A Virgin for the Stone Highlander (Under the Lairds’ Rule #2)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Aaron Gallaway snapped the book in front of him shut.

Bloody hell.

He released a rough breath, massaging his temples with his fingers to ease the tension that was beginning to mount within him.

He had been reviewing reports of the clan’s recent finances when the elders and councilmen let themselves into the narrow chamber, crowding the room with pressure and their unwelcome presence.

The chamber itself was little more than stone, a single long table, and the scent of old parchment. A lone fire burned low in the hearth beside the wall, its warmth doing little to soften the mood that had already settled around him.

“Me Laird,” one of the elders said quietly, as though this were anything but a simple request they had come to present. “Yer sister is wed.”

A rough sound escaped the back of Aaron’s throat, but he did not look up.

Following Scarlett’s strategic marriage to Laird McLaren, the clan gained greater access to profitable trade routes, further strengthening their position.

The arrangement had pleased the council well enough.

Trade had increased within only a handful of months, and more merchants passed through Hallow lands now than ever.

But Scarlett had paid dearly for that alliance.

It was an exchange she herself had bargained with him for, and the elders had no business standing over him now as though her sacrifices were a bargaining chip to be spent twice.

“And what have ye gathered over me head for?” he asked flatly, still rubbing his temples.

He listened as the elders shuffled their feet for a moment, irritation flaring in his chest.

“The alliance is secured,” another said, his quiet tone scraping against what remained of Aaron’s patience. “Now, ye must finish what duty requires.”

The words were like a piece of wood snapping in the fire. Aaron’s jaw clenched. His palms flattened loudly against the table as he rose.

“I have done me duty,” he gritted out, his chest heaving slightly as he held on to restraint.

Since becoming a Laird at eighteen, he had done little else.

At three-and-thirty, fifteen years of his life had already been swallowed by responsibility, war disputes, and trade arrangements—by the terrible winters that demanded careful rationing lest his people suffer, and by the men who looked up to him for judgment before they would even sharpen a blade.

He was their Laird. That was the burden placed upon him, and he never saw reason to complain. But still, it was never enough.

“Nae fully,” the eldest of them replied quietly. His overgrown white beard framed his mouth so heavily that his lips scarcely seemed to move when he spoke. “The clan needs an heir, me Laird. There will be nay more delay.”

“An heir,” Aaron hissed.

His green eyes narrowed as he looked across their faces, half expecting the majority of them to avoid his gaze.

They did not.

They mean to force me hand.

A humorless scoff escaped his lips as the realization dawned on him.

“Go on,” he said, waving his hand slightly as he straightened.

“We have already arranged a match,” the eldest continued. “Laird MacFaris’s daughter will arrive within the week.”

Aaron’s expression hardened instantly.

“MacFaris.” The name rolled off his tongue like a curse.

Aaron had met enough bastards to recognize one when they stood before him, and Laird MacFaris was a man he neither trusted nor respected. Men like MacFaris never offered anything without first measuring what it might offer in return.

“I willnae tie meself to that man’s house,” Aaron said coldly, his gaze settling on the eldest councilman. “I said that before, and I willnae say it again.”

He turned away, his tone leaving no room for argument. Still, none of them moved.

The silence that followed only confirmed what he had already suspected. They had not come to discuss the matter; they had come believing it already settled.

“It is a necessity, me Laird,” one elder said carefully. “The man is powerful, and he doesnae lack patience.” His tone bordered more on admiration than mere statement.

Indeed.

Aaron scoffed, turning to look at him.

Successful greed requires a measure of patience.

“He doesnae lack in good graces either,” the elder continued, his voice louder. Perhaps he mistook Aaron’s look for approval. “We refused him once, and yet he returns.”

“He was refused for good reason.”

“His proposal was not small,” the eldest replied. “To set up his son with yer sister would have bound two strong clans. Ye turned it down, and now he has made a greater offer.”

Aaron stood for a moment without speaking.

He stepped away from the table, his broad shoulders stiffening beneath the weight of his irritation as he walked toward the far wall.

His councilmen saw strength in MacFaris, but they did not see the hunger beneath it. Or perhaps they did and simply believed the risk was worth taking.

“Ye mistake persistence for honor,” Aaron said finally.

One of the elders exhaled loudly enough for him to hear. “Ye refuse MacFaris again,” he said, his voice tightening slightly. “A man of his standing willnae let another slight slide.”

Aaron stopped near the hearth. He stared into the fire for a long moment, his jaw flexing.

The elders were right about one thing. MacFaris had the patience of a snake. And if Aaron continued to refuse the offer without choosing an alternative, he would only press harder until the elders had backed Aaron into a corner with talk of an heir.

Nay. There is no point in holding them off any longer. I shall have to give them somethin’.

Suddenly, the door opened without so much as a knock.

Who in God’s name—?

Aaron’s head snapped toward the door, his frown deepening until he saw who it was.

Edith. Scarlett’s friend.

What does the lass want?

The murmurs began almost immediately, before she had even crossed the threshold.

“Who does she think she is?” a councilman muttered. “Walking into the Laird’s chamber unannounced.”

His voice was loud enough that she would have heard every word, but she stepped inside anyway, her chin lifted slightly.

She dipped into a curtsy. “Begging yer pardon, me Laird.” Her voice was unexpectedly steady. “I bring news.”

Aaron shifted, straightening his back without meaning to.

Since Scarlett had departed for her marital home, he had hardly seen much of Edith around. Neither of them cared for the other, but Edith seemed to have taken to avoiding the main halls whenever possible, even though his sister had fought for her to remain under his roof.

“What news, lass?” one of the councilmen asked sharply, looking her over with poorly concealed irritation.

Aaron felt his own irritation stir at the man’s tone.

“’Tis only for the Laird’s ears,” Edith replied before he could speak, her words landing heavily.

Aaron cocked a brow. The councilmen let out disapproving grunts, looking between one another and at Aaron to say something.

“She has some nerve,” one of the elders muttered to the councilman beside him. “Speaking those words in front of us.”

“A lowborn, no less,” another said, disdain coating his tone.

Aaron’s eyes narrowed at the exchange, and the elder cleared his throat, lowering his head slightly.

Aaron took a step forward, studying Edith for a moment.

Certainly bold, this one.

He took in the way her posture remained straight in the face of their scrutiny. Her chin was raised, her breathing even, and not once did she avert her gaze despite his stare.

Perhaps…

He swallowed. His gaze flitted to Caelan O’Keif, his loyal friend and man-at-arms.

Only Caelan knew the truth of the bargain he had struck with Scarlett months ago—that Edith would remain at Hallow Castle in exchange for Scarlett marrying Laird McLaren. But the council did not. And perhaps that ignorance could serve him now.

Aaron cleared his throat. He looked sharply at the councilmen and elders, and they straightened, looking away in a manner that only proved cowardice.

His brow furrowed. Perhaps a solution to the situation had already presented itself. Perhaps this was a way to escape their pestering altogether.

“Thank ye, Edith,” he said, returning his gaze to her. “I shall be with ye at once.”

Her hazel eyes lifted briefly to meet his, then she curtsied slightly and turned to leave.

Aaron watched her back as she disappeared around the corner, then he glanced at Caelan once more before turning back to the elders.

’Tis settled.

If the council wanted him to take a wife, then he would give them one, only it wouldn’t be the one they had chosen.