Page 42 of The Highlander’s Fake Wife (Legacy of Highland Lairds #4)
A loud knock interrupted their conversation.
“Let me in! I will only be a minute.” Arthur heard his selkie defying three Lairds at once.
Now that was his bride. Duncan raised an eyebrow at him and Arthur shrugged.
“She’ll probably nae stop unless I talk to her.
” Arthur said and got to the door, carefully placing himself in front of her so the others wouldn’t see her.
“What is it, selkie?”
Her eyes were red from crying and dark circles showed him she hadn’t slept. He took in the chair by the door and sighed. “We just need to discuss what happened. Nothing more.” He says as reassuringly as he could.
“I know. That’s what I wanted to say. Everything will be all right, ye troll.” She gave him a small smile and went back to her chair, as he closed the door and returned to his seat.
He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed to hear such reassurance until it came out of Olivia’s mouth.
While he projected a rather confident appearance to his peers, there was a small part of him that worried.
Perhaps Hector’s men would find something at the keeps that somehow incriminated him.
Perhaps, somehow, the folks at MacCulloh and MacGunn would weave such a powerful tale of deception, that it would cause doubt amidst the other lairds.
Perhaps their wills would be unshaken, their loyalty remain strong; perhaps these fools wouldn’t fear death, should it mean keeping the truth from coming to light. These worries were new to him, unnerved him terribly, and he couldn’t show it to anyone here.
Yet, as Olivia came in defense of his honor, Arthur felt a small wave of relief wash over him. At the end of the day, she was there. And at the end of it all, she would stand by his side.
As expected, his fellow lairds had quite a few questions to ask of him. How he’d discovered Marcus’ ploy, why he didn’t share his suspicions with anyone else, why he decided to wait until his wedding day to spring his trap.
“During our meeting, he mentioned how close his keep was to MacCulloh’s, as well as an extensive messenger chain.
” Arthur let out a breath, feeling the fatigue of the day growing heavier with each minute that crept closer to midnight.
“I dinnae suspect him until after information about Olivia and mine’s whereabouts were discovered.
I figured he’d try something big during me wedding–cause as much chaos as possible. ”
“And ye were right,” Duncan admitted.
“But that doesnae explain why ye kept it to yerself!” Hector snapped. “We’re supposed to be yer allies, Arthur. If ye had told us from the start, we wouldnae have to go through this ridiculous song and dance.”
“Then, ye daenae think I attacked Marcus intentionally?” Arthur asked.
Both lairds exchanged similar looks with the other. “Ye thrive on violence, Arthur, but yer nay demented.” Duncan leaned back in his study chair, arms loosely crossed over his chest. “Ye’re nae the type to make the first strike. Ye only finish what another’s started.”
Arthur exhaled slowly, massaging a growing ache behind his temples. “I’m sorry I left ye pair in the dark. I couldnae be certain–I didnae want to cause a scene.”
Duncan simply rose a brow to this.
“All right–I didnae want to cause a bigger scene. And, truthfully,” Arthur admitted, “I didnae ken if either of ye were in league with him. I hadn’t suspected anything about Lucy back then, so I couldnae take that risk.
Not with me family behind yer walls, Duncan.
And not with yer armies so quick on their feet, Hector. ”
Again, the lairds looked at each other. “He makes a fair point,” Duncan said.
“Aye,” Hector agreed. “I’d do the same in his position. I just…I cannae believe one of my oldest friends would…would have my sister killed. If I hadnae insisted that she married ye, if she had told me she was in love with Johnson, she’d be alive,” he said tiredly. “She’d have met Rosie.”
Duncan sighed. “I’m sorry for what happened. Alison loves Rosie as if she was her mother, Hector, but she’s also talking to her about yer sister. She will be remembered. And now that everything is cleared, we can finally move on.”
Hector nods. “Aye…But I still wish I could have been the one to kill him,” he says coldly. “Nae sure I can forgive that ,” he says, pointing at Arthur.
“Aye, I understand. But rest assured, I did justice to all of us.” Arthur said solemnly, his nerves finally settling at last. The lairds believed his side of things, and best of all, Olivia was safe.
He leaned back in his seat, the previous weight lifting from his shoulders.
At this point, Arthur was certain he could comfortably fall asleep in the chair after today’s insanity.
Hector looked outside of the window and muttered a ‘Thank ye’ that Arthur almost missed.
His expression softened as he watched Hector shift uncomfortably in his chair.
As far as he knew, Marcus had been allied with Hector long before any of the other lairds had agreed to peace.
His words didn’t speak nearly as loudly as the brief flicker of hurt, of betrayal–of guilt, perhaps, for not realizing how awful a person his once-ally really was.
“Ye’re welcome,” Arthur said softly. “Marcus said that he needed to cause as much conflict as possible. Reunite the lands under the proper name, even if he had to cause chaos and betray his allies. But I think he did the opposite. Our alliance is stronger than ever.”
Hector let out a loud grunt, seeming far more uncomfortable than he was before. Suddenly, he pushed himself free from his chair before starting towards the door. “Eh, I’m done for tonight.”
“Aye; I think ye’re right, Hector.” Duncan stood from his chair next, crossing over to Arthur before patting him reassuringly on the shoulder. “I suppose you need some time discussing a wedding do-over with Olivia. I wouldnae dream of keeping two lovers apart,” he said with a wink.
For a moment, Arthur could only stare at his fellow laird, a nagging feeling building in the back of his head.
Had Duncan known from the start about their ruse?
It didn’t seem possible…surely, both he and Olivia had played their parts well enough?
No one else seemed to have caught on; even his own mother was woefully ignorant to the truth of the matter. “Duncan, did ye ken about–?”
“Yer lucky, Arthur. With the end o’ wars in the highlands on the horizon?” Duncan shook his head, chuckling quietly as he, too, left for the door. “‘Tis the best time to start a family wit someone ye care about.”
As Arthur walked back to his room, a new resolve began to bloom in his chest. Arthur promised himself a conversation with Olivia. A terrifyingly honest conversation, one he felt was long overdue.