Page 30 of The Highlander's Dangerous Bride

Raven hesitated for a few moments. She was so used to secrecy, it was hard for her to even begin to tell the truth she had been forced to hide for so long. On the other hand, she knew Arne deserved the truth, and that it would in many ways be a relief to finally tell him all about her past and the danger that had kept her running for so long.

“Me husband is… Laird Struan MacDonald of Barra. I’m Lady Raven MacDonald.”

“Jaysus! Ye’re married taehim?!” Arne exclaimed in obvious shock, clearly recognizing the name, as she had known he would. Clan MacDonald was well known in the island region, if not to say notorious. The clan was large, powerful, and wealthy, and Struan’s reputation as a ruthless and acquisitive leader had spread far and wide. He had as many allies as he did enemies.

Arne took a few steps backwards, groped for the chair behind him, and fell into it, staring at her open-mouthed.

“Aye, but I told ye, it wasnae me choice. It was a match arranged by me faither, the Laird MacNeil, when I was seventeen. He wanted the power that an alliance with Struan would give him and the clan, and I was the means of securin’ it. I hadnae even met the man, but with all the bad things I’d heard about his brutal nature, I refused tae go through with it.

“Me faither locked me up in me chambers until the weddin’ day. In the end, I was forced tae marry him. There was nay love involved, Arne. And I soon found out that all the things I’d heard about him were true.”

“Did he mistreat ye?” Arne asked, leaning forward in his chair now, his hands clasped loosely between his knees.

Tears pressed at the back of her eyes as she groped for the words. “He’s a cruel man, and he made me life a misery. I stood it fer a year, but that was all I could take. I managed tae escape from the island, and when I got tae Harris, I kent he’d be comin’ after me. He told me he’d rather kill me than let me go. I changed me name and disguised mesel’ as a servant, hopin’ tae find a job and support mesel’ while I hid from Struan. I would have gone further away, but I had hardly any money.”

“That’s when ye got the maid’s job at the house of pleasure?”

“Aye,” she replied, looking down at her hands fidgeting in her lap. It was strange to feel safe enough to tell the truth, with the habit of fear so strongly ingrained. Sensing his change of mood, she looked up and met his eyes. “And then I met ye.”

“Aye. But why did ye nae tell me all this about bein’ married tae him back then? Ye must have kent I’d protect ye,” he said with pain in his voice.

“I ken ye would have, Arne, and that’s exactly why I decided I couldnae tell ye. Struan is a vicious, vengeful man. Ye ken how powerful he is, and he has a large army. If he had ever connected ye tae me, he would have come after ye and maybe killed ye. He might even have harmed yer family. I couldnae risk ye gettin’ hurt because of me.”

Arne rubbed his palms over his eyes. “I ken all that, but ye could have given me the choice. The MacLeods are strong too. We would have fought them.”

“Arne, I could nae have asked that of ye,” she tried to explain. “It was too big of a sacrifice. I cared about ye too much. I couldnae bear the thought of him hurtin’ or killin’ ye.”

“Ye didnae think fer a minute that I might kill him?”

“I’m nae sayin’ that. I’m sayin’ I couldnae take the risk. I’m sorry, but I thought the best thing tae dae at the time was tae keep me past a secret.”

“That was why ye always made it clear that what we had was nae serious.”

She nodded sadly. “I thought it was necessary tae protect ye and yer family. But I loved ye, Arne, with all me heart.”

“That’s easy tae say now, eh? Christ! Nay wonder ye changed yer tune when ye found out ye were with me child.”

“I already told ye about that. I foolishly let mesel’ get carried away with dreams of a happy future, ye, me, and our bairn. I thought I could put the threat of Struan behind me. But I was wrong.”

“I was comin’ back from fightin’, and I was ready tae propose tae ye, Raven. Did ye nae realize I was in love with ye?”

“Of course, I did! And I was in love with ye too,” she exclaimed.

“So ye say, but what were ye gonnae tell me when I asked ye tae marry me? Would ye have told me about MacDonald then? Or would ye have found some lie tae fob me off?”

Raven was beset by confusion then. The memories of their closeness were so good that they were painful to her now. “I didnae ken ye were gonnae propose tae me, Arne. I told mesel’ ye were happy with things as they were. Ye never mentioned it tae me before. Believe me, if it hadnae been fer Struan, I would have leaped at the chance tae be yer wife. I didnae ken what I would have done if ye’d asked me tae wed ye because I wouldnae let mesel’ think that far. Maybe I would have told ye the truth. I just wanted tae be happy with ye and the bairn.”

A heavy silence fell for several minutes. Then Arne said, “The three years since ye abandoned me and Thorsten?—”

“I told ye before, dinnae say Iabandonedye. Me faither abandoned me, and I swore I’d never dae that tae me own bairn. That’s why I had tae come back tae see him,” she cried, her emotions getting the better of her.

“So, all the time ye were away, ye were with him.”

“Aye. After I left here, I went tae try tae get on the ferry tae Skye, thinkin’ if I could get tae Oban on the mainland, I’d be safe. But Struan’s men caught up with me just as I was about tae get on the boat.” She grimaced at the horrible memory of being discovered, tied up, and dragged back to Barra and her husband.

“They took me straight back tae Struan. Ye can imagine how angry he was once he got me back. After that, I was more or less kept prisoner in me chambers. He would nae let me go anywhere without a guard.”

“How come ye managed tae get away again then?” Arne asked, still sounding doubtful.

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