Preview of My Notorious Highlander #2
"Aye, Dirk MacKay is a good man. Fair, honest." A bride thief.
Torrin held back a grin for, in truth, he was thankful Dirk had stolen his betrothed.
Isobel was beautiful, but if Torrin had married her, he would've missed his chance with Jessie.
Aye, he had to believe he had a chance with her, despite her resistance.
Torrin glared at the man beside him. Maybe MacBain was the reason Jessie was turned against marriage and men. That had to be it. She would likely be furious that MacBain was back, sniffing at her slippers.
"I'm hoping Chief MacKay will be receptive to my offer of marriage to Jessie," MacBain said.
Doubtful, although Torrin wouldn't tell him this. Let him find out for himself that things were not so rosy. This would give Torrin an excuse and time for Jessie to get to know him. He wanted her trust… and a lot more.
"Why did you send her home at the end of the handfasting?" Torrin asked.
"Another woman bewitched me. 'Twas not something I planned. But I met Ellen about three months after I'd signed the trial marriage contract. I was smitten with her."
"So you sent Jessie home and married Ellen?"
"Aye, but I waited until the year was up so I wouldn't break the contract without good reason and rile her father. 'Twas difficult as Ellen was with child and I had to keep her condition a secret."
Difficult? Did he not think it was difficult for Jessie, watching her "husband" frolicking with another woman? Bastard.
"Lady Jessie must have been hurt and angry," Torrin said, as if only vaguely interested.
MacBain shrugged. "Aye, she glared at me a few times. Gave me the cold shoulder. But I'm certain I can warm her up again."
"'Haps." Ha. The man was full of horse dung. Jessie was more likely to dirk MacBain in his sleep than smile at him. And he hoped she would.
"She's a fiery one."
Torrin glared at him, not wanting to hear one more word or he might choke the bastard before they made it to Durness.
"Why are you pursuing her instead of some other lady?" Torrin asked. "Surely, 'twould be easier if you didn't have a history with the woman."
"Her dowry is…" MacBain clamped his lips shut.
"Aye?" Torrin prompted.
MacBain eyed him suspiciously. "Well, I suppose I can tell you. You won't tell anyone, will you?"
Torrin shook his head. "Nay. Who would I tell?"
"I heard that her brother increased her dowry, and added some land in."
"Ah." Money-hungry whoreson. All he wanted was the dowry.
Not Jessie. Torrin knew this happened with a lot of marriage arrangements.
Land was important to him as well, so his clan could grow more food and not starve.
But for him, the woman he took to wife would be far more important than the land she brought to the marriage.
"You won't tell her I said that, will you?" MacBain's brows scrunched together.
"I barely know her." But he intended to change that, though it might take some time.
Besides, he wouldn't need to tell her why MacBain was pursuing her again.
She'd know. She was one of the canniest women he knew.
He hadn't talked to her much, but he'd watched her plenty during the month he'd been at Dunnakeil last winter.
He knew her to be friendly and caring, quick with a smile.
Not for him, of course, but for those she was close to.
She'd been managing the servants at that time and 'twas obvious everything was spotless.
She would make a perfect wife for him. He looked forward to convincing her of that.
∞∞∞
During supper at Castle Dunnakeil, one of the guards approached Lady Jessie MacKay at the high table. "We have visitors, m'lady," he said, raising his voice over the roar of conversation in the candlelit great hall.
Halting her knife in the midst of cutting a piece of venison, she glanced up at him with trepidation.
Please don't let it be Haldane. She couldn't deal with her outlaw younger brother. Although Dirk hadn’t exactly left her in charge of the castle, she was the next oldest of her siblings and of the highest rank here.
Dirk's sword-bearer, Erskine, and the guards were to handle defense.
But if they had noble visitors, she was the one left to entertain them…
along with her other brother, Aiden. But his method of entertainment was music.
She would have to deal with everything else.
"Who is it?" she asked with dread.
"Chief MacLeod and Chief MacBain," the guard informed her.
"What?" Jessie's mouth hung open. Noticing a few people staring at her, she snapped her mouth closed and tried to contain her shock. Those were two names she'd hoped to never hear again. "Are you certain? Torrin MacLeod and Gregor MacBain?"
"Aye."
"What on earth are they doing here?"
"They would not say, but they're requesting entrance."
"How many men with them?" her younger brother, Aiden, asked beside her.
"Just over a dozen."
"I'll see what they want." Aiden stood.
"Wait." Jessie grabbed his slender arm. "I'll go, too.
" Why couldn't Dirk have been here at a time like this?
He and around twenty-five had left, traveling south, a few weeks ago.
They'd been planning to stop by Munrick Castle, Torrin MacLeod's keep.
He knew Dirk wasn't here. Was that why he'd come?
To harass her about marrying him? "Where is Erskine?
" she asked. Her older brother's sword-bearer would ken what to do if conflict broke out.
"Outside," the guard said. "But he wanted your permission before we allowed them entrance. We're fair certain the MacLeods are allies, but we don't ken about the MacBains since… eh…" The guard's face flushed.
"Aye." Since her handfasting with him had gone sour three years past.