The Beast

by McQueen, Hildie

Beatrice was growing tired of the ramifications of her actions. She didn’t mind having to deal with the consequences, but she didn’t want Duncan to have to be embroiled in her mess. “I will ensure my parents are informed and that they understand nothing happened. It was a matter of necessity that we found ourselves alone.”

  When no one spoke, she continued. “My father is very understanding. He values honesty and will know that what I say is true.”

  While they ate, Ella told her brothers of the summons by her aunt before turning the discussion to the birth of Ewan and Catriona’s second child. Though, truthfully, it was Caelan and Ella who did the speaking, with an occasional nod from Duncan.

  While the Ross siblings discussed the situations of having to handle things until Darach returned, Beatrice noted how in sync they seemed to be. Most striking was that Caelan included Ella in the decision-making, listening to her opinions.

  Her father and brothers never included her mother, Isobel, or her in any conversation dealing with clan matters. Most of the time, they found out things through what was overheard. She found it refreshing that the Ross men seemed to respect and not undervalue a woman’s worth and intelligence.

  As soon as she ate her fill, her eyes began drooping. “I will speak to my sister upon her arrival. For now, I must get some rest. I barely slept a wink last night.” Beatrice pushed back from the table.

  As soon as she stepped out into the corridor, Duncan walked out. “I will be returning to my home. If ye need anything, ye can send a guard.”

  “I am sure not to need ye for anything,” Beatrice replied. “Thank ye for escorting me back. I should have told the truth from the moment we returned.” She let out a sigh. “It always comes out in the end, does it not?”

  There was a slight twitch to the corners of his mouth and for a moment, she thought he’d smile. “It does indeed.”

  “I am sure my sister will convince Darach to the lack of impropriety and nothing will come of this entire thing.” She placed a hand on his forearm. “Thank ye for everything. I am not sure what would have happened if I had been caught in the storm alone. I apologize once again for the taking of yer time my impetuous nature caused.”

  His gaze met hers. It was as if he was going to say something but was not sure of the words. Then he nodded and returned into the dining room.

  “He is the most interesting man,” Beatrice said out loud as she made her way back to her bedchamber.

  The same lad who’d given Ella the note sat alone at a table. Too engrossed in the platter laden with food that sat before him, he didn’t notice her walking past. Beatrice smiled widely as she hurried up the stairs.

  She’d have to ask Ella about the young lad’s parents. He seemed very young to be walking from the village to the keep alone.

  Once inside the bedchamber, sleep evaded, and she went to the window to look out to the scenery below. The day was shaping up to be sunny, which was good since Duncan would be riding home.

  In the distance, more than the usual number of bìrlinns arrived at the shore and her heart quickened. Did it mean visitors had arrived? Or perhaps her sister and the laird returned. She leaned forward squinting while attempting to see clearer.

  Her breath caught. Why had no messenger arrived with news? Or perhaps they were downstairs now.

  Worst case, it would be her mother visiting. But as only two days had passed since Duncan’s return from North Uist, it wasn’t her. It couldn’t be.

  Frozen to the spot, she continued watching as several bìrlinns were brought to the shore. People began climbing down and soon a man on horseback galloped toward the keep.

  She let out a long breath and squeezed her eyes shut. The laird and her sister had returned.

  If the messenger arrived before Duncan left, then he would remain to await their arrival. Of course, even if he had ridden off, surely, he would see the bìrlinns arriving and turn around.

  Why hadn’t she stayed at the keep and waited for Duncan to come as he’d planned? If only she’d waited until then to speak to him about the interchange with her mother.

  She prayed that the travelers would need rest and not have the energy to speak to her or the others right away.

  Her maid, Orla, hurried in. “Do ye require anything? It seems yer sister and her husband have returned.”

  “How do ye know?”

  Orla pointed to the ceiling. “Guards saw them arriving, several men and a carriage were immediately dispatched. It was just announced to the household. It is quite mad downstairs; everyone is ensuring the home is perfect for their entrance.”

  Beatrice looked down at her dress. It was nice and looked to be in good order. She lowered to a stool in front of a mirror. “Would ye please brush out my hair and braid it?”

  As the maid began doing her hair, Beatrice formulated what to say to her sister. No doubt as soon as Darach arrived, he, Caelan, and Duncan would steal away to the study to discuss clan matters.

  She and Ella would greet the women with food and something to drink.

  Moments later, she hurried to the kitchen where she found Ella directing that food be taken to the family dining room and also to the study.

  “Ye must have heard the news.” Ella barely spared her a glance before turning to a maid. “Hurry go out and find some flowers for the dining table.”

  Ella returned her attention to Beatrice. “We should go to the front and wait. They will be arriving within moments.

  Together they went through the great hall to the front entrance.

  “Where is Caelan?” Beatrice asked looking around.

  “I am sure he rode off to greet Darach and ensure protection was provided if it was needed.”

  It was not much longer before the first of the guards rode through the gates, followed by a carriage and then finally the Ross men on horseback.

  As soon as the carriage stopped, the door was opened by a guardsman. Isobel, followed by Lady Mariel and lastly Annis, Isobel’s maid, exited.

  Beatrice rushed to her sister genuinely excited to see her. “I am so happy ye are back,” she exclaimed and hugged Isobel who grinned widely.

  “I am glad to find ye well, sister,” Isobel replied looking her over. “I was afraid of harm befalling ye and having to explain to Mother that I left ye alone.”

  A reassuring smile took effort, but Beatrice managed it, and once again hugged her sister as it wavered. “Ye look well. I expected to find ye tired.”

  “Nonsense,” Lady Mariel said. “We slept most of the trip here. The only thing we are right now is very hungry.”

  As they went inside, Beatrice looked over her shoulder to find that the Ross men were not talking to each other, but each of them doing other things. Darach was instructing servants to see about the luggage, Caelan spoke to a man who’d hurried to him as if seeking some sort of information, while Duncan, who’d obviously turned around, stood with his arms crossed watching his brothers.

  He glanced over at her and met her gaze with his own unwavering one. The message seemed clear to her. She was not to worry.

  Easy for him to say.

  “What?” Isobel asked and Beatrice realized she’d muttered out loud.

  “Nothing important. Food should be set out. Ye will enjoy what cook made. It smelled delicious when I was in the kitchen just moments ago.”

  Once they were settled in the dining room, Isobel ate with gusto, oblivious to the suddenly heavy air.

  Lady Mariel ate but kept looking at Ella with a curious expression.

  “What happened?” Lady Mariel asked, looking from Beatrice to Ella. “Caelan and Duncan seemed to find interest in every surrounding, not meeting my gaze. I know when they are hiding something.”

  “Nothing horrible,” Ella said and looked at Beatrice who sat across the table from her. “Ye should tell them.”

  “What did ye do?” Isobel asked, her eyes wide. “If ye got into trouble while I was gone, Mother and Father will be even more displeased than they are now. Ye were s
upposed to have returned home by now.”

  The best way to formulate it would be to point out the good things first. “I went to Duncan and Caelan’s home to speak to Duncan about that very subject. I wished to ascertain how Mother was after receiving my letter asking to remain here for an additional time.”

  Isobel lifted an eyebrow but remained silent.

  Lady Mariel was not as patient. “Please continue, lass.”

  “The storm hit when I was heading back. I had to find refuge from it and was gone until this very morning. But as ye can see, I am uninjured and have not sneezed once.”

  “Ye rode there and back alone?” Isobel gawked at her, her spoon in midair as an incredulous expression spread across her pretty face. “Oh my goodness, Beatrice, how could ye?”

  “She rode there alone, but Duncan escorted her back,” Ella, ever helpful, added. “Thank goodness, she may have caught her death out there. The storm was horrible…”

  “We are aware Ella,” Lady Mariel snapped. “We had to delay our departure because of it.”

  There was a long moment of silence as both Isobel and Lady Mariel absorbed the information. For a moment, Beatrice felt relief. Other than a strong scolding, it would be the end of it.

  “Ye must marry,” Isobel proclaimed. “Quickly before news of this spreads.”

  “I am sure no one will know.” Beatrice mentally calculated how many people did know.

  Lady Mariel frowned. “Ella, who all knows?”

  “The staff here all searched for her. Guards reported she rode out towards the village. Two were sent out, but the storm caused them to return. The entire household saw her and Duncan arrive together this morning.”

  With slow deliberate moves, Lady Mariel lifted a cup to her lips and took a drink. Beatrice didn’t dare point out it was her cup that she drank from. Instead, she did her best to keep her galloping heart from bursting out of her chest.

  “I am sure there is another solution. Marriage is extreme,” Beatrice said to the room at large. “Nothing happened. He was a gentleman.”

  “Ye should be quiet and let us think,” Isobel scolded. “I cannot believe ye would do something so rash. Even for ye, I cannot fathom why ye would consider it a good idea to ride out alone to a man’s home.”

  “My son cannot marry. He is not going to marry ye, Beatrice.” Lady Mariel met Ella’s gaze. “We must find another solution.”

  Isobel shook her head. “There is no other solution. Ye do not know my brothers. Upon hearing of what happened, it is not my father who will be enraged. Evander and Padraig will not accept any other solution than marriage.

  “I understand,” Lady Mariel said. “If it were another of my sons, I would not hesitate to demand they marry.”

  “What are ye saying?” Beatrice asked more out of curiosity than feeling slighted. She had no desire to marry. Admittedly, if she did have to marry a Ross, Duncan would be her first choice. That said, she wondered why Lady Mariel was so against it.

  Ella bit her bottom lip in thought. “What if she marries Stuart? He would agree when presented with… the situation.”

  “Would ye please explain to me, why he will not do it?” Isobel demanded, her expression stern. “If anyone marries Beatrice, it will have to be Duncan.”

  Just then Darach walked into the room. The large blond man made Beatrice shudder. Something about her sister’s husband gave her pause. Perhaps it was the air of authority that made her cautious.

  Despite the fact Isobel loved him dearly and he treated her sister well, Beatrice had yet to warm up to the man. Perhaps it was that he eyed her with the expression of someone who thought her daft.

  To be fair her current actions did not exactly paint the picture of someone who thought things through.

  “Everyone to my study. There is much to discuss.”

  With a nod, Lady Mariel stood, and seeing Beatrice’s bottom lip quiver, she took her arm. “There, there, dear. All will be well. Do not fret.”

  Her sister was not as kind.

  “She should definitely fret.”

  Chapter Six

  Duncan stood with his back to the wall, arms crossed, and legs shoulder width apart. Always the opposite, Caelan sat in a chair, his right ankle across the opposite knee, and a glass of whiskey in hand. He looked every bit a man of leisure.

  Sometimes, he envied the pampered life Caelan had lived. He’d been sent away to boarding school, in the lowlands, by his mother. Had spent a long part of his youth in England, where he’d learned mathematics and other frivolous things. Upon his return to the highlands, he’d been ensconced in the large home where they both lived now.

  Seeming to sense his regard, his brother met his gaze. “Do not worry yerself. This will be sorted out without ye having to marry.”

  Marriage. The one thing he never thought to be a weapon that could be yielded against him. He never dared to consider a lifetime partnership with a woman. The very idea of marriage was the reason he never attended weddings, nor had he ever been in a relationship.

  It was not that he detested the idea. It was more that someone like him could never be a good husband.

  Just then Darach returned, and with him, his sister, his mother, Isobel, and finally a red-nosed Beatrice.

  His mother gave him a worried smile and came to him. She placed a hand on his arm and leaned into him. When he hugged her, it was apparent she wanted to soothe him. “Ye need to cut yer hair,” she teased when he pushed his shoulder-length hair back.

  Darach looked to the women seated. “Duncan cannot marry ye, Miss Beatrice.”

  A worried gaze met his for a fleeting moment before Beatrice looked to his brother. “I do not wish to marry anyone.”

  “That choice is not an option,” his brother stated. “Ye will marry Caelan instead.”

  His usually calm brother choked on the whiskey and began coughing. Ella hit his back until he shook his head. By the time he spoke, his face was red.

  “Why me?”

  Beatrice gawked at Caelan. “Why do ye act as if it were a punishment worse than death?”

  “Because I am not one to be ordered to marry,” Caelan retorted. “Miss Beatrice, no offense, but I do not wish to marry ye.”

  “And I have no desire to marry a dandy like ye.”

  “Dandy?” Caelan’s eyes rounded. “What makes ye think…”

  “Stop,” Darach ordered. “There is no other solution. Duncan cannot marry and if the Macdonald’s hear of this, they will demand marriage. If Beatrice is already married, then it will soothe things.”

  “What about Stuart or Gideon? Both are more than able to fulfill this . . . this . . . situation,” Caelan pointed out.

  “What about what I want?” Beatrice stood and stomped her foot. Fury blazed from her eyes as she looked at every person in the room, including him.

  “I do not care what any of ye think. I will return home immediately and handle the situation myself.”

  She whirled to face him, her blue eyes blazing. “How dare ye not wish to marry me. I thought ye a man of honor. I understand not wishing to be forced; however, ye could have at least stood up for me. Convinced them nothing happened. Tell them ye and I are not suitable. But do not sir, just state: ye cannot marry me.”

  She spun and stormed from the room.

  “I like her,” Darach said looking at him. “A misfortune ye cannot marry her.”

  Duncan walked into the parlor and found Beatrice staring blankly at the view of the sea below them. By her furrowed brow and the tightness of her lips, he knew she remained furious. It was not the time perhaps to point out that everything could have been avoided if she’d remained there and waited for him to come.

  It was stupid to try to reason with a woman, Duncan considered. He’d never argued with his mother or sister, or any woman for that matter. Most of the time if one grew angry with him, he would walk away or remain quiet until they gave up.

  When Beatrice turned to him, her eyes widened. It as if she’d e
xpected to find someone else. Perhaps her sister.

  “What is it?” she asked in a tight voice. “If ye do not have a solution, I suggest ye leave me be as I struggle to come up with one.”

  “I do not wish to insult ye by refusing to marry ye. It has nothing to do with…”

  When she made a slashing motion with her hand, he stopped talking. The beauty neared and circled him.

  “Are ye married already?”

  He shook his head.

  Beatrice came back to stand in front of him, her gaze lowering down the length of his body. “Not fully able to fulfill yer obligations as a husband?”

  Duncan cleared his throat. “That is not the reason.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “What is so horrible about ye then?”

  The fact she used the word horrible was apt. What he harbored inside was indeed horrible. He took a breath. “Darach and Isobel will speak to ye about it. It is best that I do not.”

  Beatrice placed a hand on his arm to stop him from leaving. Her lovely eyes lifted to his. Upon their gazes clashing, Duncan felt a kinship with her and considered that he should marry her, and all consequences be damned. The thought of her with either Caelan or Stuart made his blood boil.

  “I do not know what is wrong. In a way, it probably is not my secret to know. However, I have caused ye trouble and for that, I beg that ye forgive me.”

  The urge to pull her close and comfort her was strong, but Duncan managed to keep his arms against his sides. “Ye have nothing to apologize for.”

  “It seems I have learned a valuable lesson. My rashness causes problems for others and I should have known better. I am no longer a young lass that can act without thinking.”

  Her expression changed and he knew she’d come up with an idea. When she slid a gaze to the view outside, he inhaled sharply. “I hope ye do not plan to go on a sea voyage alone. If the trek to my house was dangerous, that would be perilous.”

  “I am not going anywhere,” she quipped. “However, I do have a brilliant idea.” When her lips curved, for the first time in his life, Duncan wished he could see it every day.

  Without thought, he took her face and pressed his lips to hers.