Highlander’s False Betrothal by Alisa Adams
7
The next day, Caroline and Aodh informed Edmund and Lord Lloyd that they’d officially decided they were willing to marry each other. There was much hand-shaking and congratulations, and when the formal announcement was made from the ramparts of the castle, the people of the Campbell clan broke into wild cheers and applause. True, many of them were somewhat less than pleased that their laird intended to wed an Englishwoman, but so many of them had lost loved ones in the recent war that they were simply glad the bloodshed would be at an end.
After the date for the nuptials had been agreed upon (three days hence), Aodh made excuses to Edmund and the servants, telling them all that he intended to spend much of the morning and afternoon out strolling the Highlands.
Under normal circumstances, Quinn might have offered to accompany him for reasons of safety. This time, however, he remained silent, knowing full well what Aodh’s next errand would be.
And knowing that it probably wouldn’t be a particularly pleasant one.
Caroline was busy telling her father every expensive detail she wanted for the ceremony (as she had decided that if he was going to force her to marry, he could damn well pay for the most lavish affair she could possibly dream up). As such, she did not notice Aodh’s absence until that afternoon, by which time he was already on his way back from the estate where Ainsley lived with her wealthy family.
Aodh had visited the manor many times before while courting Ainsley, and previously, he had always looked forward to the sight of the place—its grand and stately facade, the fountain in the courtyard, the pleasant garden paths around the sides and back.
This time, he felt as though he was grimly marching himself toward his own execution.
He called upon Ainsley and bade her to walk the gardens with him so that they might converse. She agreed, but from the guarded and suspicious glint in her eye, she was still clearly unhappy about what had passed between them the last time she’d visited Campbell Castle.
Aodh had not felt especially guilty about telling Quinn of his plan to falsely wed Caroline. He’d needed advice, after all.
But now that he was face-to-face with his betrothed, he found that Caroline’s words of warning about not telling anyone of their scheme were echoing ominously in his mind.
Why, though?
He trusted Ainsley enough to ask her to share his life with him. He told himself there was no reason for him not to trust her with this secret, especially knowing that if he did not, she would doubtless be heartbroken at the news of his upcoming wedding.
Still, what he was about to do made him dreadfully uneasy for reasons he couldn’t quite pin down.
“Well?” she demanded impatiently. “You’ve clearly come here to say something to me, so you might as well get it over with. Especially since from the expression on your face, it’s bad news.”
“It is not,” he hastened to correct her. “Or at l-least, not really. Not entirely, I mean.”
What is the matter with me?he asked himself, stymied. I have never been one to stammer or show nervousness before, so why do I suddenly find myself so damn flustered?
An answer floated up from some deeper voice within: He was about to do something he knew he could not take back. Something that could lead to disaster if he was making a miscalculation with regard to Ainsley’s loyalty and affection for him.
Oh, nonsense!he thought, frustrated. I am merely second-guessing her because of the things Caroline said to me. And of course, Caroline would think ill of Ainsley, as she thinks ill of most Scottish folk. To think that I would allow some newcomer—and an English one, at that!—to cause me to doubt Ainsley’s love and devotion. Shame on me!
Even so, he felt he had to begin by saying, “What I am about to tell you now is of the utmost secrecy, Ainsley. In order for me to confide it in you, you must swear before God that you will not tell a soul. Will you please do that for me?”
Ainsley scoffed. “That you would even feel the need to ask such a thing of me is terribly insulting, Aodh! How could you have so little faith in me after all we have shared? Why, if you cannot trust me, you may as well keep your damned secret to yourself and be off at once!”
“You are correct, of course,” Aodh mumbled guiltily. “I apologize for offending you. That was not my intention at all. This is simply a difficult subject, that’s all. And a rather delicate one.”
“Then I shall keep that in mind,” she assured him, reaching out and taking his hand. “Aodh, you know you can tell me anything. I am on your side and always shall be. Whatever we face, we face it together, no matter what. That is why I wish to marry you.” She paused, then took her hand away again. “Though I suspect your visit might have something to do with that.”
“It does,” he confessed with difficulty, “though not, perhaps, in the way you might imagine.”
“Then tell me!” she prodded. “The way you keep dancing away from the topic at hand is driving me mad, Aodh!”
“I apologize,” he said again, feeling utterly thrown off balance.
He was a grown man and a mighty warrior, and he generally liked to believe he was in control of his own mind and senses. Yet whenever he was with Ainsley, he felt as though all control was wrested from his grasp, like the very ground beneath him was no longer stable, and she had the power to wrench it out from under him like a rug.
“This morning, it was announced that I will be wed to Lady Caroline Lloyd,” he went on quickly, hoping to get to the second part before she could entirely absorb the first. “However, that won’t be quite true…strictly speaking. The marriage will be a false one.”
Ainsley frowned suspiciously. “The two of you will be exchanging vows in front of clergy and before witnesses. How is any of that meant to be ‘false’?”
“The documents we sign,” he explained. “There will be a deliberate error in them. We will appear to be wed for a brief time…long enough to stabilize the strife between our people. Then, when all has been healed—and, indeed, new opportunities for unity have been explored—the ‘error’ in the documents will be discovered, and we will simply choose not to renew our vows. So you see, Ainsley, in this way, you and I can still be together,” he concluded earnestly. “It will simply take a bit of time and patience. And as you’ve just said, together, we have the strength and courage to face any hardship. Even this one.”
But the look on her face was wholly unconvincing. “I…suppose we must,” she acceded softly, her tone heavy with self-pity. “However, for this to work, you must promise me that you will not consummate this union with her, Aodh. No matter how she tries to tempt you, you must think of me, and you must not give in.”
“Nothing of the sort will happen, I assure you,” he told her sincerely. “We do not have such feelings for each other.”
Ainsley peered at him shrewdly. “Oh, come now, Aodh. I am not a stupid woman. I know full well that you are attracted to her, and I understand, truly. Any man would be, and I am not upset, for I trust you to comport yourself admirably.” Her expression darkened. “She is the one whose motives I do not trust. Not even a tiny bit.”
“Why would her motives in this arrangement be suspect?” he asked. “She does not wish to genuinely marry me any more than I do her. In fact…”
“Let me guess,” Ainsley cut in. “The arrangement was her idea?”
“Er…yes, it was,” he conceded, still not understanding what she was getting at.
Ainsley clucked her tongue in a pitying manner, cupping Aodh’s face in her soft hands. “Oh, Aodh, you poor, simple, trusting man! You do not know the ways of women as I do. Which is not your fault, I suppose. Of course the idea was hers, and of course she framed it in such a way as to make you believe it was strictly for mutual convenience. But you are a young and handsome laird, and so naturally, it is her hidden agenda to ensnare you thusly.”
“I find all of that extremely hard to believe,” Aodh replied uncertainly.
“That is because you are a fine, noble, honorable man,” she cooed, stroking his cheek gently. “You have trouble fathoming the ill intentions of others. It’s one of the many reasons you and I are so well-suited for each other. But you must beware of her, Aodh, for her true goal is to lure you into marriage first, then isolate you from me and make you fall in love with her. You must not let that happen! You must not let anything come between us!”
“I will not,” Aodh assured her. He was still unconvinced that her suspicions were valid, but he wanted nothing more than to comfort her, to make her understand that this marriage would not mean the ruination of his relationship with her.
So he held her close, and rocked her, and kissed her, and told her whatever it took to make her feel calm and loved.
Especially since he knew that the worst part of it all was the thing neither of them had yet dared to bring up: As the daughter of one of the clan’s richest and most respectable families, Ainsley would be expected to attend the ceremony.
Which meant she would be forced to watch the entire event.
