by Mia Pride
Mind spinning and on the verge of fleeing altogether, she felt Reginald grip her hand harder as he began to recite his vows. She tried to remember them, tried to properly repeat them, but knew she was sputtering over every word and feeling close to passing out. Just before she protested that this was a mistake and she should never have gone along with it, she heard the strange clergyman declare them husband and wife and stood as still as a statue as Reginald leaned in and swiftly, almost chastely, placed his lips on hers and pulled away, looking at her with a look that told her he knew she was already regretting her decision.
But, it was done. And because there was no love between them, he appeared unmoved or hurt by her lack of affection. “My lady wife. ’Tis late and the castle will awake in a few hours. Allow me to escort ye to yer chamber so ye can get some rest. Ye appear ashen.”
“I dinnae feel well,” was all she could muster with a nod of her head and allowed Reginald, her new husband, to walk her toward the castle entrance, through the bailey, and into the keep. Just as they approached the stairs, a noise made Elizabeth start, her heart pounding in her chest as she struggled to breathe through her rising panic. Was Reginald going to hold true to his word of keeping this arrangement chaste for now, or would he attempt to bed her, after all?
Approaching her door, Reginald stopped, pushed the door open for her, and bowed his head in a gesture of dismissal. “I bid ye a good night, Wife.”
Relief flooded her so swiftly, she nearly lost her balance, leaning against the cold stone frame of her door, reveling in the chill of the surface against her back, seeping through the fabric of her gown. “Do ye not fear my brother’s anger?” she asked before stepping inside, wondering why Reginald seemed so cool and calm about the entire events of the night.
“Nay. What is there to fear? Ye needed to marry an Irvine brother, and now ye have.”
“Aye, except I’m rather certain he expected me to marry Robert, as he is laird and the contract said I would marry the next in line.”
With a shrug, Reginald leaned against the other side of her door and looked at her intently. “Mayhap. But it doesnae matter now, does it? He and Robert can work that out. If Robert is angry I stole his wife, he may fight it, using the contract as reason enough, but ye said yerself that my brother has nay interest in ye, and ye have none in him, aye?”
“Aye,” she whispered, nodding and feeling like a bloody liar and a fool. She could not very well tell Reginald that she married him solely because she knew she would never love him. She may not believe in romance and love, but certainly there were things better left unsaid.
“Then they shall both be pleased. Robert for having evaded a bride he never wanted, and yer brother for ye marrying a man who ye chose.” His words stung, but she did her best to hide the pain. To know Robert never wanted her, to hear the words from his brother’s lips, solidified her belief that this was for the best. There was no happiness to be found if she fell in love with a man who did not care for her. Suddenly, her stomach plummeted, making her feel nauseated with tears threatening to spill. She had to go before he caught a glimpse of her true anguish.
“Good night, H-Husband,” she croaked, the words feeling foreign and forced on her tongue.
“Rest assured that by the time ye awake on the morrow, I will have this all cleared up and ye will have nothing to worry over.” Kissing her forehead the same way Alexander had done on their wedding night, Reginald spun on his heels and walked away. Leaving her alone just as she wished.
Yet she wondered if this was all her life would ever amount to. Husbands who had no interest in her and gave only polite kisses. But, is that not what she had wished for?
Chapter Eleven
“Ye are jesting.”
Reginald shook his head and shrugged. “Nay, I am not. I married Elizabeth last night.”
“Surely ye jest. Ye stole my bride?” Robert chuckled and shook his head, putting his quill back into the ink bottle and setting aside the missive he had been writing. Reginald was always up to some game, but Robert could not figure out what he hoped to gain by such a lie. “Ye are hoping I will play my hand and admit some undying love for the lass, show a raging jealously, and prove some belief ye have that I care for her. Like I said before, I shall marry the lass because I must, and for nay other reason. And I shall do so in two days’ time, with the hope of passing her unborn child off as my own.”
“And, I am telling ye that ye neednae worry over wedding her, for I have done so already. Now, ye are free and ye can never say that I am a bad brother again.” Reginald smirked and leaned against the wall, crossing one foot slowly over the other and searching Robert out for a reaction, but Robert knew Reginald was playing at something, he just did not know what.
Folding his hands together and placing them slowly upon his desk, he met his brother’s gaze and decided to test his brother’s story. “Oh? Who was yer witness?”
“Tilda.”
“Who was the clergyman?”
“Father Arnold, from the village.” Reginald did not bat an eyelash as he stared Robert down, answering all the questions swiftly and without hesitation.
“What did Elizabeth wear?”
“Ye mean during the ceremony, or during the bedding? They were much different in nature, I assure ye.”
That comment made Robert clench his fists, but he bit his lip, doing his best to prevent falling prey to his brother’s baiting. “To the ceremony.” Robert had to speak slowly to hide the quaking of his voice. His pulse quickened and he wanted to knock his brother out simply for using his future bride in some ridiculous falsehood.
“She wore the same dress she wore to her wedding with Alexander. Dark blue damask.”
“And ye have proof of this marriage then?”
“Aye.” Reginald stepped forward and tossed a rolled-up piece of parchment at Robert, who caught it midair and slowly unfurled it, expecting to see a blank document. Instead, he saw what appeared to be a signed wedding certificate.
“Ye have gone to great lengths to trick me, Reg. But enough is enough. And I dinnae have time for yer shite anymore.”
“Do ye wish to speak with Matilda? Or better yet, my bride? I am more than certain she will explain the situation to ye. In the end, I did this for ye, Brother. Ye didnae wish to marry her, and she didnae wish to marry ye. All she cared to do was her duty, marry an Irvine, and keep the peace. Ye made it clear to her more than once that ye didnae want her. I made it clear that I did.” He shrugged and started to walk away, but Robert had had enough.
Standing swiftly from his chair, it nearly toppled over as he rounded his desk and grabbed his brother by the collar. “I have had enough of this,” he said through his teeth. “Aye or nay. Did ye marry Elizabeth?”
“Aye.”
It took all his willpower, all his training as a warrior to keep a cool head, to slowly release his brother without hitting him square in the jaw. Clearing his throat, Robert stepped away and walked back to his desk, sitting down slowly. Inside, he ached worse than he ever thought possible. It was as if he had been kicked in the gut by a horse, as if someone had reached in and ripped his heart out. He could not understand why Elizabeth, who had asked him to marry her once not so long ago, would be so determined to avoid a lifetime with him now that she was able. Aye, he had been an arse to her the day he arrived home from battle, but he had apologized and she had been clear before that she did not want a romantic relationship.
Nor had he… until he laid eyes on Elizabeth Keith from Dunnottar Castle. Mayhap he did not want to admit it to himself from the very beginning because she was destined to marry his brother. Afterwards, feeling any sort of excitement over the prospect of marrying her had felt horribly wrong, because that would mean facing the reality of his brother’s death and he was already surrounded by the memories of their childhood laughter ringing down the cold halls. Reality had already swallowed him whole, evidenced by the pile of missives he had to respond to, and the fact that he had been me
ant to marry his brother’s widow.
In his determination to control his feelings for Elizabeth, he had inadvertently pushed her away… right into the arms of the wrong brother. Still, pride would not allow Reginald to get the best of him. Mayhap it was a habit of a lifetime, but the brothers had always preferred to show physical strength over emotional weakness.
“Well, then I suppose I should thank ye. One less problem in my life.” He clenched his fists beneath the desk so Reginald could not see the evidence of his anger. “Would ye mind bringing her and William into my solar so we can all discuss this and the contract that ye two so blatantly disregarded. I suppose we will have to write up another.”
Squinting his eyes, Reginald shifted and crossed his arms. “That’s all ye have to say? Ye arenae mad?”
“Och, I am mad. I am mad I must now deal with William’s wrath and pray he doesnae see this as a slight against his sister, her now being married to the last brother and not the laird. I am mad that ye dinnae tell me and that we have a wedding ceremony planned for two days hence, and I suppose everyone will be surprised by who the groom will be at the reception feast. But, ’tis done. As usual, ye’ve gone and done what is best for ye, and left the mess to me to clean up. Please send yer bride in.” Looking back toward his papers, he shooed Reginald toward the door, doing his best not to throw everything off the surface of his desk and punch the stone wall behind him, or worse, his brother.
Was he truly so terrible that Elizabeth would do this? Reginald left and Robert hopped out of his seat, pacing his solar as the hearth fire popped and wind blew through the small window slit. It was true he had no wish to marry any time soon, but Elizabeth was all he could ever want in a wife and any feelings he had repressed before now floated to the surface, overflowing and making him feel sick with both envy and the sense of rejection. He was not a jealous man. This emotion was new to him and he found he despised it greatly.
After several minutes of taking deep breaths and doing his best to control his temper, his solar door flew open with a very angry William standing in the entrance. “Ye rejected my sister? Gave her to yer brother?”
Stopping in his tracks, Robert stared at Reginald once more, sending him a look that promised an arse kicking later and rubbed his hands down his face, growling in frustration. “Nay. I did nay such thing. I only just found out about this. ’Tis why I sent for ye. I had plans to marry her and ye ken this.”
“Did ye tell her ye didnae wish to marry? Ye called her wanton?” William strode in looking as angry as a bull ready to gut him with his horns.
“Aye. I did say those things. And one of them is true. I apologized for the other already. It was directly after our arrival back to Drum and I was vulnerable and she came in to bathe me and—”
“What?” her brother asked. “Ye bathed him?”
“Aye. I bathe many men, Brother. ’Tis part of running a household, lest ye forget.” Elizabeth crossed her arms and flared her nostrils, ready for a fight and Robert wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms, shake some sense into her, and kiss her until she could no longer breathe, showing her how badly he truly did want her, even if he had not felt able to tell her before. But he could never have her. She had now lain with both his brothers and would bear Alexander’s child while Reginald raised it. Holy hell! This was a disaster. Of all the women in Scotland to feel this way about…
He felt Elizabeth’s gaze on him and he looked in her direction, noticing the way her small fingers tangled in her skirts and she nibbled her lower lip between her teeth. The honey gold of her eyes showed so little of what the woman was truly thinking.
“Well, what now? I can run him through and make my sister a widow once more,” William scowled and stepped toward Reginald, who did not bother to flinch.
“Will!” Elizabeth scolded and gripped her brother’s arm. “I sent Matilda to ask him to marry me. He did so to save the peace, for I refused to marry Robert and planned on running away if ye made me. Because of Reginald, I am still here at Drum. Robert made it clear he didnae wish for a wife, especially me, and though I never wanted love, I certainly require respect.”
Robert narrowed his eyes at her, wanting to tell her that he not only respected her, he had strong feelings that would one day be love had they ever had an opportunity to grow. Instead, she had insulted him. Mayhap this was for the best, if this was how Elizabeth behaved. After all, she had asked him to marry her before her wedding with Alex, and now she did the same with Reginald. Perhaps she was a wanton after all.
Deciding to let that thought fuel his resolve, he simply nodded and decided to move on. “What’s done is done. She chose an Irvine brother, and I wish them well. I have other matters to attend to, including a newly written peace contract between our clans, if we still have it.”
William stared at Reginald, his jaw visibly flexing before he looked at his sister and shook his head in disappointment and anger. “As ye said, what’s done is done. Elizabeth has done all that has been required of her, her entire life, and I suppose she has once more.”
“I wasnae a requirement. I was her chosen husband, lest we forget.” Reginald took her hand in his and kissed her palm gently. Robert wasn’t certain if Reginald was trying to see which man would kill him first, or if he truly loved Elizabeth as well, so instead he walked toward his desk and stared at the fire once more, imagining his hands around his brother’s throat.
“Verra well. The two newlyweds may go about their day. We will continue on in here until we have an agreement made.”
“Robert?” He stiffened at the sound of his name coming from her lips. He was not sure what she had to say, nor if he wished to hear it, but out of respect for his new sister, he turned and faced her, raising a brow. “Thank ye for understanding.”
Nodding, he folded his arms behind his back and faced the fire once more, making it clear that they were dismissed.
“Come, Wife. There is much to be done today and we shall celebrate our union in two nights’ time with both our clans in attendance. It shall be all ye deserve.” Robert rolled his eyes at his brother’s sudden new affinity for politeness. Reginald had always been a man of sweet words and many women, but doting was a new trait of his and Robert did not find it becoming.
Once the door shut behind him, he turned to look at William, whose face was blotchy with what Robert assumed was an even mixture of anger and confusion. He could relate.
“Ye rejected my sister.”
“Nay, I didnae.”
“Ye made her feel unwanted.”
“Aye, I suppose I did, though that hadnae been my intention,” Robert admitted and pointed to the other chair by his desk.
William slowly sat and eyed Robert. “What had been yer intention?”
Pausing, Robert tapped his fingers on the solid oak of his desk and pondered how best to answer. He supposed he had done enough lying to everyone, including himself. Best to tell at least one truth for the day. With a sigh, he tilted his head back and groaned. “William, she is yer sister. I dinnae ken how to say all I am thinking.”
“Do yer best, but call her a wanton once more and ye will be saying it through bloody lips, aye?”
“That was a mistake. She had said something… never mind. It was wrong and I apologized. I do regret it, though I dinnae think she will ever forgive it. Truth is, she is my brother’s widow and he is dead. Ye ken yer sister is a good lass. I would be a fortunate man to be her husband. But being her husband means my brother is…”
“Dead,” William said, deadpan, with a nod of understanding.
Swallowing his pain, Robert nodded. “Aye. ’Tis difficult to embrace a marriage that is only possible because he fell in battle. I took my pain and anger out on her and it was wrong. But the truth is, I would have gladly become her husband. I simply had a hard time accepting that truth.”
William’s eye’s widened and he leaned forward in his chair. “Ye care for her.”
There was no use in denying it, and at le
ast one person in the world should knew the truth. “Aye. I do. I tried not to. It felt wrong. But, I do. And now, she has married my brother.” A cynical laugh escaped him, and he shook his head. “So, shall we call a peace between our clans? Things didnae occur as intended, but they seldom do.”
William regarded him for a few moments in silence, and Robert wasn’t sure what he was thinking. “Aye. The Irvines and Keiths are one, even if it did come about in an unexpected way. Let us rewrite this cursed contract and go to the buttery for a few mugs of yer finest ale.”
“I couldnae agree more,” Robert said with a huff and picked up his quill. Having to write a peace treaty was something he rather enjoyed as Laird of Drum. Knowing it was because his brother had stolen his wife was far less enjoyable.
News of her secret marriage spread quickly throughout the castle, and Elizabeth assumed it was due to her new husband, who had no issue talking about his new bride. Working in the kitchens with her hair pulled back into a kerchief, steam from the new loaves of bread crept up her face, making her feel flushed. Yet the hard work was keeping her more than occupied. Her mind had not stopped spinning since her meeting with Robert several hours ago. He did not seem to care that she had married his brother, which was just as well and only solidified her belief that he would never have felt for her the way she had felt for him. Marrying Reginald had been the right decision, she supposed. He was kind and humorous, not ashamed of her, and felt like a companion, which was all she required.
“Say it isnae so.”
Mary’s words drifted to her ears over the sounds of pots banging and Cook’s shouted commands. Turning around, Elizabeth locked eyes with her friend and blew a dangling hair away from her face. “I did what I must, Mary.”