A Highlander’s Bride (The Mackenzies of Castle Leod #1)

Chapter One

Foulis Castle, Scotland

Beth Munro stood with her mother on the drawbridge of Foulis Castle, waving at the last one of her sisters to leave with her husband and bairns.

Her mam patted the corner of her eyes and sighed. “I’m always sorry to see my grandchildren leave.”

Beth shook her head and shivered. “No’ me.”

When her mam leaned back and looked at her in a shocked manner, Beth said, “Doona get me wrong. I love the little ones when they come to visit, but having all three of my sisters and their numerous bairns at one time is quite overwhelming.”

“’Twas my birthday! And they are so sweet!” her mam said as she wrapped her arm around Beth’s waist and walked them toward the keep.

“Aye. Little David was verra sweet when he smeared honey all over the floor in front of the table in the kitchen. Our poor cook, Daisy, was beside herself as she tried to cook the evening meal and her feet kept sticking to the floor. She even lost one of her shoes and she swears David’s sweet little sister, Aileen took it. ”

Her fool mam had the nerve to laugh.

“And Da didn’t appear too amused when he found yer three oldest sweet grandchildren had pulled all the books off the library shelves and piled them near the door so he couldn’t get in and had to climb through the window to rescue them.”

“They dinna mean any harm, they’re just bairns.” Mam turned toward the kitchen. “I will go smooth Daisy down and will offer to purchase her new shoes in the village tomorrow.”

Beth smirked. “’Twould be nice to sell yer grandchildren to pay for the shoes.”

Mam turned to her. “I doona understand ye, Beth. Most women love the idea of raising bairns. Ye ken I was so happy with my four daughters.”

“Aye. Three of yer daughters married and produced bairns at an alarming rate whose mission in life is to torture us.”

She gave a sigh. “I would like to see ye settled with bairns of yer own, ye ken.”

Beth leaned over and kissed her much-too-patient mam on the cheek. “With eight grandchildren, and another on the way, ye have enough to keep ye busy. If I were foolish enough to marry, the number of little devils would probably double.”

She shook her head and waved her finger in the air. “Ye may change yer mind one day, daughter.”

Beth smiled. “Mam, ye’re hopeless.”

Her mam headed to the kitchen to soothe the cook and Beth returned to her bedchamber. ’Twas so peaceful, even though her niece Ada had spilled all of her new box of bathing powder over the floor.

It dinna matter because they were gone and she had her peace and quiet back.

Just her, her books, garden, and charity work in the village.

She loved her life and was more than happy that with all the confusion in their life, her da had forgotten about her not having a husband, so she enjoyed her single life and had no desire for things to change.

*

Castle Leod, Scotland

Abraham Mackenzie, one of the Clan Elder Advisors, probably as old as the one in the Bible, sat back, his hands on the table, tapping the wood with his wrinkled finger. “’Tis yer duty and ye ken it. If ye die tomorrow, there is no one to take yer place.”

“I have no intention of dying tomorrow, I have too much to do.” Daniel Mackenzie, Clan Chief of the Mackenzies sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “We are at peace. Castle Leod is well protected as are the other castles on the Mackenzie lands and I have no reason to believe I will be deserting this world anytime soon.”

Morgan, another advisor leaned forward and after glancing at the other two advisors, looked Daniel directly in the eyes. “It appears ye no longer have time to put this off.”

Daniel uncrossed his arms and stared at the man. “What are ye talking about?”

Morgan cleared his throat and pulled a document from his pouch and laid it on the table in front of them. “We have an order here from our king.”

Daniel straightened in his chair. “If an order was sent by King George II to the Mackenzie Clan Chief—which is me—I should have been the one to receive it.”

Abraham leaned forward. “The messenger was told to give the order to the Mackenzie advisors to present it to the laird.”

Daniel glared at them, one at a time. “I think ye are making this up to get yer own way.”

Morgan pushed the document across the table. The seal had been broken, but there was no doubt it was the king’s seal. Daniel opened it and saw his future there on the paper.

The king had chosen two lasses to appear at Castle Leod for the purpose of Clan Chief, Laird Daniel Mackenzie, to arrange to marry one of them by the Feast of Beltane.

Apparently trying to soothe Daniel’s apparent rising anger, Abraham said, “I understand yer reluctance, lad. Marriage is a big step. However, ye will notice,” he gestured toward the king’s order, “that the two lasses he chose are both from clans important to our lands. Either one will make an important alliance with us.”

Daniel looked at the parchment again. It appeared King George II had already invited Lady Alice Chisholm and Lady Beth Munro and their parents to Castle Leod for him to look over.

Daniel sat stunned, staring at the three men. “The king invited two lass’s families to visit us so I can look them over?”

Looking a tad uncomfortable, Abraham nodded. “Aye.”

He was truly without words. “And I assume The Munro and The Chisholm have already responded?”

Richard, the third member of the group nodded. “Aye. They are on their way now. Lady Beth Munro, and her parents Laird and Lady Munro and Lady Alice Chisholm, and her parents, Laird and Lady Chisholm.”

Daniel dropped his head in his hands. “Why dinna ye ask me first?”

Richard, another clan advisor shrugged. “Because we had no choice.” He gestured to the king’s order, “and we kenned ye would say ‘nay’ if given a choice.”

“St. Agnes’s mustache! Of course I would have said nay. He makes this appear as if I were purchasing a horse, looking two of them over.”

Morgan drew himself up. “The mon is our king and an order has come directly from him. As yer advisors, we must make sure ye do yer duty.”

Since the lasses were already on the way, with one expecting to return home with a betrothal agreement, there wasn’t much he could do. “Do the lasses ken there are two of them?”

Richard nodded. “Ye dinna take the time to read the entire missive from the king. He sent an invitation to The Chisholm and The Munro, letting them know there were two lasses selected.”

Morgan shrugged. “I guess His Majesty wanted to give ye a choice.”

“Please speak truthfully, Morgan. I have no choice. Beltane is not far off and there are two lasses coming here with their parents hoping to become the wife of the Mackenzie Clan Chief.”

Too unsettled at this news, he slapped his hands on the table and stood. “I have work to do.”

The three idjit advisors smiled and nodded at each other. If it weren’t for the king’s seal he would have been certain they’d made this up.

*

“I have some news for ye, Beth.”

Her dad sat in the most comfortable chair in his solar.

He waved to the one on his right. Her mam sat in the other chair.

She couldn’t imagine what would require such a formal meeting with her parents.

They didn’t look distressed so ’twas apparently not bad news.

In fact, after taking a second notice, her da was smiling.

But her mam’s hands were fidgeting in her lap.

“What is this news?” She smiled at her da who had always been the best of men. Even though he had four daughters, he always seemed to offer her a bit more of himself. Especially now with Beth being the only offspring left.

“The king may have found a husband for ye.”

Beth sat very still and just stared at him. Licking her dry lips, she said, “I doona understand, Da. I haven’t lost one. Nor do I want one to lose.”

He continued to smile and the fidgeting in her mam’s lap grew alarmingly frantic.

She shook her head and offered her best smile to her da.

“’Tis a joke, aye, Da?” She waved her finger at him.

“Ye ken I ne’er wanted to marry. Ye have all these daughters, and trying to keep up with all their bairns may have mixed ye up.

I am Beth—yer youngest. And the one who will take care of ye and Mam when ye grow old. ”

“Nay, lass. Mam and I will be verra content in our old age if all our offspring are happily married.”

Beth sniffed. “I doona assign the word ‘married’ with ‘happily’.”

Her da looked over at her mam. “Jean, please explain to our daughter how happy marriage is.”

Twisting her fingers, her mam said, “’Tis verra happy, dear.”

“Well then, that’s quite an enthusiastic response.” She was actually sweating by now because she had the very uncomfortable feeling her parents were serious.

Taking a deep breath, she asked, “How does the king fit into this? Who is this husband he found for me? Hiding under a bush in the garden? If so, I’ll borrow your gun and shoot him.”

Her da straightened in his chair. “Now I will have no disrespect from ye, lass. ’Tis the Clan Chief of the Mackenzies, a very strong clan.”

She was horrified. “Isn’t The Mackenzie in his sixth decade?” ’Twas bad enough to be shoved off onto some unknown man, but to one older than her da turned her stomach.

“Nay, the old laird died over two years ago. His son, who is about five and twenty years, is the laird.”

When Beth didn’t seem impressed, her mam turned to her da. “Stephen, tell her about the other lass.”

Beth’s brows shot to her hairline. “Other lass? Is the laird wanting to marry two women?” She turned to her mam. “Does the Church allow that?”

Her da waved her comment away. “Nay, daughter, calm yerself. There is another lass and her family who will also be at the castle. The king arranged for two lasses to attend so the laird can have his pick.” He sat back, his hands crossed over his middle, looking very satisfied with himself.