Chapter 3
Once she and her sisters had returned from distributing alms in the village, Darina returned to the keep to find—much to her delight—that even more Beltane garlands had been hung from the ceilings and ramparts.
The entire place now had a festive air about it, and every corridor was filled with the dreamy scent of lilies and other fragrant flowers.
She did not have long to change into an evening dress and freshen herself up before it was time to dine with the rest of her family.
Some girls in her position would not have bothered with such efforts.
They would have simply worn what they had been dressed in the rest of the day, relying on the familiarity of the setting and company to excuse them for the lack of added effort.
Darina, however, refused to let herself shirk in this regard.
If anything, in recent years she had become even more determined to make such a showing of effort whenever possible.
Her sisters—well, mostly Edwina, really—frequently mocked her for it, saying that it was the height of vanity and that she should be ashamed for her lack of humility.
It was said that she put so much effort into her appearance in an attempt to turn the boys’ heads since she was approaching marrying age, which often provoked teasing conversations about potential husbands, like the one they’d had earlier that very day.
Privately, though, Darina’s reason for occupying herself so much with her dresses and so on was that she felt it was a personal sign of strength and defiance in the face of adversity.
The people of the clan were so committed as a whole to shrugging off the hardships that had befallen them since the start of the war, and during her frequent visits to the villages and farms, she’d discovered that each individual found their own unique ways to do so.
For some, it was as simple as making sure their homes remained presentable, so they could be proud to invite guests into them at any time regardless of the loved ones they had lost in battle.
For others, it was expressed in the display of their family’s tartan, keeping it clean and preserved as a gesture of continued strength and determination.
Darina felt that taking that extra bit of time each day to make herself as attractive a figure as she wished to be was a way of showing she refused to be defeated by the death and loss that haunted their clan.
She hoped that the members of the clan saw it that way and were inspired by it, though she sometimes feared that some among them might take it as a sign that she chose to ignore the harsh realities of the war in favor of the delights of her own wardrobe.
She generally tried to push such thoughts away, and instead trusted in the goodwill of her clan’s people. They were generally good-hearted, and they respected the laird and his family.
As she made her way down to dinner, though, she couldn’t help but continue to wonder about her father’s comments earlier that day.
Did he have someone in mind for her to marry?
If so, who could it be? None of the clan’s nobles had made any attempt to court her, which was hardly a surprise.
Most men of the proper age to do so had been slain in battle, leaving young boys and old men.
A man from another clan, perhaps? That would make sense since it could forge the sort of alliance that might turn the tide of the war. Except if that were true, certainly he would have at least mentioned such a thing to her before reaching out to them with such a proposal?
Wouldn’t he?
Darina sighed, admitting to herself that in the end, she could not be certain of it at all.
She was the oldest daughter. She had no idea how her father might arrange a marriage for one of his daughters—whether he would involve her actively in the process from the start or simply make the arrangements himself and present them to her as a sort of fait accompli.
She’d been relying on how he’d behaved in his other duties and ventures to inform her of how he might approach this situation.
But perhaps even he did not know how he would choose to marry her off, or her sisters, for that matter.
And the current war would influence these choices on his part since there was a strong chance they would be made from a place of greater desperation than he would otherwise find himself in.
And what then? If she was to be married to a man she didn’t like—or, more accurately, in this case, one she’d never even met before—and it was for the good of the clan’s continued survival, would she protest?
Would she demand to have her say in the matter, knowing that she might have a chance to give the Wallaces the added soldiers and resources required to crush their enemies and end the conflict?
It is nae merely my father’s potential actions that remain a mystery in this circumstance, it seems, she thought, but my own as well.
I must do what is best fer my clan, naturally…
And as I told my sisters before, I have given nay great thought tae the matter of what sort of man I should marry, except that I do have strong feelings about who I shouldn’t wed.
Darina paused outside the door to the dining hall, not wanting her shudder at this thought to be visible to the rest of her family. She’d had no reason to seriously contemplate such matters until that very morning, and now she found that she could scarcely ponder anything else.
She entered with a smile and was greeted by her father and sisters, as well as her two brothers: Cameron, who was one year older than she, and Logan, who was four years younger.
She took her place to her father’s right, and as she did, the memory of their mother wistfully drifted to the surface of her mind.
It was her mother who had customarily sat at Laird Cawley’s right hand, but alas, she had died during Ella’s birth so many years ago. Even so, she was still bitterly missed.
A strange thought occurred to Darina suddenly: Perhaps that is why Ella is generally so silent and humorless. Maybe she believes that we all feel her company is a poor substitute for our mother’s and that we blame her tae some degree.
“Now that ye have ceased fussing over yer hair and gown and have chosen tae join us at last,” Laird Cawley quipped, “I have news fer ye, dear Daughter.”
“Oh?” Darina raised an eyebrow. “Might it have anythin’ tae do with what ye brought up earlier, then refused tae elaborate upon?”
“Good heavens, Darina, do try nae tae sound quite so excited,” Edwina murmured. “It’s only the prospect of yer own nuptials, after all.”
“What is this, then, Father?” Cameron asked between bites of bread and cheese. “Do ye intend tae see her married? If so, surely ye will allow Logan and myself tae visit with the fellow in question first so that we may get a sense of his character and worth.”
“Scare him intae behavin’, ye mean,” Ella said.
“Quite right, little Sister,” Logan intoned with a wink. “’Tis a brother’s duty, and we are more than ready tae assume it.”
“That might prove somewhat difficult in this case, lads,” Cawley interjected. “I intend tae send Darina tae London fer a season so that she may find a husband there.”
A heavy silence fell upon the table.
Darina couldn’t believe her ears. “Ye wish me tae marry an Englishman?”
“Aye,” Cawley replied with a nod. “One who pleases ye, of course, as yer happiness is important tae me. But also, one whose family has the means and willingness tae support us in this war so that we may put an end tae it once and fer all.”
“Ye might wish tae rethink that decision, Father,” Cameron said, clearly choosing his words most carefully. “Tae marry one of yer daughters to an Englishman, well, it might anger the members of our own clan. And the lairds of the other clans as well, fer that matter.”
“I have the respect of my own people,” Cawley insisted, “and this shall be doubly so if I manage tae end the conflict that has cost them so dearly. As fer the other lairds, I have only ever treated them with the utmost deference, and I choose tae believe they would nae turn on me over such a small matter as this. Particularly when it is clear that in doing so, I seek tae preserve what remains of our own clan.”
“Then yer mind is quite made up, Father?” Logan asked.
“Oh, come, come!” Cawley replied impatiently.
“You all act as though I mean tae sell my firstborn child tae a devil or witch! Nae all English are detestable! Surely if Darina puts her mind tae it, she can find one who is handsome, pleasant enough tae pass the time with, and possessed of deep enough pockets tae keep us from ruin in the years tae come.” He turned his attention to Darina. “Will ye do this, my dear lass?”
“I shall do whatever I must in the name of preserving our clan,” Darina replied breathlessly.
Inwardly, though, she was still stunned at the prospect—and the fact that it had been broached in front of the entire family had put her off her guard even more. Was that Father’s intention? she wondered. Could a man who loves me so much be so manipulative?
And more to the point: Could she really go through with such a thing when the time came?