Page 43 of Tempting the Highland Devil
He slanted her an unsure look then faced James too. James nodded, and Arran took the lead again.
“We shall begin with yer farm produce this harvest season. The castle’s gates are once again open, and we shall purchase as much as we can.”
Yvaine’s suggestion worked. Arran could see the excitement in their eyes as they nodded and kept speaking among themselves. The crowd dispersed after Arran dismissed them.
James seemed pleased as he turned to Arran. “Thank ye, me laird,” he said with a smile. “This will put the councilmen at ease. It has grown increasingly difficult to keep them quiet, especially since the last attack on the village.”
“The last attack?” Yvaine asked then looked to Arran.
“The last time I came to see ye in MacLennan, there was an attack, me lady. It was led by a group of bandits, and we dinnae ken who their leader was.”
“Were they dressed in black colors?” Arran asked as he recalled their attackers on his way back to MacGregor.
“Aye, me laird. We dinnae capture any of them alive, but we are well prepared if they dare to attack us again. I have our men trained, and I have new recruits that will be trained also.”
Arran stopped following when James confirmed that the bandits were dressed the same way as his attackers. He had wondered who led those men, and now, he was certain he had to find out.
“I shall train them myself,” he volunteered without thinking. “We start tomorrow.”
James bowed before leaving, and Arran faced Yvaine this time with a smile of his own. “Thank ye,” he said to her, “for holdin’ me hand through that.”
She beamed, and he felt air whoosh out of his lungs as he got lost in her eyes one more time.
“I am sorry, Yvaine, for how I have treated ye for some time now, and I want ye to ken that…” Arran trailed off and licked his lips. He could not find the right words to express all he truly felt for her. “I will do my best to protect ye.”
“I am yer wife now, and it is me duty to support ye,” she said to him. “It is what I will do.”
Arran realized then how lucky he was to have her by his side even with all of his darkness. “I would rather die than hurt ye, Yvaine, so promise me…Promise me that ye will leave if I ever do. If I become a mad man meself and…”
“Ye will never hurt me. I am certain of that,” she answered and held onto his arm before smiling again.
How can she trust me more than I trust myself?
The intensity of emotions slicing through his heart increased. Yvaine’s support and nearness was too much for him to handle all at once.
He could not let himself feel them, so he stilled his quivering insides and let the usual cold seep through the parts of his heart that she warmed.
Arran saw the confused look that passed across her face when he disentangled her hand from his. “I must go,” he said in a still voice then walked away from her.
* * *
Arran and James scouted the castle’s grounds hours later and made plans for their security along the way.
“I must say, me laird, the villagers are really impressed. They have calmed down, and nay one is protestin’ this evenin’. I always ken that ye needed to address the people to make them believe in ye.”
Arran had his hand folded behind himself as they walked, but his thoughts were far away from him. “They dinnae believe in me simply because I spoke to them,” he said to James with a gentle bounce of his head from side to side.
“Ye did the right thin’ still. Yer wife is a kind woman who cares about the people, and she persuaded ye to make the right choice. Thin’s will get better as they start to trust ye, and soon we can find the rebels who spread ill rumors about yer sanity and ability to rule.”
Arran glanced over to James briefly as they walked, and he allowed a smile play out on his lips for a bit. He had a feeling he could trust James’ judgement. He still was not sure if acting as laird was the right decision.
“Ye choose a kind wife, me laird, and that will make thin’s easier for ye and the villagers. If the lady cares about the people, they will love her and ye by extension.”
He feared losing himself more than anything else.I can never forget all that happened.Arran slowed his pace when they reached the castle’s tunnel roads that served as an escape passage from the castle to the outskirts of the village.
His father had built the tunnel in case he ever needed to escape from a siege. He had also put in places measures to ensure the castle collapsed the moment he was out of the tunnels.A selfish plan created only to save himself.
“I want this tunnel sealed,” Arran said to James.
