Page 54 of A Two-Faced Laird
“I long for the day when we will not have to do this,” he murmured.
“So do I,” Edina whispered. “When we do not have to worry about conceiving babies.”
“Then we can conceive as many as we like,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms. He sighed.
“I will have to go to the tavern to spend the night, or I will ruin your reputation.”
Edina nodded, seeing the sense in this. She ran her hands back over his red-brown hair and looked at him sadly.
“Will you go back home tomorrow?” she asked.
“I was going to see Fenella’s family, but now I see that it might not be the best idea,” he replied. “I will go to see my father, but it won’t be a pleasant experience. You will likely hear all the shouting from here.”
She smiled.
“Goodnight and good luck, my sweetheart,” she whispered, before they kissed again, and he walked into the night.
19
“Father!” Aidan marched into his father’s study late the next afternoon and stood in front of him, glaring down at him.
“Why are you here?” the Laird asked. “You are supposed to be with Fenella’s family.”
“I changed my mind,” Aidan replied firmly. “I will not be marrying Fenella, and you can tell her father that news.”
He held up his hand as he saw his father’s face begin to redden.
“Fenella has been intercepting some of the letters Edina sent to me. I know she spends a lot of time here, and I think she had the unwilling help of some of the guards. I do not wish to marry a woman so underhand and spiteful.”
The Laird hesitated for a moment, glaring at him.
“What if it were I who took them?” he demanded.
Aidan shrugged. “I think you are lying, but it doesn’t matter. I am not marrying her.”
“We have had this conversation before!” his father cried. “The contracts are signed and?—”
“Damn the contracts!” Aidan yelled back. “They are pieces of paper, and we are people. If I marry Fenella we will both be miserable, because I will always be longing for Edina. She is the love of my life, Father.”
“Who said anything about love?” his father asked. “Marriage is a contract between a man and a woman, and in our case, between two families. Your mother and I were not in love when we married, but we grew to love each other. You and Fenella will too. Have you seen Edina?”
“Yes, I have.” Aidan’s voice was defiant; he stood up straight with his shoulders back and his arms crossed defensively across his chest. “I went to see her yesterday.”
“And what happened?” The Laird sat back on his chair and looked at his son through narrowed eyes.
“She loves me as much as I love her,” Aidan answered. “She told me so.”
“I see.” There was a long pause. “And what does she have to offer us, Aidan? Hm? A large dowry? Family connections? I admit she comes from a good family, but she must marry at her own level.”
“I have told you my intentions, Father,” Aidan growled. “This is my life, not yours. I have been a good, obedient son and I have done my duty, even when it was unpalatable to me. You need me more than I need you at this moment, because the castle? The land? The wealth? I can do without any of it so you cannot threaten me with disinheritance, because I simply do not care. All I want is to marry the woman I love, and I am saying no more about it.”
“What about your duty to the family, your brother?” his father asked angrily. “Would you abandon us? Just like that?” he snapped his fingers, glaring at his son.
“Please do not insult my intelligence, Father,” Aidan said dismissively. “I know when you are trying to manipulate me, but you will not succeed. Goodbye.”
He turned on his heel and opened the door, only to find his way blocked by two stocky, fully-armed guards.
“I thought you might be passing by,” the Laird told him casually, “so I had my men stand by to welcome you.”
