Phillip’s face bore the expression of a man thin on patience. “To stop ye from marryin’. I tried to get into the keep to talk to ye’ but they would no’ let me in.”
Fiona scoffed at his remark. “By ‘talk’ ye mean delay the weddin’ until he could get here?”
He made no attempt to lie. “Aye, to do just that.”
She muttered a curse under her breath. None of them had been made aware of the change in brides. That knowledge helped assuage some of her anger, but not all of it. Taking a deep breath she let it out slowly. “I was no’ marryin’ Bhruic.”
Phillip raised a doubtful brow. “Ye were at the altar.”
“Aye, but I was no’ the bride. I was givin’ the bride away.”
His doubtful brow fell, his confusion quite evident. “What?”
“That be right,” she said as understanding began to spread across his face. “Yer foolish, tetched, pigheaded leader did no’ stop me from marryin’ this day. I was merely givin’ the bride away.”
“But the banns were posted,” Phillip mumbled.
“And I changed me mind.”
“But why?” he stammered as he tried to make sense of it.
There were many reasons why she had chosen not to marry Bhruic. But she’d be damned to hell for eternity before she shared them with Phillip.
The sound of hoof beats heading toward them drew her attention. ’Twas Caelen. He’d finally realized they were no longer behind them.
“Phillip,” Fiona said as she took one step back. “I would greatly appreciate it if ye’d allow me to explain everythin’ to Caelen.”
Phillip needed no coaxing on the matter.
As Caelen drew nearer Fiona could see the fury in his eyes. He didn’t even wait for his horse to come to a complete stop before he slid down and thundered toward her.
Fiona drew her sword. “Halt!” she demanded.
“We’ll no’ be playin’ games this day, Fiona,” he warned. He stopped with the tip of her sword touching his chest. “I be no’ in the mood fer it.”
“Ye will stop actin’ like a fool and listen to me, Caelen McDunnah.”
There was no denying his fury. His brown eyes were so dark they were nearly black, his face as red as a beet, and the vein in his neck throbbed as fast as her heart was beating against her chest.
She spied Brodie then. “I see ye can ride again, brother.”
Brodie cleared his throat and looked like a child caught stealing sweet cakes. “Do no’ kill him, Fi,” he said.
“I’ll no kill him if he agrees that we will discuss this like two, intelligent adults,” she said, directing her statement directly at Caelen. “No more tossin’ me on a horse and carryin’ me away. Do ye understand?”
His nostrils flared and his eyes turned to slits.
“Why were ye goin’ to marry that MacKinnon?” he asked. His voice was low, almost a growl. The men around them began to scatter, to give them their privacy. Fiona noted, however, that they did not go far. They probably worried that she would gut him if provoked.
“We were attacked again. This time they killed a man and his wife and left their two young children orphans,” she told him. “I had verra few options.”
“I would have protected ye,” he growled.
“By marryin’ Bhruic, I could remain chief and gain one hundred MacKinnon men, fightin’ men and Clan MacKinnon as our ally. Clan McPherson would remain Clan McPherson,” she told him.
She didn’t think it possible, but he grew even angrier. “I could have given ye ten times that many men,” he said through gritted teeth.
’Twas a conversation they had had before. Her head began to pound from the frustration. “Aye, and Clan McPherson would have been lost and I would have broken me vows and me oath.” Why was it so difficult for him to understand?
“I love ye, Fiona. Why can ye no’ see that?” he asked, his voice sounding less harsh and angry. Instead he sounded like a man in pain.
“I ken that ye love me,” she said in a soft voice. “And ye ken that I love ye. But I had no other choices, Caelen.”
Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of horses. Fiona turned to see William, Collin and five of her men rapidly approaching. As she waited, she pondered on whether or not she should tell Caelen the truth— that she wasn’t the bride this day. Turning around, she saw the pain and anger in his eyes. She hadn’t meant for any of this to happen, to hurt him. She was about to confess when he stepped forward.
“Ye love bein’ chief more than ye love me,” he said with an accusatory tone, the anger returning again.
His accusation infuriated her, causing her good will to evaporate in the blink of an eye. How dare he suggest such a thing? “Would ye have given up bein’ chief to be with me? Would ye have allowed Clan McDunnah to become Clan McPherson?”
His expression told her that he thought her quite mad to even suggest such a thing. It stung. Why should she be the one to make all the sacrifices so they could be together?
“Ye can take yer accusation and stick it up —”
Collin called out her name as he and the others pulled their horses to a stop.
“Caelen!” Collin said as he approached. “I be glad to see she has no’ killed ye.”
I be about to do just that, Fiona fumed silently as she stared at Caelen.
“Fiona, ’tis done,” Collin said as he stood next to her.
Before she could utter a word, Caelen asked, “What be done?”
“The weddin’,” Collin said with a smile. “Bhruic and Alyse be married now.”
A tumult of emotions flashed across Caelen’s face. Confusion turned to understanding and then to sheer unadulterated anger, then to something she could not quite describe. All she knew was that she should probably protect herself.
Before she could raise her sword again, Caelen grabbed her wrist. “When were ye plannin’ on tellin’ me that?”
Suddenly she felt quite certain that this must be what a rabbit feels like when caught in a snare. She stammered for a few moments before she managed to say, “I was gettin’ to that when ye accused me of lovin’ bein’ chief more than lovin’ ye.”
He cocked his head to one side and studied her closely. All at once she began to feel quite uncomfortable under such close scrutiny.
“So ye be no’ marryin’ this day?” he asked.
Straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin, she replied, “This day? Nay, no’ this day.”
Caelen took one step closer, refusing to let go of her wrist. “Why did ye no’ marry him?”
There were too many eyes upon her to answer as honestly as either of them would have liked. “I had me reasons.”
“Fiona, why did ye no’ marry him?” he asked again in a much lower voice, but it was still quite demanding.
“I had me reasons and that be all ye need to ken at the moment, Caelen McDunnah,” she told him.
William’s deep growl of frustration startled her. She had not heard him dismount or approach and now he was standing behind her. “Ye both are tetched!”
Taking advantage of the opportunity his distraction offered, Fiona freed herself from Caelen’s grasp.
“I be nowhere near as tetched as he is,” Fiona said with a nod toward Caelen.
William rolled his eyes and shook his head. “As far as I be concerned yer both tetched and deservin’ of each other. I do no’ see why do ye no’ just marry him.”
Now who is tetched? she thought as she looked at her brother. “I canna break me vows or oaths,” she reminded him. “I canna allow Clan McPherson to fall.”
“It does no’ have to fall,” William said.
“If I marry Caelen, our clan will be absorbed into his.” She began to wonder why she’d ever thought of William as the more intelligent of her three brothers.
“Only if yer chief,” William said. His eyes went from Fiona to Caelen then back to Fiona. She was at a loss as to what he was thinking.
William took a deep
breath and let it out in a whoosh of frustration. “Fiona, if ye were to die on the morrow, what happens?”
She was completely lost and not tracking his line of thinking.
“Who becomes chief?” William asked, hopeful that she’d finally follow his line of thinking.
“Collin,” she answered, still uncertain what this had to do with anything.
“Right!” he said happily.
“I do no’ ken what yer gettin’ at, William,” she told him.
William shook his head again. “If ye were no’ chief, would ye marry Caelen?”
She didn’t want to answer too quickly for she didn’t want Caelen’s head to get too big for his shoulders. “Possibly.”
Caelen grunted his disproval of her answer. He mumbled something that sounded remarkably similar to ‘liar’.
“Ye would marry him,” William said. “And if ye were to die tomorrow, Collin becomes chief.”
Collin seemed to understand suddenly where his brother was going. “William, are ye suggestin’ Fiona give up the chiefdom?”
A smile erupted on William’s face. “Exactly!”
’Twas then that clarity dawned. Was William serious? Was he truly suggesting that she give up the chiefdom, hand it all over to Collin, so that she could marry Caelen? Her mind reeled and she began to feel lightheaded.
“Well?” Caelen chose that moment to speak.
Fiona’s eyes flittered between her brothers and Caelen.
Could she really do that? Give up her position as chief to marry the slightly tetched man with the hopeful expression written on his face?
Oh good Lord.
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About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author, storyteller and cheeky wench, SUZAN TISDALE lives in the Midwest with her verra handsome carpenter husband. All but one of her children have left the nest. Her pets consist of dust bunnies and a dozen poodle-sized, backyard-dwelling groundhogs – all of which run as free and unrestrained as the voices in her head. And she doesn’t own a single pair of yoga pants, much to the shock and horror of her fellow authors. She prefers to write in her pajamas.
Suzan writes Scottish historical romance/fiction, with honorable and perfectly imperfect heroes and strong, feisty heroines. And bad guys she kills off in delightfully wicked ways.
She published her first novel, Laiden’s Daughter, in December, 2011, as a gift for her mother. That one book started a journey which has led to fifteen published titles, with two more being released in the spring of 2017. To date, she has sold more than 350,000 copies of her books around the world. They have been translated into four foreign languages (Italian, French, German, and Spanish.)
You will find her books in digital, paperback, and audiobook formats.
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Also by Suzan Tisdale
The Clan MacDougall Series
Laiden’s Daughter
Findley’s Lass
Wee William’s Woman
McKenna’s Honor
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The Clan Graham Series
Rowan’s Lady
Frederick’s Queen
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The Mackintoshes and McLarens Series
Ian’s Rose
The Bowie Bride
Rodrick the Bold
Brogan’s Promise
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The Clan McDunnah Series
A Murmur of Providence
A Whisper of Fate
A Breath of Promise
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Moirra’s Heart Series
Stealing Moirra’s Heart
Saving Moirra’s Heart
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Stand Alone Novels
Isle of the Blessed
Forever Her Champion
The Edge of Forever
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Arriving in 2018:
Black Richard’s Heart
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The Brides of the Clan MacDougall
(A Sweet Series)
Aishlinn
Maggy (arriving 2018)
Nora (arriving 2018)
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Coming Soon:
The MacAllens and Randalls
Caelen's Wife, Book Two Page 14