Chapter 27
Thalia was awoken by a jostle of the carriage, and her eyes snapped open. She sucked in a sharp breath through her nose, stretching up and out as much as the carriage allowed her.
Archibald was already awake, watching her with the same hawk eyes he had the day before.
“We will be stoppin’ for breakfast soon,” he said.
Those were the first words he had said to her since they left.
She nodded, turning her attention back to the window. The trees blurred along the main road as they rode. It was still summer, and all of the plants and the grass shone brightly in the warmth of the sun.
This should be her favorite time of year, yet she found herself wishing for the decay and emptiness that autumn and winter provided. She wanted to feel like she herself could be wiped fresh and start anew with the arrival of spring.
“Thalia.”
She turned back to her uncle, who wore an unreadable expression. She had always been unable to read him ever since he took over as Laird MacFinn. The position had changed something within him, hardened him.
It was to be expected with the increase in responsibility and disruption to his life that had been thrust on him after the death of his brother, but Thalia’s sympathy only extended so far.
“How long do ye plan to keep up the silent treatment?” Archibald asked with some indignation. “Are ye going to continue acting like a spoiled brat until I send ye off to yer new husband?”
Thalia stiffened. “So ye still plan to marry me off, then?”
“Ah, she speaks.” Archibald’s words dripped with sarcasm. He sniffed, shaking his head as if he wished he were anywhere else. “Ye act as if being married is a death sentence.”
“It may as well be,” she shot back.
“Ye’re such a stubborn, foolish child!” he bellowed.
The carriage slowed down until it came to a full stop. Thalia rocked a moment in her seat, but as soon as the movement stopped, she yanked open the door and climbed out into the meadow before them.
Pink and white wildflowers sprinkled across the emerald grass, and she waded through them. She wasn’t really interested in running away; she just wanted to put some distance between her and her uncle. If she had to hear one more word from him, she feared she would fully lose her temper.
“Thalia! Thalia, come back this instant!” His voice rose above the wind in a shout that she assumed anyone in the nearby vicinity could hear.
She did not answer him. She continued on, lifting her skirts enough to walk comfortably as the grass tickled her calves. When she felt she was far enough, she sat down in the dirt to show him she was not trying to run.
He followed after her anyway. She could hear his breaths and feel his footsteps as he approached. She did not look at him, keeping her eyes on the swaying flowers before her.
“Ye have tested me patience for the last time, Thalia,” Archibald grunted. “Now, when we arrive back at MacFinn Castle, I will see that ye are properly wed. Be that Laird MacGibbon or someone else, but trust that ye will be wed by this time next year.”
She whipped her head around, her heart sinking in her chest. “Why can I nae just be a healer? Is that such a difficult request for ye to grant?”
Archibald crossed his arms over his chest. He stared down at her with a fierce determination. “Ye can be a healer and a wife.”
“Nae always,” Thalia argued. “Nae if the husband ye choose for me decides that I cannae spend time in the gardens, nor visit the villagers who need someone to help them. Do ye nae see that? All I want to do is help people, but I cannae do that if I become someone’s property.”
“And ye think Finlay would have allowed ye this freedom?” he asked.
“Aye, I ken it.” Thalia lifted her chin.
She did know it. Even if their betrothal had been a ruse, if they had kept it up for the next year as they were meant to, she did not doubt that Finlay would have allowed her to go around and attend to anyone who needed her services.
“Laird MacGibbon would have offered ye the same,” Archibald declared.
That made her snicker.
“What is so funny?”
Thalia huffed. “Ye think someone who would have me followed and kidnapped would ever let his wife out of his sight for even a single second?”
There was a moment of silence as the words hung in the air.
Archibald gaped at her in shock, and then his expression hardened. He gripped her by the elbow, yanking her to her feet.
“He did what?!” he screeched.
Thalia flinched back from him, but his grip was tight. “Uncle,” she tried. “Uncle, ye’re hurtin’ me—”
“When?!” he screamed.
“When what?” Thalia asked, her voice shaking.
“When did he try to have ye kidnapped?!”
“It… it was a few days ago,” she said.
Fear clenched around her heart. She had never seen her uncle so angry, even after she had run away to Finlay. His anger then had been nothing compared to the rage he was displaying now.
“I… I was out in the village, buyin’ fabric for a new dress, and one of his men came after me. He had been followin’ me, waitin’ until I was alone. If Finlay hadnae come when he did…”
Archibald dropped her arm, stepping back as his anger seemed to fade. His features twisted into a new expression, one of confusion and more than a hint of concern.
“Tried to have ye… kidnapped…” he trailed off, running a hand through his hair. “Had I ken, I never would have…”
Thalia watched him struggle, and her fear slowly ebbed. Her own words and advice echoed in her head.
Sometimes people are angry, when really they are just worried.
“Uncle?” she prompted, trying to get his attention.
His eyes snapped up, and they were much softer than before. “Why didnae ye tell me?”
“I thought he was still with ye at MacCabe Castle,” she explained. “Then, I didnae want to tell ye until we were back home. I’m sorry ye had to find out like this.”
He waved his hand dismissively at the apology. “Nonsense. I’m glad to ken now. To do somethin’ as dishonorable as tryin’ to kidnap someone else’s betrothed… even if he doesnae think it is a real betrothal. Harrison isnae the man I thought he was.”
Thalia’s heart soared in relief, only to crash back down at his next words.
“I will make sure the next man who asks for yer hand is more worthy of ye.”
“Next man?” Thalia sputtered. “Do ye still intend to marry me off, even though ye ken what I’ve been through the last few weeks?”
“Aye,” Archibald replied. His voice was firm, though a bit of sympathy had bled through.
“Ye need a husband, Thalia. I ken ye daenae think ye do, but ye will have a better life for it. A husband will protect ye, provide for ye. I willnae be around forever, and there is nay guarantee that the next Laird MacFinn will be able to take care of ye as I have.”
The words stung, but there was a truth in them that she had not considered before.
“But I have Ava and Caden, and Emma and Jack. I ken they wouldnae leave me out in the cold,” Thalia argued.
“Nay, but they also have their own families to worry about,” Archibald pointed out. “They have their own homes, their own clans. I want that for ye, too. I ken ye think I am a villain because I tried to trick ye into marryin’ a man ye didnae want… but I truly only want what is best for ye.”
Thalia fell quiet. She considered his argument, and for the first time, she started to see things from her uncle’s perspective. While she did not agree with him, she could see now that his ideas came from a place of care and a wish for her to be happy.
A month ago, she would have scoffed at the idea of marriage. She had never seen it as necessary, and even her uncle’s argument now would have fallen on deaf ears. Yet a lot had changed since then.
She had started to see the appeal of marriage, of having a family. She had seen what that could have been like with Finlay and Daisy, and she had liked it. Not just liked it, she had found comfort and joy the likes of which she had never known before.
It had not worked out with Finlay, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a possibility that it could work out with someone else.
“I see that now, Uncle,” she replied, her voice softening. “While I cannae promise that I will want to marry, I can promise that I will be more open to the idea.”
Archibald smiled, the lines in his cheeks and forehead deepening. “That is a vast improvement from how ye used to be. I can see that ye have changed, Thalia. Ye are growin’ into a fine young lass.”
Heat rose to her cheeks at the compliment, and she returned the sentiment with a small smile.
He cleared his throat. “I will also promise nae to try and trick ye again. The next time I try to get ye married, it shall be with yer consent.”
Thalia’s smile widened. “Thank ye, Uncle.”
Archibald offered his elbow, and she took it.
They walked together back to the carriage. The driver waited patiently for them in his seat, and he nodded to them as they approached, reaching back into the bag close to him for the breakfast that Thalia’s stomach was now growling for.
“I suppose,” Archibald began. “Ye could have done much worse than Laird MacAinsley. Even with that daughter of his.”
“Her name is Daisy,” Thalia corrected instantly. She let a little bit of defensiveness slip out. She would not let her uncle insult the girl again.
“Of course. Daisy.” Archibald took the bread and cheese from the driver, tore a chunk, and gave it to her. “Regardless, Laird MacAinsley did well in protecting ye from Laird MacGibbon. I cannae help but wonder why ye changed yer mind about him.”
“It wasnae about me changin’ me mind,” she sighed. “It was about him nae bein’ able to change his.”
“I see,” Archibald replied. His voice was quiet, contemplative. “He still insists on never marryin’ then?”
“Aye.”
The memories still hurt, and Thalia felt the sting of them in her heart. She took a bite of the bread, chewing it without fully tasting it.
“Then he is a fool,” Archibald declared, his eyes glinting with humor as he looked at her.
Thalia chuckled, swallowing her breakfast. “Aye, he is,” she agreed.
She may have lost Finlay and Daisy, but perhaps her return to MacFinn Castle would be better than she had expected. She and her uncle had reached a compromise, and with any luck, that would continue.
Perhaps it was good that she was returning home to spend time with the family she had pushed away. It would do them all good.
Perhaps I could even try to patch things up with Maither.
There was a future for her, and despite the grief she still carried, now there was hope, too.