Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Sunlight streamed through the windows, and the chirping of birds filled the air. It all called for Marissa to wake up, coaxing her out of a deep sleep.
She groaned, trying to roll onto her side but accidentally rolling onto the warm body next to her instead.
“If ye wanted to finish what we started last night,” Arthur murmured, “ye could have just asked. Nay need to maul me in me sleep.”
Marissa’s eyes fluttered open just to glare at him. His hair was mussed, and he was gazing down at her from where he sat propped against the pillows.
“I’ll hear none of that,” she quipped, playfully pinching his side before throwing back the covers.
She stared at the wall, contemplating if she actually wanted to get up. Her family would be downstairs. And, after everything she had revealed last night, she was certain that breakfast would be an onslaught of questions and concerns that she simply was not prepared for.
“Ye ken ye have to go and face them,” Arthur murmured, but Marissa did not turn to look at him.
“What are ye? A mind reader?” she quipped.
“I just ken how much it all worried ye last night. And I dinnae want ye hidin’ away in here instead of goin’ and spendin’ time with them while ye can.”
She nodded. As much as Marissa hated to admit it, Arthur was right.
Pushing herself up off the mattress, she groaned. Her limbs were stiff. After what they’d done the night before, Marissa had fallen into a deep slumber. One where, apparently, she didn’t so much as move throughout the night.
She walked out into the sitting room, stretching her arms above her head and twisting her back. It took a little while, but eventually, she had limbered up.
She turned toward their bedchamber, only to find Arthur standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame as he watched her.
“I didnae ken ye would be puttin’ on such a show,” he said with a grin. “Otherwise, I may have gotten up sooner.”
“Oh, enough of ye,” she huffed, flapping her arms in dismissal. “Go ahead and leave so I can change.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “So, ye can sleep next to me,” he purred. “Ye can even put yer mouth on me—”
“Enough!” she stammered, putting her hand up to silence him.
She didn’t need to hear him recounting the events of last night. She was doing well enough on her own, staving off the embarrassment that was threatening to overwhelm her.
I dinnae need to feel embarrassed, nae when we will be married in a few days. And he did save me life, after all.
Arthur just chuckled at her, but he didn’t say anything further as he walked past her.
“I’ll head down to breakfast,” he murmured, giving her a searing look. “Dinnae think of me too much before ye come down.”
Marissa just rolled her eyes before she turned her back on him. The door to their rooms closed with a gentle click, and for the first time since someone threw a knife at her heart the night before, she was blessedly alone.
Heaving a sigh, she walked toward their changing chambers. Pulling a simple gown from their wardrobe, Marissa fell into the routine of dressing herself.
By the time the fabric was draped fully over her body, she felt ready to go down and face the day.
The castle was quiet as she walked through the corridors, making her way toward the dining hall for breakfast. And, as she walked, a sudden feeling of unease crept over her.
Eric’s man, the one who tried to kill me, is somewhere within the depths of this castle.
“Stop it,” Marissa chastised herself, finding that it helped when she spoke out loud. “Ye’re bein’ foolish.”
But even as the words left her mouth, she wasn’t entirely sure that they were true. Because at least a part of what she had thought was true. Eric’s man was somewhere within the castle.
Arthur had ordered his guards to take him to the dungeons. And while Marissa did not know exactly where those were within this massive, sprawling place, she was certain that they were within these walls.
What if he escaped? What if he found some way past the guards? What if he’s behind me right now, sneakin’ up to finish the job?
Marissa couldn’t help it. She whirled, her heart pounding in her ears so loudly it sounded as if it was echoing off the stone walls.
The corridor behind her was thankfully, blessedly, empty.
An embarrassed laugh fell from her lips, her hand fluttering up to her chest as she worked to steady herself. Leaning against the wall, Marissa focused on her breathing.
“It willnae do ye any good to get yerself into a tizzy,” she reminded herself.
Once again, she found the act of speaking aloud, even if she was not talking to anyone else but herself, incredibly helpful.
“Ye are on yer way to breakfast,” she continued. “When ye get there, ye will break yer fast with yer family. Arthur will be there. Joseph will be there. And Cody. And Michael. They will protect ye.”
Her words had started out shaky, but with each one that she spoke, her voice became more and more clear. By the time she had finished speaking, Marissa had gotten some semblance of control back over herself.
She started walking again, traversing down the now familiar halls that led from the bedchamber she and Arthur shared to the room where they dined. As she walked, a nagging voice in the back of her head tried to wiggle its way back in.
It tried to tell her that even though the men in her life would protect her, they were not with her at that very moment. But she did not allow those pestering thoughts to take root.
She ignored them entirely, forcing herself to put one foot in front of the other, not slowing down until she reached her destination.
The dining hall was noisy, with multiple conversations drifting past the door as she walked inside.
“We can be back in four days,” Michael was saying, his head bent forward as he spoke with Arthur and Joseph.
They were the closest to the door, and thus the easiest for her to hear.
“I’m certain that I can secure an agreement with Clan Sherman by then,” Michael continued, unaware that she was listening.
Arthur nodded. “We’ll have the weddin’ four days from now, then. Just enough time for the alliance to be secured.”
Seeming to realize that Marissa had approached, his gaze flicked to her. His brow smoothed out slightly as his eyes roamed over her.
He looked pointedly at the chair to his right, a clear indication that she should take it.
It was across from Freya, who was deep in conversation with Ayla and Abigail.
The three of them were talking so quickly, each one animatedly speaking over the other, that Marissa couldn’t quite make sense of anything they were saying.
Amara and Cody sat at the far end of the table, talking in low voices to one another. Cody’s back was to Marissa, so she couldn’t quite make out his expression, but she could certainly judge Amara’s.
The girl’s blue eyes were bright and shining as they roamed over his face. Every bit of her lovely features were soft, open, and drinking in every word that fell from his lips.
“Seems like someone’s rather smitten,” Marissa murmured to herself, taking the seat that Arthur had indicated before turning her attention to Michael. “Now, what was all that about? Are ye leavin’ us?”
“Aye,” Michael confirmed, although he seemed somewhat regretful about it. “I’ve been considerin’ an alliance with the Laird of Clan Sherman. After the events of last night, I think it’s more important than ever that we work to solidify that.”
“Why?” she pressed. “What about last night makes that particular clan of such importance?”
Arthur cleared his throat, drawing her attention to him. “Eric is the Laird of Clan Hendry,” he explained patiently.
Marissa’s stomach twisted at the man’s name. But she nodded her head to confirm what he’d said. Although, how the people at this table had pieced that together, she hadn’t the slightest idea.
She hadn’t even told Abigail more than the man’s first name. She’d been too worried that her family might find out that he was a laird and pressure her to marry him. It was an incredibly unlikely scenario, but one that she didn’t want to risk all the same.
So, the only person who had ever truly known his title was her.
“How did ye—” she began, but Joseph quickly cut her off.
“We have ways of drawin’ information out of people,” he drawled, cracking his knuckles as he did so.
It was then that Marissa looked at his hands, noting the bruises that decorated his knuckles.
They interrogated the man. Likely beat him bloody.
She couldn’t find it in herself to feel sorry for him. Not when his actions had come so very close to costing her her life.
“Clan Hendry’s lands are on the other side of Clan Sherman,” Michael interjected. “Laird Sherman stands between our lands and the man who sent an assassin after ye. It might be valuable to have an ally that can stand in the way, between us and them.”
“Plus, they have a mighty large army,” Joseph chimed in. “It would never be a bad thing to have their crests flyin’ next to ours.”
“Good crop, too,” Arthur supplied. “It would be a smart trade agreement.”
Marissa took some satisfaction in this, knowing that the deal they were making wasn’t just to ensure her protection. It would benefit all of them. And it would help to keep her safe.
She was quite all right with those terms.
“So, we’ll be gettin’ married in four days then?” she asked, her eyes flicking to Arthur.
He nodded. “If ye think ye can wait that long.”
Marissa laughed. Before she could respond, the servants’ door opened, announcing the arrival of their meal.
The smell of it made her mouth water, and the moment breakfast was served, she dug in. It had only just dawned on her that she hadn’t had a proper supper the night before.
At the cèilidh, she had only grazed from the buffet table. Nothing more than a few bites of fruit. And, after her run-in with the man Eric had sent, she hadn’t had much of an appetite.
But now she found herself ravenous, wanting to focus entirely on filling her belly instead of joining the conversation around her.
“Cody should remain behind,” Michael said, continuing his conversation with Arthur and Joseph as he ate his breakfast. “He’ll provide extra protection for Marissa and yer sister.”
“And Amara,” Joseph snorted, but no one deigned to respond to that.
Marissa, however, was quite pleased to realize that she hadn’t been the only one to notice the burgeoning affection between her nephew and Ayla’s maid.
“And he’s skilled?” Arthur asked, focusing on cracking the shell of a soft-boiled egg with his spoon. “I only want to trust him with her protection if he’ll actually be able to protect her when and if the time comes. Otherwise, he’ll just be a hindrance.”
Michael bristled at Arthur’s insinuation. Marissa knew that he hated when anyone questioned his son’s abilities, but she also knew that Michael would understand the sentiment, and likely would have asked the same if the roles were reversed. And so she was not surprised when he deflated quickly.
“He is incredibly skilled,” he declared, his voice even and calm, all signs of his agitation mere seconds ago gone entirely. “I taught him meself. He’s been protectin’ the girls for quite some time now.
Arthur nodded. “Alright then. He’ll stay.”
“And Abigail?” Marissa chimed in.
Her hopes suddenly rose. Maybe her youngest sister could stay there with her. It would be nice to have her there for the next few days, especially as she started to prepare for the wedding. But her hopes were quickly dashed when Michael began shaking his head.
“She’ll come with us,” he replied. “Freya is quite far along in her pregnancy, and I dinnae want to leave her alone. And I may need Abigail’s help if the baby decides to come early.”
Marissa understood, even if the news was disappointing. She returned her focus to her breakfast, happy at the very least that Cody would be staying.
And they’ll return in only a few days. On me weddin’ day, in fact.
A small thrill ran through her at the thought, and she allowed herself a bit of fanciful daydreaming as breakfast and conversation continued around her.
As much as Marissa had prepared herself for a hounding from her family, it proved to be entirely unnecessary. Apparently, they had all forgiven her for not telling them that Eric had continued his advances.
Or, even if they hadn’t entirely forgiven her, they had at least agreed to put it behind them. Because not a single mention of it was made.