Chapter 30
Thalia examined her dress in the mirror as the emptiness inside threatened to consume her. The colors of the plaid looked wonderful on her. The blue brought out the color of her eyes, and the brown complemented her skin and hair.
She had worked hard to make the dress in time for her betrothal with Finlay, and now she was wearing it to wed someone else.
She clenched her fists into her skirts, the fabric gathering up and wrinkling. She did not care. This dress was the only one suitable for the occasion, and so she had been made to wear it.
Despite Harrison’s posturing during that dinner, it seemed that he did care about how she looked. She was to be his property now after all, and he had admitted that he expected her to represent him well.
There was a small, rebellious part of her that was glad to be wearing this dress.
The colors matched Clan MacAinsley’s, and there was some satisfaction to be had with that.
Maybe Harrison wouldn’t be able to understand it, but with this dress, she would be announcing that while she may become his wife, she would never truly be his.
Her mother appeared in the mirror behind her, and Thalia put on a brave smile.
“Would ye like me to do yer hair?” Olivia asked.
Thalia nodded, and she moved to sit on the nearby stool.
Her sisters, Ava and Emma, sat on the bed across from her.
They had both been silent since their arrival, and since they had confirmation that this was not an entirely consensual union.
It had not come as much of a shock, but they had still been outraged on her behalf.
She had quelled their anger and asked them not to involve their clans.
She did not want them to risk anything for her.
Olivia hummed to herself as she ran a brush through Thalia’s hair. Thalia winced as the brush snagged on a tangle, before it was gently worked out.
“I still say it isnae too late to run again,” Ava began with a huff.
“Aye,” Emma agreed, adjusting the spectacles on her nose. “I ken most of the guards went back to MacGibbon Castle. I bet we could sneak ye past the rest of them.”
Thalia shook her head, dismissing the suggestion. “If I run, I would only be puttin’ the people here in danger. All of ye would be in danger.”
“If ye had only told us about this when it happened, we would have rallied with ye,” Emma argued again.
“I daenae want to ask anyone to fight for me,” Thalia insisted. “This is something I must do. Besides, maybe I will enjoy being Lady MacGibbon. Eventually.”
Ava sagged with worry. “I doubt that man will let us visit often.”
“But ye’re here now,” Thalia pointed out. “And I’m so glad ye are. I wouldnae have dared to do this if ye werenae all here with me.”
Olivia squeezed her shoulder affectionately, and her fingers moved with expert precision through her hair as she braided it. Thalia closed her eyes, enjoying her mother’s touch. It was the one bright spot on this otherwise miserable day. She did enjoy being with her mother and her sisters again.
“Thalia…”
Emma’s voice broke her out of her thoughts, and Thalia looked at her again. “Aye?”
“Should we…” Emma shifted on the bed, her face contorted with anxiety. She paused, pursing her lips before starting again. “I mean, do ye ken what… happens on a wedding night?”
Thalia’s jaw dropped at the question, and Ava’s face reddened with embarrassment.
“I ken it is unpleasant, given who is to be yer husband,” Emma continued quickly, waving her hands as if she wished she were speaking of anything else. “I just wanted to ask, so ye can be prepared. It is quite a lot even in the best of circumstances, and—”
“Emma, please!” Ava cried, dropping her face in her hands. “I daenae wish to have this conversation with our maither present!”
Olivia chuckled as she began to pin up the braids. Thalia, too, couldn’t help but laugh at the scene in front of her. Even before she had been with Finlay, she wasn’t completely in the dark about what happened between a husband and wife.
“I am a healer,” she pointed out. “I have helped deliver bairns. I helped deliver Ava’s new bairn! Ye think I daenae ken how they are conceived?”
“Aye, aye, aye!” Emma cried, her face turning pink. “I only wanted to make sure!”
Thalia laughed again as her sisters both groaned in humiliation. It was enough that she could almost forget about what was coming soon… until a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in!” she called, stifling her giggles.
Her uncle entered, his eyebrows flying up in surprise at their merriment.
“What on earth is going on in here?” Archibald asked. “I expected to find ye all in a more somber mood.”
Thalia’s mood soured instantly as she remembered what was about to happen. She looked down at her hands, which were clenched in her lap.
Olivia gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ve finished, if ye’d like to take a look.”
Thalia stood, going back to the mirror. Her mother had arranged her hair into a beautiful style.
Her hair had been sectioned off into multiple braids and pinned up so that they twisted up into a crown above her head.
She would have looked lovely, if not for the sadness that had crept into her expression.
“Ye look beautiful,” Emma complimented, coming up to stand beside her.
“Aye, ye do,” Ava agreed, taking up the spot on Thalia’s other side.
Despite the compliments, Thalia knew that they did not express their true feelings.
Their mother stood behind them, and Thalia could see all of their faces in the mirror as well as her own. On her own face, she saw Ava’s cheekbones, Emma’s eyes, and their mother’s lips.
Seeing them all together, she was reminded of how she always carried pieces of them with her. Knowing that gave her strength and a burst of courage.
“Is it time then, Uncle?” she asked.
Archibald nodded. “I have been sent to collect ye, so I can give ye away.”
Emma and Ava hugged her tightly, pressing their faces together as if they never wanted to let her go.
Thalia sighed and tore herself away from the embrace. She took the elbow her uncle offered her, and they walked out of the room. The rest of her family followed behind, and when they stepped into the hallway, they found a MacGibbon guard waiting to escort them to the ceremony.
Archibald placed his free hand sympathetically over hers as they walked. “I ken that this is the last thing ye want to do, but I want to tell ye how proud I am of ye. For choosin’ this over a war.”
Thalia said nothing. Her earlier joy was forgotten as the walls of her future began closing in on her.
She had not truly had a choice. Of course, she could have tried to run again, but that would have only ended in disaster, as it had the first time.
It would only make matters worse for her and her family.
“I want ye to ken,” Archibald continued. “That everythin’ I’ve done, I’ve done believin’ it would be the best thing for the clan.”
“I ken,” Thalia acknowledged.
She trusted that now. Even if she didn’t agree with his decisions, he only ever wanted what was best.
“I am sorry, me niece,” he said.
She sighed as they approached the courtyard. “‘Tis fine. Let us get this over with.”
Clan MacGibbon’s red banners hung on the walls surrounding the courtyard.
A crowd had gathered and was waiting for the ceremony to begin.
There were people from Clan MacFinn and Clan MacGibbon, yet none of the MacFinns looked as pleased about this union as they had been previously.
Hostility hung thick in the air. If anything went wrong, it would not be met well by this crowd.
Thalia took a deep breath, willing herself to stand tall. She would not give Harrison the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
Her future husband was waiting at the other end of the gathering. He was beaming at her, like a man who was about to get everything he had ever wanted. The priest stood next to him, and Thalia was unable to tell if it was the same priest at the last ceremony. She supposed it did not matter.
She kept her gaze ahead as she and Archibald walked through the path that the crowd had created. She did not think she would be able to hold herself together anymore if she caught sight of her family or friends.
She took her place next to Harrison, and she refused to look at him, keeping her eyes on the priest instead.
The priest clasped his hands before him and began to speak. “We are gathered here today…”
Thalia stopped listening to the speech. She did not think she could bear it.
Harrison leaned in close to her, whispering in her ear, “Ye look beautiful, wife.”
The words sent a shiver down her spine, but she didn’t answer him.
He clicked his tongue, seemingly disappointed that she was ignoring him. “I knew ye’d come around eventually,” he continued. “I just needed to break ye down. Lucky for ye, I’m a patient man.”
Thalia ground her teeth. “I daenae think threatenin’ me home and me people count as breakin’ me. Ye havenae truly broken me, and ye never will.”
He growled, grabbing her arm and yanking her around until she faced him. The priest paused his speech, and gasps rose in the air.
“If ye think I’m goin’ to let ye speak to me like that durin’ our wedding, ye are sorely mistaken,” Harrison hissed. “In fact, I think tonight I might have to just teach ye a lesson in—”
Before he could finish, a thunderclap sounded despite the clear blue sky. It grew louder and louder as it approached, and everyone turned in surprise as the gates flew open. Men and horses flooded the courtyard, and Thalia recognized the three men at the front immediately.
The first man was Finlay, sitting atop his great black steed. He was flanked by Caden and his man-at-arms, Peter. Thalia’s heart soared at the sight, her chest feeling so full it was near bursting.
“Finlay!” she cried with unbridled joy.
Harrison unsheathed his sword, and his guards did the same.
“I’ve come for me betrothed,” Finlay announced as he dismounted his horse. Caden and the others followed suit.
“She’s nae yers,” Harrison barked. “She’s mine! She has always been mine!”
“Nay!” Thalia cried, her voice ringing steadily through the air. “I will never be yers!” She turned back to Finlay, her voice thick with emotion as she said, “I cannae believe ye came for me.”
“I received an invitation.” Finlay gave a cheeky grin. “And I couldnae just stand by and watch someone else marry ye.”
Harrison stepped in front of Thalia, holding his sword high. “I daenae remember sending ye an invitation.”
“That’s because ye didnae. I did,” Archibald announced. He grinned at Thalia. “I wouldnae let me niece be miserable just to avoid a war. I just needed to make this one come to his senses.” He looked pointedly at Finlay as he said the last part.
Harrison looked between Archibald and Finlay, trying to decide who he hated more at that moment. “If it’s a war ye want, it’s a war ye shall get.”
He moved quickly, swinging his sword down and bringing the point across Archibald’s chest. His shirt and vest fell open, and a crimson gash tore open his torso.
Thalia shrieked, and the other guests began screaming as the chaos unfolded around them. The men leapt into action, Harrison and his guards on one end, with Finlay, Caden, and their men on the other.
The crowd dispersed quickly as the two sides collided in a clang of swords.