Chapter 10
Finlay arrived back late.
The full moon was high in the sky. The castle itself lay dark, indicating that everyone was already asleep.
The ride had helped to distract him from his tangled thoughts, but it did not help him come up with any new solutions. The only way forward, it seemed, would be to continue this charade. He only hoped he wasn’t making a terrible mistake.
He made the walk back to his bedchamber, pausing for a moment before his daughter’s door. He opened it gently, peeking in to get a glimpse of her sleeping.
Daisy lay in bed, eyes closed, lips parted, and he felt some of the tension in his shoulders ease. At least, having Thalia here would give her another companion, and Thalia promised she would help her adjust.
He sighed, before continuing his trek back to his room. He didn’t expect to get any sleep tonight. The only reason he had come back at all was that he had run his horse ragged. He still had too many thoughts in his head to be able to calm them all.
When he opened his door, he was surprised to find that his room was not empty. Caden looked up as he entered, rising from where he had been sitting in the corner of the room.
“Should ye nae be with yer wife?” Finlay asked, closing the door behind him.
“I was worried about ye, Braither,” Caden replied.
“If ye’re here to lecture me, at least do me the courtesy of lettin’ me have a drink first,” Finlay joked, making his way to his bedside table where he pulled out a glass and a bottle of whiskey.
“I’m nae here to lecture ye,” Caden said, reaching out his hand.
Finlay poured himself a glass and then handed him the bottle.
Caden took a long sip from the bottle before sighing. “Ava told me ye agreed to a fake betrothal.”
“Aye, I did.”
“Ye ken that her uncle and Laird MacGibbon daenae believe it.”
“Aye, I ken,” Finlay sighed heavily. “But it doesnae matter what they believe. They willnae dare to challenge me.”
“But what if it wasnae fake?” Caden asked.
The question caught Finlay so off guard that he choked on his whiskey. He coughed and wheezed as he stared at his brother, trying to gauge if he was serious.
“Are ye really suggestin’ that I go through with the marriage?” he asked.
Caden held up his hands in surrender. “I’m only remindin’ ye that it wasnae long ago that ye considered marryin’ Ava to help protect her.”
“Aye, and I changed me mind once I realized what a mistake that would have been.”
“While I’m grateful for that,” Caden said, “I’m only tellin’ ye this so ye’d consider it. That’s all.”
Finlay shook his head. “This fake betrothal is more for Daisy’s sake than Thalia’s. She’s the one who sent out that letter. Who kens what she’ll get up to next if I take Thalia away from her?”
Caden nodded. “That wee lassie needs a maither.”
“And ye would have me trap Thalia, then? Ruin her life? Just last night, ye were chastising me for taking her in.”
“Well, that was before I kent ye were betrothed,” Caden drawled.
Finlay huffed, taking another sip from his glass. “I daenae want to get married,” he said. “I will never get married. Nae to Thalia or anyone else.”
Caden slapped him on the shoulder. “Just think about it. I want to see ye happy, Braither.”
Finlay shrugged him off. “Go back to yer wife. I’m happy with me life just the way it is.”
Caden sighed. “Try to get some sleep, will ye?” h
Finlay just waved him off.
Caden stepped out of the room and closed the door firmly behind him, leaving him alone.
Finlay went to sit in the chair his brother had just vacated. The candle on his table flickered in the shrinking wax. He would need to replace it soon.
He sighed, letting his head fall back against the wall, and took another sip of his drink.
Thalia woke up feeling exhausted. She rolled over in bed, scanning the room around her. The sun must just be coming up, as the room was bathed in a soft blue light that was only found at dawn and dusk.
She sat up, stretching her arms above her head, when she heard it again, the noise that had woken her up.
She crept out of bed and stepped closer to the door. A soft patter of feet passed by, and at first, Thalia assumed it was a maid doing her early morning chores. Except, it sounded like the person was running.
Thalia threw open the door and caught a glimpse of a small figure rounding the corner to the hall. She moved on instinct, racing after the girl without fully understanding why. She stopped at the top of the main stairs, just as Daisy grabbed the knob of the front door.
“Daisy?” she called.
The girl whipped around. She stared up at Thalia in shock, before bursting into sobs.
Thalia ran down the stairs and hurried to the girl. She knelt before her and pulled her into a hug.
“Oh. Sweetheart, it’s all right,” she whispered, letting the girl cry on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I shouldnae be here. I messed up again.” Daisy hiccupped, holding on to her tightly. “Faither is mad again.”
“Nay, Daisy. He’s nae mad at ye. He’s just… irritated by the situation. If anything, I’m probably the one he’s really mad at.”
“But it’s all me fault!” Daisy cried. “I sent the letter. I brought the Lairds here. I just… I didnae want ye to leave.”
Thalia held her tighter. “I didnae want to leave ye, either. In truth, I’m actually happy ye sent that letter.”
Daisy pulled back, wiping her sleeve clumsily across her nose. “But I messed it all up. I ruined yer life. I trapped ye here, when ye’d been nothin’ but kind to me.”
“Nay, nay.” Thalia gently cupped Daisy’s face in her hands. “Ye’re nae ruinin’ anythin’, and I’m nae trapped here. Why would ye ever think that?”
Daisy sniffled. “I heard Faither and Uncle Caden talking last night. Faither kept saying that he never wants to get married. That it would just ruin yer life and trap ye here.”
Thalia frowned. “Well, I’m nae trapped. I’m the one who begged yer faither to help me, and he agreed. Ye did nothin’ wrong, Daisy. I promise.”
Daisy nodded, but she didn’t look completely convinced.
Thalia stood and offered her hand. “What do ye say we go back to bed? It’s still early, and I bet we could both use a bit more sleep.”
Daisy gave a small smile and took her hand, before they both went back up to the girl’s bedchamber.
Her room was grander than the one Thalia was staying in, though she supposed that was to be expected. A canopied bed sat in the middle, and there was a small desk and chair set up in one corner, while the other contained a rocking chair and a number of cloth dolls.
Daisy entered the room without hesitation, climbing straight into the bed.
Thalia followed her, pulling the blankets up to her chin as she settled in.
“If I leave now, do ye promise nae to run again?” she asked.
Daisy nodded. “Aye, I promise.”
“Good.”
Thalia bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead, which earned her a bright smile.
“Get some more rest, and I’ll see ye at breakfast?” As she got up to leave, she heard Daisy squeak out another word. “What was that?”
Daisy cleared her throat. “Maybe… I’ll join ye in the breakfast room this time.”
Thalia smiled. “I think that’s a great idea.”
Daisy brightened at the praise, then rolled over to try and sleep for a couple more hours.
Thalia closed the door gently behind her and started the walk back to her own room.
A flicker of irritation sparked within her. This was the second time that she knew Daisy had tried to run away after listening in on Finlay’s conversations. He really ought to be more careful. Maybe if he would just talk to her and explain everything, she wouldn’t be so afraid of him anymore.
Thalia turned around and headed back down the hall. Finlay had asked for her help with Daisy, hadn’t he? And since the girl was tucked safely in her bed, now was the perfect time to speak without her eavesdropping. If only to make sure she did not take anything the wrong way again.
Finlay’s bedchamber stood at the far end of the hall. The wooden door was closed, but she could hear a scuffling behind it. He must be awake.
She gently knocked on the door. She didn’t want to wake her uncle or Laird MacGibbon, and she definitely didn’t want them to catch her outside Finlay’s rooms. She knocked again, a touch harder this time.
“Finlay,” she whispered. “Finlay, are you…”
The door opened. Finlay stood before her in an unbuttoned white linen shirt and a plaid still belted across his waist.
Thalia’s eyes roamed down the length of his bare, muscular chest before darting back to his face.
“… awake?” she finished, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat as she tried to remain composed.
“Thalia? What are ye doing outside me bedchamber?” The irritation was evident in his voice, and Thalia was beginning to regret her decision to have this conversation so early in the morning.
“Well, I…”
The click of a door opening sounded behind her, and without thinking, she pushed her way into Finlay’s room, closing the door behind her.
“And now ye’re in me room,” Finlay stated with mild amusement this time.
She shushed him, pressing her ear against the wood to gauge whether anyone was coming near them. After another moment of quiet, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Heat pressed against her back as Finlay came up behind her. His breath tickled her ear as he whispered, “Thalia, what on earth are ye doin’ now?”
She whirled around, finding herself caught between his body and the wooden door. She gulped.
“I came to talk to ye, but I thought I heard someone, and I panicked. I didnae want anyone to catch us like this.” The words came out rushed.
Finlay chuckled at her nerves. “Like what, exactly?” He leaned in further, and she caught the faint smell of whiskey on his breath.
“Have ye been drinkin’?” she asked with astonishment.
He sighed, pulling back from her as if the question had ruined all the fun. “It’s been a long night. A long couple of nights, in fact. Ye cannae blame me for needin’ somethin’ to take the edge off.”