Page 67 of Scot of Deception
Blaine didn’t know if that was the best course of action, considering that he was still on bad terms with Bran. The more he perceived his actions as insults, the more he would despise him, and the last thing Blaine wanted was to give the man another reason to be against him. But he supposed in the privacy of their little group, he could call Fenella whatever she wished.
“Alright,” he said. “Fenella it is. I’m sorry I missed yer weddin’, Fenella. I heard it was a marvelous affair.”
“Och aye!” Fenella said, brightening up at the mention of the wedding. Only a few days prior, Blaine would have been surprised to see her like this, speaking so animatedly about the very same thing that had brought her so much sorrow. But now he knew the truth from Kathleen; Fenella didn’t find her husband so bad, after all. “It truly was! Ewan an’ I danced all night!”
“Did ye enjoy yerself?” Blaine asked Kathleen, looking down at her where she was still in his arms. “Was all this peril worth it fer ye tae see yer friend wed?”
With an indignant huff, Kathleen pushed Blaine back, slapping his chest. “I didnae come here tae see her wed! I came because she needed me! Because she asked me tae be here an’ I couldnae bear tae leave her alone.”
Blaine couldn’t help but laugh at that, wondering what the difference even was. Whatever it was, though, it was important to Kathleen, and so he didn’t push the matter. Instead, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together.
“Is it time, then?” he asked, and the mood in the air suddenly changed, a heavy silence settling over them.
Kathleen nodded and Fenella took a deep breath.
“Alright,” Fenella said. “I’ll leave ye tae dae as ye must. Dae let me ken what they said.”
“O’ course,” Kathleen promised. “Ye’ll be the first tae ken.”
With that, the three of them headed back to the keep, taking the winding path that led there. Once at the main doors, though, Fenella headed to the drawing room while Blaine and Kathleen took the hallways that led to Laird Stewart’s study, where he knew Bran and Ilyssa were waiting for the two of them.
Kathleen had arranged it all, but she wanted to face her parents with Blaine, and Blaine wouldn’t have it any other way. He, too, wanted to be there when they would have this conversation. He wanted to show Bran just how much he loved his daughter and that if only he was allowed, he would make her the happiest woman in the world—titles and wealth be damned.
Knocking on the door, Blaine waited to hear Laird Stewart’s voice calling them inside. Once he did, he stepped into the room, still holding Kathleen’s hand tightly in his own.
The scene that greeted him upon entering was a somber one. Laird Stewart sat behind his desk as usual, while Bran sat across from him with a goblet of wine in his hand. Ilyssa was once again by the window, the morning light illuminating her patrician features and showing, for once, a resemblance to Kathleen, despite all their differences.
“Blaine!” Laird Stewart exclaimed, standing once he saw them. “It’s good tae see ye. I see Mrs. Moggach took good care o’ ye.”
“As always,” Blaine said, tilting his head in a gesture of gratitude. “I couldnae have asked fer anyone better.”
“Good, good. Well, I’m sure the four o’ ye have much tae tell each other, so I’ll leave ye,” said Laird Stewart, rounding his desk and walking towards the door. “I shall see ye all at dinner.”
With that, he was gone, and Blaine and Kathleen were left alone with her parents. For a moment, no one spoke. Ilyssa took a deep breath and went to stand by her husband, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Blaine was the first one to break the silence. “I dae hope ye’ll listen tae us an’ truly consider what we have tae say.”
Ilyssa gestured expansively with her free hand. “We’ll listen,” she said. “We promised ye as much.”
Next to Blaine, Kathleen took a deep, shaky breath. “I wish tae be with Blaine. I… I ken this isnae what ye have envisioned an’ it isnae what ye had expected or what ye would have liked tae see from me, but it’s what I want. I dinnae care about wealth or titles and I dinnae care Blaine isnae a noble.”
“But ye’re a noble,” her father pointed out. Those were the first words he had spoken ever since the two of them had entered the room, and they were dripping with venom. “Ye’re meant tae wed another noble an’ secure a good alliance fer the clan. Even if ye’re nae a laird’s daughter, ye ken yer position in the clan.”
“Ach, but what does it matter?” Kathleen insisted. “If ye were the laird, I would understand. I wouldnae like it, but I would understand. But ye’re nae the laird, so why must I sacrifice me love fer somethin’ that will probably never happen? Me bairns willnae be lairds an’ I’m sure me cousinsare more than capable o’ securin’ good alliances fer the clan.”
“It’s the principle o’ it,” her father insisted calmly, but then something seemed to pop into his mind that sent a surge of fury through him, and he slammed his goblet down onto the desk, the wine sloshing over the rim. “An’ this man is a decade older than ye! Does that nae bother ye? Does it nae seem enough o’ a reason fer ye tae stay away from him?”
Blaine cleared his throat, pulling Bran’s and Alyssa’s attention on him. Throughout the entire conversation, he had remained silent, yet steadfast, standing by Kathleen’s side like a sentinel. But now, it was time for him to speak his truth.
“I love yer daughter,” he said. “It’s true that I have naething else tae offer her other than this love. I have nae title, nae land, and meagre wealth that I acquired through hard work. I cannae offer ye a good alliance or even a good pedigree, but I can promise ye that as long as I live, she will be the most loved lass in the world.”
Kathleen turned to face him, her eyes gleaming with tears of joy. Her lips stretched into a sweet smile, one that Blaine returned as he brought her hand to his lips to press a kiss on her knuckles.
Bran was not very impressed by his words, though, or by the show of affection. He stood with a huff, hands on his hips as he glared at the two of them. “Ye must have lost yer minds, both o’ ye, if ye think I will ever allow such a thing. After all the lies, all the deception, after everythin’ this man has done!”
It didn’t escape Blaine’s notice that Bran wasn’t using his name but was rather calling himthis man. Nor did he miss the way he was looking at him, as though he was little more than a nuisance, one he would soon get rid of.
But Kathleen’s mother, in a calm silence, approached her husband and stepped between him and Blaine. And though Blaine couldn’t see the look on her face, he could tell by Bran’s expression that it certainly wasn’t a good one.
