Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
By nightfall, Ailis had cried until her eyes ached.
The celebrations had begun hours ago. Music drifted through the castle, laughter rose from the great hall, and servants hurried between tables carrying food and ale for the clans already arriving for the binding.
She could hear all of it from her chamber. She wanted none of it.
Every sound seemed to remind her that tomorrow she was meant to become Gordon’s wife.
Except Gordon had made it clear he did not want her.
Ailis wiped her cheeks and left her chamber. She did not know where she meant to go. She only knew she could not remain there another moment listening to everyone celebrate a future that suddenly felt like a cruel joke.
Her feet carried her downstairs, past the kitchens and the servants’ quarters until she reached the small chamber where she had first stayed when she arrived at MacLaren Castle.
She pushed the door open, and cold air met her.
The room had always felt different from the rest of the castle. Smaller. Bare. There was little warmth in it, despite the thick stone walls.
Gordon had told her once that it had been his childhood chamber.
The place where he had slept when his uncle had raised him.
The thought made something inside her ache.
He survived here.
Ailis stepped inside, but before she could take another step, the door clicked shut behind her. A shadow detached itself from the darkness, and Ailis stopped breathing.
Kerr stepped into the faint glow of a low-burning torch. His smile made her stomach turn.
“Forgive me, Miss Ailis,” he said softly, his smile widening with mischief.
Ailis stumbled backward. “What are ye doin’ here?”
“I have waited a very long time for this moment.”
His gaze traveled over her with unsettling satisfaction. “The moment when I finally have ye to meself.”
A chill raced down her spine. “Ye need to let me go, Laird Kerr.”
She turned toward the door, but Kerr moved faster, and his hand caught her arm.
“Daenae struggle.”
Ailis jerked against his grip. “Let me go!”
His expression hardened. “Ye will get hurt, Ma’am, and it isnae me intention to hurt ye. Why would I want to hurt me intended?”
The word intended made bile rise in her throat.
What in the heavens is he plannin’?
He drew a dirk from beneath his coat. The blade caught the torchlight, making her freeze. Kerr lowered the weapon but did not put it away.
“Better.”
Her heart hammered. “Why are ye doin’ this?”
“Because I have been robbed of what was promised to me.”
His voice remained unnervingly calm. “Yer sister was meant to marry me. Then Rowan took her from me. And when that arrangement was broken, I was denied ye as well.”
“That doesnae give ye the right to take me.”
“I ken.” His smile returned. “That is precisely why I have waited.” He opened the door and turned to her again, his grip on her arm tightening. “Ye will come with me on yer own accord.”
Ailis tried to pull away from him. “I willnae.”
“Daenae make me hurt ye,” he warned in a sterner voice, and she swallowed hard again before finally letting him pull her out.
The hallway was empty as they walked. No servants hurried past, and no guards stood alert at the doors.
Ailis still heard the echoes of music from the grand hall, and she held onto the hope that someone would see them. She knew if she screamed, he would stab her before anyone got here.
“The castle is large and under guard. We willnae make it out of here alive,” she told him. “Laird MacLaren will come for me.”
Kerr laughed at that now and shook his head. “Nay one is comin’ for ye, Ma’am. Daenae worry. I have made sure of that.”
As they drew further down the hallway leading to the exit, Ailis saw one servant slumped against the wall.
She gasped; her stomach turned and recoiled with dread.
“What have ye done?”
Kerr adjusted his gloves. “Only improved the ale somewhat. It is a celebration, and everyone will be drinkin’. They will sleep for hours, nothin’ more, and by the time they wake, we will be in me keep, married… and ye will be in me bed.”
Her blood ran cold.
“Once ye understand, ye will see I am the only man who has ever truly fought for ye.”
“Nay. I willnae be yer wife.” Ailis planted her feet beneath her though they trembled so badly, she feared her knees would give way.
Kerr’s expression hardened. “Ye will.”
He caught her arm and forced her toward the waiting horse.
“I said nay!” She twisted against him, but he was stronger. He shoved her forward, and she stumbled into the open air.
The cold struck immediately. It seeped beneath her gown, raising gooseflesh along her arms and stealing what little warmth remained in her fingers. She hugged herself, breathing hard.
“Gordon will find me,” she said. The words came out shakier than she intended.
Kerr laughed at that, and she saw the blaze of madness in the way he looked at her as his cackle drifted in the air.
“Gordon?” He sounded almost amused. “Ye still believe that man cares for ye?”
Ailis lifted her chin. “He will come.”
“He cares for his clan, his lands, and his precious reputation. That is all.”
“That isnae true.”
Kerr stepped closer. “Then why was he nae with ye tonight? Why have ye wandered away from yer own celebration and right into me arms?”
Ailis’ confidence faltered. Kerr saw it.
“Ye see?” he murmured. “Even ye ken I speak the truth.”
He led her toward the horse.
Ailis resisted until his grip tightened. “Daenae make me hurt ye,” he warned again, and this time, he shoved her forward.
She climbed reluctantly into the saddle. Kerr mounted behind her, trapping her between his body and the horse.
Ailis immediately moved forward, trying to create distance. There was nowhere to go.
Kerr’s arm settled around her waist. She recoiled from his touch, stiffening, but there was nowhere to run to, so she clenched her jaw hard and tried to endure it.
He leaned closer, breathing in the scent of her hair for a long moment, then he chuckled again.
“Ye are just as bonnie as I imagined, Ma’am I will enjoy our weddin’ night very much.”
Ailis’ stomach churned with disgust. “Daenae touch me.”
He trailed his hand down her arm even as she tried to wriggle away from him. “I have waited for this day for years.”
His voice dropped into something almost reverent which frightened her more than anger would have. “We will wed tonight because I cannae wait any longer.”
Ailis’ heart slammed against her ribs.
Panic shot through Ailis so violently that her thoughts scattered. Her heart hammered against her ribs. Her fingers went cold, and for a dreadful moment, she could think of nothing but the horse beneath her, Kerr behind her, and the darkness swallowing the road ahead.
Think.
She needed time.
Not much. Just enough to get back to MacLaren Castle. Enough for someone to wake. Enough for Gordon to realize she was gone.
Her mind raced through every excuse she could think of, discarding each one as quickly as it came.
Then she remembered something.
The bindin’.
She turned her head slightly.
“Laird Kerr?”
“What?”
“If ye truly mean to marry me tonight, then ye must surely know that ye cannae.”
He gave a low laugh. “And why is that?”
“Because I am not prepared.”
He scoffed. “Ye neednae worry. Everythin’ ye need has been prepared in me castle. Me people await their new lady.”
“Nay… nay that.” Ailis forced her voice to remain steady. “Me family willnae accept a marriage performed this way. Neither will the church. If ye take me tonight and force the bindin’ without me family present, ye risk havin’ it declared invalid.”
Kerr’s arm tightened around her. “What are ye sayin’?”
“I am sayin’ ye could wait all these years only to discover that the marriage means nothin’.”
He fell silent, and Ailis swallowed hard because she knew she had his attention now.
She continued carefully.
“Ye want justice. Ye want the marriage that was promised to ye. Then do it properly. Let me stand before the priest tomorrow. Let me family witness it. Let the clans know I became yer wife willingly.”
The lie tasted bitter, but she forced herself to continue.
“If ye take me tonight, ye give Gordon every reason to come after ye. If ye wait until tomorrow, there will be witnesses. Nay one can claim ye stole me. Nay one can say the bindin’ was forced.”
Kerr said nothing, but Ailis could almost feel him weighing her words.
“Ye are tryin’ to deceive me, are ye nae? Why would yer family agree to this?” he barked.
“I have nay reason to deceive ye, Me Laird. Laird MacLaren doesnae want me, but ye do. I am better off in yer castle. I will wed ye if that is what ye wish. It is also what will ensure peace between our clans.”
For several long moments, only the horse’s hooves broke the silence.
Then Kerr gave a quiet, thoughtful hum. “Ye are cleverer than I expected.”
Ailis kept her face turned toward the road.
Please believe me.
At last, he slowed the horse.
“Tomorrow, then.”
Relief surged through her so suddenly that her knees nearly weakened.
She forced herself not to show it.
“Aye,” she whispered.
Inside her, hope sparked.
Tomorrow was enough time. Callan doesnae drink much ale… he prefers whisky, and Gordon might nae have been at the feast tonight.
They would discover she was gone soon and find her before it was too late. And for the first time since Kerr had taken her, Ailis allowed herself one desperate thought.
Gordon, find me before tomorrow.