests of the Campbells.

And now, here he was, staring down the bleak tunnel of his own future after such an arranged marriage.

Is she giving me a feasible way out now?he wondered. Should I seize it? Or will these machinations lead to some greater tragedy?

“You have it all wrong, sir,” she replied, her tone almost warm and inviting. “Our marriage would end, yes, but that is not to say that our alliance shall. This will give our two houses time to forge bonds. Ones which may endure later on and prove valuable to our family and to your clan. Would it not serve you to have an English ally? Would it not serve the Crown if one of its lords had a connection in these territories who might be reasoned with?”

“You may be right,” he said, “but it still seems to me as though you have forgotten one rather crucial element of what will be expected of us.”

She did not have to ask him what he meant by that. “We would not be the first married couple who did not produce an heir immediately. The reason might be attributed to any number of things.”

“Still, it is bound to raise questions.”

“Now see here!” she exclaimed sharply. “I did not claim that this plan was a perfect one. I would venture to say that no plan is without flaw when first put forth. However, if you have a better one—one which does not involve the both of us tossing our futures away entirely on a loveless and thoroughly despicable marriage—I would encourage you to say so! Otherwise, you might make some attempt at solving these problems rather than simply bellyaching about them! Now, are you willing to at least entertain this proposition? I’d wager your precious Ainsley would be most appreciative if you would,” she added nastily.

He steepled his fingers in front of him for several moments, thinking it over. Then he nodded slowly. “Allow me to give the matter some additional consideration,” he answered.

“Fair enough,” she said. “But remember: If anyone else learns of this, it will be disastrous indeed, so do not discuss it with another soul.”

But despite her admonition, Aodh had every intention of seeking the advice of the one person he trusted above any other.