Chapter Twenty-Five #2
Brenna guessed the allowance would have been enough for anyone other than Hannah, who always wanted more than what was offered.
“No matter. I won’t need it much longer.”
Before Brenna could inquire about that statement, Hannah pointed to the painting above the fireplace.
“Who is that? She is quite beautiful.”
“The laird’s mother, Deirdre MacPherson.”
“Ah. I can see where Ronan gets his striking good looks.”
“Yes.” Brenna had never met the woman. She married the MacPherson laird shortly after Ronan’s father died, so he’d grown up there with his stepbrothers and stepsister instead of here with Geordie.
What Brenna knew of her mother-in-law was only what the ladies in the kitchen had told her: Deirdre had never deigned to step inside or speak to them.
Brenna thought Hannah and Deirdre were probably much alike.
They cared only for themselves, so Brenna decided to get to the heart of the matter as they left the solar.
“Why are you here, sister?”
Hannah offered a feigned look of surprise but quickly gave up the ruse of shock that her intentions would be questioned.
“Very well, I had planned to come sooner when I’d heard Ronan had returned, but I wanted to give him a moment to settle into his new role.” Even the shrug of her shoulder was elegant.
“I’m to believe you came here simply to greet my husband on his return?”
Hannah stopped at the double doors of the laird’s chambers in the corridor leading to the bedrooms. Her fingers traced the Grant coat of arms carved into the wood.
“I’m here to be his wife,” she said as if it was expected. Perhaps it should have been. Had Hannah not been betrothed when Ronan and Geordie came to her father, she would have been married to him. Still, it was too late.
Brenna blinked and shook her head. “But I am his wife.”
Hannah laughed, but it lacked the light, bell-like sound it had earlier. Somehow, it was darker and struck deeper into Brenna’s soul.
“We all know how easy it is for the laird of a powerful clan to bend the church’s rules. Why, he only need to declare me his wife, and it shall be so. Many do not even bother with the formality of an annulment.”
The wedding plans seemed more precise now. She wasn’t considering such extravagance for Gabe and Isabelle. She was planning for her ceremony and feast.
“But…” The only words that came to mind were the ones she’d already said. “I am his wife.”
“We both know he would have wanted to wed me had I been available back then,” Hannah said, her words conjuring up a memory she’d done her best to forget for all these years.
Ronan whispered to his grandfather that he’d instead marry Hannah. The disappointment at being told she was already betrothed. But that had been a long time ago, and they had… He had…
“I’m sure he planned to make the best of the situation with you. He seems to care for your health genuinely, almost as he would a sister.”
“But we have lain together since his return.”
“Of course, for the benefit of his people, he would want to show his virility. Did he tell you he’d been true to you while away, or was he honest?
A man cannot go very long without the company of a woman.
It confounds the mind and makes them go mad.
And our dear Ronan does not seem addled in the least.”
Brenna swallowed, feeling much like the child she’d been five years ago. She’d not known. She’d been told not to be angry, that he would have lain with other women. She’d foolishly thought it a choice he made, not a medical requirement. How silly she was. About everything.
Hannah must have seen the tears forming in Brenna’s eyes, for she pulled Brenna into an embrace that tugged at her wound uncomfortably.
“Fear not, sister. You may return home to Innes House. You can return to your hunting and riding as you had before. You’ll have the freedom to live out your life without the duties of a castle and wife.
Oh, I wish for such freedoms as well, but alas, as eldest, Father has required me to fulfill my duties here. ”
Not only was she to leave Ronan, but she was also to return to her parents’ home, where she’d never been a daughter they could be proud of.
She shook her head. “Nay. This is my home now.”
Hannah pursed her perfect lips in a pitying look. “Of course, you are welcome to stay here. I only wished to spare you having to see me with him. You have feelings for him. How could you not feel a misplaced affection for a man who has offered you such kindness?”
Brenna wanted to argue, but her sister’s words had a ring of truth. He had worried about her when she’d been shot, as any man would for someone who’d saved his life.
“Now, let’s see you settled next door until arrangements can be made. I must make myself ready in the laird’s chambers.”
“We must ask Ronan what he wants.” The words burst from Brenna’s tongue.
Hannah’s brows went up, and she settled her best smile on her pleasantly curved lips.
“You are quite brave, little sister. I think you’d want to avoid hearing him voice his selection. But let us both wait until he arrives so he can decide which of us he prefers.” Hannah’s gaze trailed unimpressed over Brenna, and she knew how she must look.
Pale, haggard, exhausted. Even at her best, she could not compete with Hannah’s beauty. Brenna’s stomach twisted at the thought of standing beside her sister while Ronan determined which of them he favored.
She’d worried Ronan would be taken from her in war all these years. She’d not been prepared for the most vicious battle of all.