Page 82 of The Wrong Bride
He left the solar with a confident stride, and Lady McCallum hurried after him.
Maggie and Riona stared at each other for a long minute, until Riona felt uncomfortable, wondering what Maggie must be thinking about her strange relationship with Hugh.
“I’m so sorry ye had to go through this alone,” Maggie said.
Riona gave her a weak smile. “I survived. I even fell in love, much good it will do me.”
“And he loves ye,” Maggie said softly.
The grief twisted her throat, but Riona forced words out. “He told me. I almost wish he hadn’t, for it is so much to bear, knowing that we can never be together.”
Maggie gripped Riona’s upper arms. “Don’t say that! I refuse to believe Hugh can’t make it happen.”
“I could never do that to your clan, Maggie,” Riona insisted. “My dowry is far smaller than my cousin’s, but worse than that is losing the land both clans have been sharing.”
“I still insist that we not lose hope. Is Owen the same man he once was?”
“I have no reason to believe otherwise,” Rionasaid, “but we’ve had little to do with each other these last years. He’s a practical man, not given to Society’s entertainments. And if I wasn’t with Cat, I was closeted away with Bronwyn.”
“I believe dealing with Owen is the right thing. I can just . . . feel it.”
Riona eyed her suspiciously. Maggie’s strangely colored eyes seemed focused far away . . .
HUGHhad simply wanted to escape all the accusing eyes, but if he needed to write to Owen, he should have stayed in the solar and kicked everyone else out. Instead, he went up to his bedroom, where there was a smaller writing desk. As he was about to shut the door, he saw his mother hurrying down the corridor toward him.
He sighed and awaited her. “Mother, I don’t need another lecture on my mistakes.”
“Ye won’t hear that from me,” she said softly. “Allow me to come in, please.”
He opened the door wide, and she went past him. After closing it, he turned to see her standing still in the room, staring around her as if she’d never been there before.
“Mother?” he said curiously.
She shook her head, then met his gaze with embarrassment. “I have not been in this room in many years. The memories are not pleasant, and I’m glad ye’ll be making new, happier memories here.”
He gritted his teeth and said nothing, just moved past her.
“Hugh, I know things seem bleak right now, but . . . I believe in ye. Ye’ll make this work.”
At the desk, he found paper and opened the ink bottle as he sat down. “Thank ye for your encouragement, Mother, but I don’t ken how ye can feel positive about that. I’ve spent my life trying to be different than my father, and apparently, that’s impossible.” He heard his own bitterness, but didn’t bother to hide it.
“Ye’re nothing like him,” Lady McCallum said fiercely.
Hugh looked up from his paper in surprise.
“Never, ever think that of yourself. Ye may have been an impulsive young man, angry that your plans for the future were so rigidly defined for ye—but ye tried to help Agnes, whereas your father only brutalized her. Ye’ve tried to help your clan—”
“And took advantage of an innocent woman. Not so different than him.”
“Regardless of your mistake, ye treated Riona with such kindness that she’s fallen in love with ye!”
He flinched. “She doesn’t love me, Mother. I have ruined her for a good marriage. She has no choice but to see if I can salvage this disaster, because my actionsensuredshe had no choice. And she’s come to appreciate our clan, and doesn’t want to see innocent people harmed by my mistake.”
“Don’t be so foolish, my son. She lovesyou,and wants to helpyouhelp your clan.”
He stared at her, keeping his bleakness buried inside because he couldn’t imagine a future without Riona. “Mother, I appreciate the kind words, but I have to write a letter to the new Earl of Aberfoyle right now.”
She nodded, and to his surprise, she briefly touched his arm.
