Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Alexander exchanged amused looks with his brother. He had to admit that he admired the lass’s tenacity.
Broderic had spoken affectionately about the feisty maiden on the few occasions that she had been brought up over the years. Alexander had never had the opportunity to meet her until now, though. Chester had made it a point to keep his daughter locked away in MacPherson Castle.
Now, Alexander could understand why. The lass was a bit of a loose cannon, witty and beautiful. What a combination.
Now that I laid me eyes on her, I cannae say I blame the man one bit. She’s the kind that attracts trouble, in so many ways.
His loins tightened as his thoughts ran rampant for a moment.
That’s nae to say she isnae right. What if I took her back with me? What if I made her me wife? Then, I could take me time discoverin’ exactly what is hidden beneath that arisaid. Over and over again, anytime I like.
After a long moment of silence, Michael elbowed him in the ribs. Alexander brought his attention back to the present and away from the what-ifs. Clearing his throat, he narrowed his eyes at her.
“And how would that be a solution, lass? Wouldnae yer faither disagree with yer proposal? Does he even ken ye’re here, speakin’ to me about marriage beneath his very nose? Why should I trust ye? How do I ken this isnae some trap for him to justify his war?”
“It is ye I shouldnae trust, Me Laird,” Helena chastised, fire in her eyes. “Yet, here I am, on a leap of pure faith. I dinnae want to continue to watch me people suffer because me foolish faither cannae see past his anger and refuses to change his ways.”
Alexander considered her response for a long moment. He was fully aware that the entire Clan MacPherson blamed him for the deaths of Broderic and Ian. Despite that, he had to wonder.
He exchanged another look with Michael, who shrugged subtly, seeming to have the same thoughts. He had to admit that the idea had merit. However, she still hadn’t fully answered his question.
“Why should I agree to this marriage? Lettin’ me enemy into me home and into me bed?” Alexander asked, his eyes narrowing on her as he stood over her. “Ye better have a convincin’ reason.”
“Because, Me Laird,” she drawled, squaring her shoulders. “If we marry, me faither would be forced to sign a truce. He would be forced to stick to it too. He cannae attack his own daughter—his only livin’ child. His alliances, his deals with other lairds, would all crumble.”
Alexander studied her, impressed by her obvious but still clever solution to their collective problem. She sounded earnest, and she wouldn’t have risked her life for nothing.
“Give us a minute to consider yer proposal, lass,” Alexander grunted, motioning for Michael to follow him to the horses.
“What do ye think?” Michael asked hesitantly, once he was sure the lass could no longer hear them. “It’s a trap of another kind if ye ask me. Would MacPherson actually accept the truce if ye married her?”
“I honestly dinnae ken. I dinnae believe he would have a choice but to accept it. If the lass and I wed, I would be next in line to the lairdship, as custodian until our son comes of age,” Alexander answered, his thoughts racing.
“Is it a solution ye want to pursue? Is it somethin’ ye could live with? If nae, dinnae do it. I dinnae care how pretty and innocent her doe eyes are,” Michael said, glancing over his shoulder at the doe-eyed lass in question.
Alexander grabbed his brother’s arm and leaned in. His eyes flashed with a silent warning before the next words left his mouth.
“If I do marry her, ye are never to call her pretty, innocent, or doe-eyed again, ye hear me? Ye keep yer wanderin’, insatiable eyes off of her,” he hissed.
“Aye. Aye. I’m just askin’ for yer sake.” Michael threw his hands up. “Nay sense in makin’ ye more miserable than ye already are.”
The sideways glance that Alexander pinned his brother with said it all. It warned him to quit while he was ahead.
With a nod of silent agreement, they walked purposely back to where Helena waited patiently.
“Alright, lass, let’s just say I agree with ye. That marryin’ ye would put an end to the war between our clans and unite them. Are ye prepared to do it?” Alexander asked.
He crossed to her side of the fire, crouching down beside her to look her in the eye. This close, he could smell her—she smelled like roses and sage. A growl rumbled in his chest when he spoke next.
“Are ye prepared to do it? Now? Return with me to MacAllister Castle and marry me?” he pressed, savoring the power he held over the conversation.
He was curious to know how far he could push before she broke.
A look of panic crossed her delicate features. It quickly became obvious that she hadn’t been prepared to enact her proposal so quickly. It was also obvious to him that she was pure, having no idea what to do with a man so close to her.
The idea that she was untouched thrilled him even more.
And that thrill only egged him on.
He needed to take her back with him. Today. Now. Every instinct screamed at him that she was his and not to let her out of his sight.
“I… I dinnae have me things,” she stammered. “I need time to prepare.”
Alexander rose to his feet, wiping his hands on his green tartan to smooth it.
Michael followed suit, mimicking his actions slowly as if making to ready the horses for them to leave. He doused the fire and collected the ale bottles as Alexander continued the standoff between him and the feisty lass.
“Well then, lass, ye should leave. Ye obviously havenae given this considerable thought and have prematurely requested our presence here.”
“Wait. Nay!” Helena shot to her feet, rushing around the fire to grip his arm and stop him from retreating further, slight panic on her pretty face.
“Lass, I appreciate the boldness, the courage, but I cannae force this,” he responded, not pulling away from her grip. “The other clans already think I’m a villain. What would they think if I claimed Laird MacPherson’s only daughter as me own?”
“That’s nae… I’m willin’… I am…”
“Ye dinnae look it,” he quipped, looking over her frightened features. “Is this truly what ye want, lass? I willnae suffer yer sadness in the weeks or years to come, and I cannae have an enemy in me own home.”
“I’ll go. I’ll go. If it will end this senseless war, I’ll go with ye now,” she declared, her eyes wide but sincere. “Please, Laird MacAllister. We can end the violence, and I think we may have things in common…”
Amused by her reaction, Alexander once again shared a look with his brother over her head. A yawl from where the orange cat sat beside the fire, flicking its tail at them, drew their attention.
Helena smiled fondly at Mags. He somehow always felt the need to be the center of attention.
“That creature is a demon. He looks at us as if he understands us!” Michael exclaimed, wariness evident on his face.
“That’s because he does.” Helena walked over to the feline, picked him up, and cradled him in her arms once more. “Dinnae tell me ye are a superstitious lot. He is not dangerous, just needy.”
“He’s nae comin’ with ye, lass,” Alexander said firmly.
He wasn’t going to ride a couple of hours with a cat ready to spook his horse and make him throw them off at any moment.
“Aye, he is, Me Laird. Mags goes with me everywhere. Where I go, he goes,” Helena retorted, her voice unyielding. “Besides, me faither kens I would never leave willingly without me cat.”
“Speakin’ of leavin’, lass. How exactly will yer faither ken that we didnae kidnap ye? That ye came with us of yer own free will?” Michael inquired suspiciously
“Well, I… Ugh!” she sputtered. “I had a bit of foresight in the matter. I left him a letter statin’ that I left to meet with ye. To marry ye.”
Everyone was frozen for a long moment, the men stunned into silence, each looking at the other. Finally, Alexander cleared his throat, nodding.
“Well then, let’s leave before yer faither tries to stop us and take ye back before we’re married. We cannae risk an objection from an emissary or a priest.”
“Ah, aye, probably for the best,” Helena agreed, blushing. “I didnae tell anyone of me plans to meet ye. Faither wouldnae have allowed it.”
“That’s what I thought. Alexander, time to go.” Michael went to the horses.
Helena collected her bag, not letting go of the orange tabby cat until he was tucked securely in it.
“Ye’re nae bringin’ that thing along, I said. It’s a two-hour ride. It will scream the whole way,” Alexander protested again, his voice barely above a grumble.
“Nay, he willnae. He’ll be fine. He’s ridden in me bag since he was a kitten. I’m nae leavin’ him behind,” she retorted firmly. “Either we both go or neither of us goes.”
Alexander debated continuing arguing with her for a long moment. Eventually, he decided that the cat would likely scamper off when it got tired of being confined. It really wasn’t worth arguing over.
“Fine. Helena, ye ride with me,” he commanded as he mounted his bay, only glancing briefly at his brother, who was rolling his eyes.
Helena didn’t look very happy about it as he turned the horse to stand beside her and extended his hand to help her up into the saddle.
“Any objections to bein’ in the arms of yer future husband for the next couple of hours? It’s a long ride,” he taunted.
The blush that crawled up her neck and cheeks was well worth the effort.
It didn’t take her long to recover. She cleared her throat and schooled her features into a fearless mask, feigning bravery.
“Nay, nay objections. I’m sure ye can restrain yerself from any unwelcome advances until our wedding night. Right?” she countered, pinning him with a serious look.
Alexander smirked, now fully amused, as he gripped her hand and pulled her in front of him.
“Oh, ye dinnae even ken how much I can restrain meself, lass.” His voice grew raspy as her intoxicating scent, the warmth of her against the hard length of his body, tickled his senses.
The ride back to MacAllister Castle was going to be a long and trying one. His thoughts must have been plain on his face, for he received a chastising look from Michael as they fell into step behind his horse.
Although he couldn’t see Helena’s face, for her hood covered her head once again, he could feel the warmth of her body against him. At one point, her hood slid down and he could smell the sweet scent of roses and sage that he already knew belonged to her.
It was a couple of hours’ ride back to his home, and they rode in silence most of the way. A few courteous words were exchanged each time they stopped to rest or relieve themselves. But besides that, they rode in relative silence.
They stayed off the main roads, not wanting to be seen by any of her father’s men who may misconstrue the situation. It was unlikely that they would give them any time to explain that she was with them willingly before lopping off their heads.
More than once, Alexander’s mind wandered to the feel of her body against him. The growing need, the insatiable lust that stirred inside him. When he felt himself begin to harden and throb, he feared she may notice, so he shifted his thoughts to other matters.
He thought of the benefits and inconveniences of her wild idea. The benefits seemed obvious enough—the war would end, and he would eventually become the Laird of both clans. They would have to have two boys, of course. One to assume each lairdship once they were of age or upon his death.
The inconveniences were less obvious. Chester could continue to create problems for his clan. The old man was vindictive and could easily come up with numerous ways in which to harass Alexander despite his marriage to his daughter.
When they finally arrived at the keep, a little before dusk, they were greeted by the housekeeper, Lorna. A perplexed look crossed the older woman’s face as she waited for them to dismount.
“Me Laird, I didnae ken we were receivin’ guests. I fear I am unprepared to host this evening.” She turned to a maid behind her. “Nessa, set one more place at the table and inform the cook.”
“That willnae be necessary,” Alexander said, reaching up with both hands to lift Helena down from his horse. “We are all very tired, and I’d safely assume we would all like to dine in our quarters this evening. Please have the rooms adjoinin’ mine prepared for Lady Helena.”
“Aye, Me Laird.” Lorna bowed slightly, then turned toward the hall to carry out his instructions.
“And Lorna?” Alexander called. “Please inform the household that we will be hostin’ a wedding three days from now.”
“Oh?” Lorna stopped and turned back to him, shocked. “Whose wedding, Me Laird?”
“Mine.”