Chapter 3
Chapter Three
“She has a stunnin’ voice,” Lady Agnes observed, an amused smile on her face. She sounded as though she may start singing along, so pleased with the woman’s social faux-paux.
Liam looked down at her, not missing the slight pinch of her brow that gave away the pain she was feeling.
Reluctantly, she’d settled into the chair he’d demanded a servant bring as it was the least they could do.
Her hand rested against her chest, and she was completely enraptured by the woman’s song.
“Ye must bid on her!” she said after a few beats. She turned, the effort of the motion making her breath catch. “Make me happy before I leave this world, Liam.”
The sense of obligation and duty he felt toward the woman who raised him was strongly convincing, but as he turned his gaze back to the singing woman, he knew that this wouldn’t be as simple as bidding on her and bringing her home. She was too loud, too sharp, too bright.
Too much.
She spoke of philosophy, and when men began to disapprove of her, she started singin’.
Liam frowned at her, incredulous that this was the woman his grandmother thought would fit. She was clumsy and openly trying much too hard. Yet, something about her was undeniably charming. “I daenae need someone so… theatrical to teach Agnes.”
As his grandmother was considering her answer, the singing suddenly stopped.
In the few seconds he allowed himself to think, the old, drunken man demanding they start his bidding became enraged at the girl’s song.
Apparently, his belligerent mind couldn’t understand this woman, and he responded to the confusion with anger.
It was an ugly quality, but one that he wasn’t unfamiliar with.
When he saw the man’s body coiling as if he were about to strike her, Liam didn’t hesitate.
Crossing the courtyard in a few confident, deliberate steps, he positioned himself firmly between the man and the woman.
His size alone, the several inches he had on everyone else in attendance, was enough to ease the tension.
“Surely there are better ways to treat a lady,” Liam said to the man, shifting toward him and driving him back from the woman. His hand twitched at his side, a silent warning that Liam watched his eyes track. “Are we nae here to learn more about them before we bid? Ye are the only one in a rush.”
Finally, he looked back at the woman. He didn’t even know her name, yet this was the second time they’d interacted. She looked grateful, yes, but her expression was tempered with defiance. It only further confirmed to him that she was nothing but trouble.
“Any of these skills we’re askin’ about can be taught,” the man replied. “Nay need to be a gentleman; all we need to do is see them to ken which one we want to make our wife.”
“That’s enough,” Laird Bickerson said, putting his hand on the man’s shoulder.
The gesture looked casual, but Liam saw the way his fingertips dug into flesh.
It was an even stronger warning than the one Liam had issued.
“While I escort ye to yer horse, I do believe that Laird MacDougal has earned askin’ Miss Katherine three questions. ”
Liam started to shake his head, but from the corner of his eye, he saw his grandmother stand up. He couldn’t disrespect her by denying this. Clearly, she expected him to accept this “reward.”
Laird Bickerson didn’t wait for him to say anything else, guiding the man away before he could cause a bigger scene. Even as they retreated, the man began grumbling. Liam’s grandmother approached him in a hurry, a limp in her step they tried to hide.
“I’ve three questions that will tell ye if she’s the woman ye should bid on. If she answers, ye must bid on her,” Lady Agnes said, her voice a bit tight, waiting for Liam to nod before continuing. “What would she do with a child who refuses to listen?”
Liam looked over at Katherine, expecting her to respond. She was watching both of them, her head tilted slightly to the side. He was sure she had heard the question, but she didn’t speak, almost as if she was waiting for him to answer it.
Clearing his throat, he said, “Well?”
“I didnae hear ye,” Katherine said though she was smiling in a way that was almost playful.
Liam’s jaw tightened. She didn’t even know him, and she was already teasing and pushing. Finally, he repeated, “What would ye do with a child that refuses to listen?”
“A child isnae refusin’ to listen,” Katherine replied. “They always listen. They just daenae ken how to express themselves as we do. I would try to learn how to speak their language.”
The certainty with which she responded hit him like a battering ram, breaking through his hesitation. Next to him, his grandmother made a pleased sound. It was practical, contradicting the image of her he had built from her lively behavior.
“Now,” his grandmother said in his ear, seemingly satisfied with Katherine’s response. “Ask which she values most, beauty or truth?”
Again, it seemed as if Katherine was waiting for him to ask, amusement dancing in her eyes. Resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, he repeated, “Which do ye value more? Beauty or truth?”
“Truth always,” Katherine said with a solemn nod. She seemed to be taking this just as seriously as his grandmother, and it was infuriating. “There’s beauty in truth, even if it’s painful.”
“Smart lass,” his grandmother said into his ear. “We have one more question, so I would like to ken what she expects from a marriage.”
He stared at her for a beat, almost disbelieving that she’d have him ask. Then, his voice strained, he asked, “What do ye expect from a marriage?”
Katherine paused briefly. He noticed her hesitation, as if she was weighing whether to tell the truth. At last, truth seemingly winning out, she said, “Love.”
The space in his chest tightened around his heart. That was the one thing he could not give her. He could fulfill all the other obligations, but love was something he simply could not offer.
But his grandmother and Cillian were staring at him expectantly while Katherine answered with surprising earnestness. The uncomfortable truth was admirable, even if it was something he couldn’t give.
And this woman did save me grandmother. I could repay her for her kindness. Keep her comfortable.
“I think that’s enough,” Liam said, putting a hand on his grandmother’s elbow and steering them away from the throng once more.
“Ye’ll be biddin’ on her, then?” Lady Agnes said, sounding much too proud of herself.
“Aye,” he confirmed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “She answered yer questions. A man doesnae go back on his word.”
And so, a short while later, after Laird Bickerson returned, the bidding began.
When Katherine’s turn arrived, Liam outbid the others interested in the gorgeous, fiery woman.
After an hour of paperwork, financial arrangements, and finally convincing his grandmother to visit the healer with Cillian as her chaperone, Liam was left alone with Katherine.
The room was comfortably furnished with several chairs and a roaring hearth. Katherine had gone to the window as soon as the servant led them here. Liam chose to stand near the door, observing the girl’s behavior.
Her posture gave nothing away. Despite the fact that her gown wasn’t as fine as the other women’s, her pedigree was clear. There was a quiet dignity surrounding her.
“How do ye ken the Song of Amergin?” he asked when he could no longer take the silence. “That’s what ye were singin’. Those were tales from long before yer age.”
“They’re before yer age as well. If ye want to call me young, certainly there are better ways to point it out,” Katherine replied, turning toward him slowly. “The maid who raised me used to tell me those stories. She taught me to sing.”
Liam grunted, crossing the room slowly. He assessed the way she reacted, the way her breath hitched, and her fingers twitched as he inched closer. She was trying to be brave, attempting to hide the fact that he intimidated her. It was admirable, the way she’d been nothing but honest.
But that’s just another sign she’s goin’ to be trouble.
He didn’t stop until he was close enough to her to catch the scent of her hair. Rosewater and a hint of wild thyme wafted through the air. Even though he had her cornered, she didn’t move.
Ye should stay far away from me.
* * *
“What is expected of me?” Katherine asked, forcing her voice to remain steady despite the intensity of Laird MacDougal’s presence. Though he wasn’t touching her, she could feel him on every inch of her skin. “Ye purchased me to be yer wife, aye? What will I be doin’?”
Rather than answering, he stepped in closer. She could feel his breath on her temple, smelled the pine on his clothes, and the salt on his skin. A faint shudder ran down her spine.
“Ye should ken that I value the truth as well,” he said finally, his voice low.
His tone made her feel like prey. “So I’m goin’ to tell ye now.
Ye will have a comfortable life, Katherine.
Ye will always be protected, and ye will never want for anythin’.
But love isnae somethin’ ye should expect. Ever.”
Katherine’s entire body cooled as her heart sank. She supposed it had been silly of her to imagine a life where she would marry for love. Laird MacDougal had purchased her. They hadn’t met by chance and had a romance that consumed them.
It’s foolish to think we could grow to love one another.
“And me duties?” she pressed, refusing to let the depths of her childish disappointment show. If this were a business arrangement, she would treat it as one. “What kind of duties will ye have me perform, then?”
“Ye will ken those soon enough,” he promised. It sounded almost as if he were bothered that she would make such inquiries. It felt as though he were dismissing her existence entirely. “For now, the only thing I need from ye is silence.”
He stared down at her. It was obvious that he wasn’t the kind of man whose orders could be denied. Yet she nearly laughed at the absurdity. Had he not been present for the interrogation?
“If silence is what ye’re expectin’,” she said, bolstered by the anger she felt, “then ye bid on the wrong lass. Especially since ye willnae even tell me what I’m meant to be doin’ when we get to yer castle.”
Laird MacDougal scoffed at her, seeming to get bigger as he let the moment stretch between them.
Just when the weight of him was about to break her, he said, “I will decide whether or nae I bid on the wrong lass, and ye will learn of yer duties when we arrive. It is nae a conversation we will be havin’ here. ”
“It seems as if ye think ye can intimidate me into behavin’,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Ye bid on a woman that willnae make herself smaller. Nae even if ye break me.”
He kent it before he bid twice as much as anyone else had.
“I’m well aware of what I’ve done,” he continued when she said nothing else, “and I will tell ye what ye are… and I will see whether or nae ye break.”
As soon as she processed the words, her breath caught. She couldn’t manage the uncertainty coupled with a thinly veiled threat. Somehow, she kept herself from shaking. She was sure she’d be proud of herself for her strength later.
“As I told ye,” he said, finally stepping out of her space, “I need ye to keep quiet. Ye will be informed of yer duties when we arrive at me castle. Until then, ye will keep from drawin’ too much attention to yerself. Do ye understand?”
“Aye,” Katherine said after a long moment, reminding herself that she had survived living with her father. She would make it through whatever tests Laird MacDougal had in mind.
Her hands clenched into fists when he finally turned his back on her.
She looked out the window again, frustration flowing through her.
She couldn’t understand what had just happened.
He said he was safe, yet he implied she might break.
He saw how she behaved publicly, yet he thought he could force her into silence.
I suppose that if he wants to test me limits, I’m his, and he can do as he pleases with me, but I willnae break.