Page 55 of Wicked Highland Wishes
The king quirked an eyebrow at her. “Are ye nae happy to have braw Scots wish for yer hand?”
Bridgette ground her teeth at her predicament. If she appeared unbiddable, Alex would suffer. “I dunnae wish to see anyone injured,” she muttered, left with nothing else she could say.
“Dunnae worry for me, Bridgette,” Colin said. “Both my legs are good, aye.” He chuckled once again, and Bridgette glared at the man. He was despicable.
“It’s nae ye I’m worried about. I dunnae care whether ye live or die,” she snapped.
Colin narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. “Ye will have to learn obedience as my wife.”
“Then ’tis a good thing, I’ll nae be yer wife.”
“Cease this!” the king thundered. “The men will cross swords on the morrow—”
“Sire,” Lachlan interrupted, desperation edging his tone. “Graham is injured. Let me stand in for him.”
“Nay!” Graham growled. “It is my right alone to fight for Bridgette, if it pleases ye, Sire.”
The king nodded. “It’s settled. Whoever draws first blood tomorrow will be the winner, and—” the king stared hard at Alex “—I’m sure yer biddable sister will be fine with this as she knows it’s for the good of her clan to do as ye wish and as ye ken yer king wishes.”
Alex glanced at her, his look questioning, and she knew in that moment, he was asking without words if she could accept this or if he should defy his king. Her heart swelled with love for her brother that he would be willing to go to war with his king, a man he respected, admired, and called friend, for her. She gave a subtle shake of her head. She could not ask that. Too many lives could be lost if she was correctly interpreting the subtle warning from the king.
Bridgette swayed where she stood, and when the king waved his hand in the air and ordered everyone to depart but Iain and Lachlan, sinking anguish caused her to stumble. She would never be Lachlan’s wife. She would never know the feel of him against her again. She felt his burning stare upon her, even as Graham took her by the elbow to steady her. She felt adrift, as if she floated in the loch, lost with no way to find the shore.
“Shall we walk by the water?” Graham offered, smiling at her.
She nodded and allowed him to lead her from the room. She did not glance back, afraid her misery would be obvious for all to see.
As she and Graham walked out to the seagate stairs, she asked him of his trip, not wanting to talk of her feelings until they were alone and she was sure no one would overhear. When they came to the end of the stairs and made their way to the edge of the water, she turned and faced him. She had to tell him she knew she would never love him. Even if he recanted his wish to marry her and she then had to marry the despicable Colin, better that sorry fate than to enter into a marriage with lies in her heart. She could not be so dishonorable to Graham.
She took a fortifying breath and spoke. “Graham, I need to tell ye something.”
He grinned down at her. “Ye pined for me the whole time I was gone?”
Her gut clenched, and her throat ached as she grasped his arm. “Even if we marry, Graham, ye’ll nae ever have my heart.”
He gave her an impatient look. “Ye told me as much before. Time will change that. Ye will forget this other man.”
She shook her head. “Nay. I love him.”
A dark look crossed Graham’s face. “Have ye lain with him?”
Irritation flowered within her. Of all the things to ask her, Graham chose that?
“Nay, Graham. But he has my heart, and he always will.”
“Ye dunnae ken this for certain. Ye are honorable, Bridgette. Ye will be a true wife, and ye will come to give yer heart to me.”
“I kinnae give ye what I’ve given to another!” she cried out. “I tried to tell ye before, but ye did nae want to hear it then, either. I should never have let ye go on thinking we may have a future, but I did nae comprehend then how completely I had given my heart to another.”
Graham jerked his arm away. “And ye came to understand it while I was gone?” he growled.
“Aye,” she whispered.
“How is that?” he demanded, reaching out and gripping her by the arm. “Is the man here? The man ye gave yer heart to? Is he part ofmyclan?”
Her mind raced with what to do, what to say.
Graham flung her away with such force that she stumbled backward and fell to her bottom. He stared down at her in horror and scrambled to his knees, almost tipping forward with his jerky motions. “Bridgette.” He touched her knee as she struggled to stand. “I’m sorry. I did nae mean to shove ye so hard.”
