Page 32 of Tempting the Highland Devil
“I dinnae doubt that ye will keep her safe,” Duncan said and turned away from him. Arran hated feeling like he had betrayed his friend’s trust, so he stepped closer to Duncan.
“Ye have nay been laird to yer people ever since yer faither passed, Arran, but now, ye will take Yvaine with ye to yer castle and make sure she is lady of yer keep.” Duncan faced him again. “I worry that ye are too frightened to do anythin’ because ye fear makin’ mistakes. But in yer inaction, ye are makin’ the worse mistake of yer life…neglectin’ yer people.”
“I never asked to be laird,” he said to Duncan.
“It is yer responsibility. It dinnae just fall into yer lap, Arran. Ye were born to be laird…to be the leader of yer clan. And ye must assume those duties, especially now that ye are to be married to my sister.”
Duncan’s tone softened before he planted his hands on Arran’s shoulders. “She is yer responsibility now. I hope ye ken what that means.”
He had expected a fight with his friend when he had marched in here. Arran could have handled it better than his friend’s understanding.
Duncan’s soft words made it harder for him to accept what he had done.Damning Yvaine to a life with me is the most selfish thing I have ever done.Just like his father, he had allowed his greed for her to overpower every other rational thought, and now, she was stuck with him.
Condemned to a life she would never want.He could not love her or give her children. He had vowed never to marry or sire any. If he turned out like his father, he hoped never to pass those traits onto a child.
Yvaine was the kind of woman who wanted love, sunshine, and children to play in the sunset with. Picturing the kind of life she could have had with Laird Loughty, or any other laird made his guilt and panic worse.
What have I done? I should have stopped.He only nodded because his throat was too tight to let any words out. He blinked to shove down the hot tears burning the back of his eye lids then stepped away from his friend.
He could not regret it now.I made my bed, and I must lay on it.“I shall protect her,” he vowed again because it was all the words he could muster.
Duncan’s grim expression stayed as Arran marched out his study and headed to his chambers. He stood by the window for hours watching the meadows outside, admiring the serenity around them.
I will miss it.This had been his home for years. He left for all his travels from here and returned here too because this was home. The MacGregor castle would be foreign to him.And cold.
Arran’s only warm memories of the castle was his mother’s laughter. Even that sounded distant in his memories now. Fighting with tears, he recalled the page of his mother’s diary he read that fateful night.
His grief consumed him as he remembered her words vividly. Returning to MacGregor would not be easy, and neither would his new life with Yvaine.
Arran could only hope that she would one day learn to forgive what he had done to her because he knew he could not forgive himself for taking away her dreams of marrying a man she loved.A man who also loved her back.
17
Yvaine’s wedding day came faster than she expected. She stood in front of the floor-length mirror staring at the sparkling lace dress she wore to her heart’s content.
“Ye look bonnie,” Lily whispered to her as she walked closer to where Yvaine stood and took her hand. “Arran willnae be able to take his eyes off ye.”
Yvaine’s shaky laugh echoed throughout the chamber and stirred the trickle of doubt sitting deep inside her guts. “I dinnae think Arran will be pleased at all,” she murmured as a rush of excitement mingled with fear touched her nerves.
She had not seen him since the games ended two days ago. Most of the highland lairds had departed for their clans, but Laird Loughty and Laird O’Neil stayed behind for the wedding.
Yvaine had hoped she would at least get the chance to speak to Arran and find out what he thought before they tied the knot. Instead, he disappeared from the castle completely and only sent word through Duncan about the preparations.
“Oh child,” her mother called when she stepped into the chamber and saw Yvaine standing in her wedding dress. “Ye look just as bonnie as I did on the day I got married.”
The tears and the teasing smile of her mother helped her nerves. “I will miss ye, maither,” Yvaine said before hugging her tight. “I will miss all of ye.”
Lily chuckled as she joined in their tight hug. Niamh led Amelia into the chamber then, and she came in to join in their hug too.
When the women finally parted, Yvaine wiped the tears on her cheeks with both hands then drew in a deep breath. “I am ready,” she said to everyone even though she knew she was in no way ready.
This was the start of a new life for her. She would move away from the home she had always known to another land, and even though it was with a man she had known all her life, Yvaine feared it would be different.
Arran probably hated her now because he was forced to marry her.
With a shaky smile, she left her chamber with her mother and the others to get to the courtyard where they held the ceremony.
Arran’s instructions had been simple. He wanted a quick ceremony with the priest in the castle, and he did not want any spectators besides family and the few lairds already in attendance.
