Never Seduce a Scot: The Montgomerys and Armstrongs (9 page)

No one would ever fault him for finding ease with another woman when he was married to someone such as Eveline. No one would even think twice, given that Eveline was certainly not capable of fulfilling her duties in that regard.

But it didn’t set well with him. It was dishonorable and it was no fault of Eveline’s that she was the way she was. He couldn’t bring himself to betray her that way. Or to dishonor them both in such a fashion.

He would be faithful to a woman he would never be intimate with, and it was one hell of a grim future to look forward to.

His gaze swept over the hall once more, and then it came back to Eveline, who still stood in the same place she’d been. So still and serene as if she were someplace else entirely.

But then her gaze shifted, met his, and her entire demeanor changed. She smiled. Light entered her eyes. Her face became alive with color and vibrancy. In just that second, she was here. In the hall. Staring back at him, her look of vacancy completely gone.

Thinking to ward off another encounter where she’d rush forward and start squashing his lips together in an effort to make him talk, he strode forward.

Eveline’s mother looked up, her eyes flaring in alarm. Her arm went immediately around Eveline, but Eveline shook her off and took a step forward, beaming at Graeme all the while.

Graeme gave a courtly bow to Lady Armstrong and then turned to Eveline just as she reached out to touch him. On the arm this time.

Just a simple touch, but in that small gesture there was so much more. She left her fingers there on his bare arm, a signal of … trust. She tilted her chin so she could look up at him, and she smiled even more, her blue eyes sparkling with what looked to be clear happiness.

Wanting to please her, he spoke, for no other reason than he didn’t want her to have to implore him to talk to her.

“You look lovely, Eveline. Surely there’s never been a more beautiful bride.”

She beamed. Positively beamed back at him.

Her mother looked stunned. Not at the compliment that Graeme had given Eveline. She was staring at her daughter, her lips parted in clear shock. Then she glanced to Graeme, confusion reflected in her gaze.

“What is between you and my daughter, Laird?” she asked in a quiet voice.

Graeme frowned and when he did, Eveline immediately turned to her mother, a frown now replacing her smile.

“My lady, I assure you that what is between your daughter and myself is marriage. Isn’t that what we’re all gathered in your great hall for? It surely isn’t to exchange pleasantries or for the Montgomerys to enjoy a visit to a neighboring clan.”

“She reacted to you,” Robina said, her lips trembling. She completely ignored the tinge of anger in Graeme’s words and the reproach as well.

Graeme’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “I don’t follow, my lady.”

Robina shook her head and brought her hand up to her temple to rub it. It was then that Graeme really saw the exhaustion in her face and eyes. As if she hadn’t slept in many days. He found himself pitying her when it was the very last thing he wanted to feel. Sympathy for the enemy. It went against his very soul.

Robina’s other hand went up and fluttered as if she were at a loss as to how to explain. “Eveline isn’t aware most times. She’s happy enough. She’s sweet. She’s good. But she rarely pays any attention to what goes on around her. I’m not even sure she has any understanding most of the time. But she responded to your compliment. Just as any normal woman would.”

“And this isn’t normal behavior for her?” Graeme asked.

He knew damn well that Eveline understood what he said when he conversed with her. There was no mistaking that, and it was why he wanted to be careful now. Her mother didn’t seem to worry overmuch about discussing her daughter’s condition freely in front of Eveline. Graeme didn’t want her hurt by the conversation. Was this the way her entire family treated her? Like a mindless idiot?

“Come away with me for a moment, my lady,” Graeme said, offering his arm to Robina in a courtly gesture.

Eveline frowned even harder and glanced up at Graeme, hurt in her eyes.

“I’ll return in a moment, Eveline,” Graeme said. “I would like a moment with your mother to assure her that you are in good hands. It will ease her mind on your wedding day.”

Eveline’s expression softened and she glanced at her mother, clear love in her eyes.

“Come,” Graeme said again, before Robina could speak again in her daughter’s presence.

Robina went away almost blindly, her mouth still drawn in shock. When they were at a distance where Graeme thought they could talk without hurting Eveline, he stopped and stared down at Robina.

“I admit to some confusion, my lady. Eveline has responded to me. I would even go as far as to say we’ve had discourse, though of course she doesn’t speak to me. But that certainly hasn’t prevented her from letting me know in no uncertain terms what it is she wants and moreover what kind of information she wants.”

Robina openly gaped at him, her reaction too raw to possibly be feigned.

“You act as though this isn’t normal,” Graeme said with a frown.

“Not normal? Laird, what is normal for Eveline is to be the sweet, gentle soul she is. She does respond, yes, but to
family
. Never to strangers. I know not if there are simply times when she does not understand or if she’s just more oblivious on some occasions than at others. Most of the time she does what she likes and we’ve been quite content to allow it because we want her to be happy.”

The fierceness in Robina’s voice registered with Graeme. How much this woman loved her daughter and how much it hurt her that Eveline wasn’t a normal girl looking forward to a normal future.

Again he found himself softening. Toward an Armstrong. If he didn’t leave the cursed Armstrong holding soon, he’d be sympathizing with the lot of them.

“All I can tell you,” he said carefully, “is that while we haven’t conversed in a normal fashion, we have most certainly communicated. Moreover, she is absolutely aware of what’s taking place today and she’s unafraid.”

“How do you know this?” Robina demanded. “She doesn’t speak. How could you possibly know what she is thinking?”

Graeme shrugged. “We communicated. You’re asking me to explain something I do not understand myself, my lady. But I feel that the more time I spend with Eveline, the more I will come to understand her vision of the world around her and just how much and what she comprehends.”

Robina glanced to her daughter and then back to Graeme, clear uncertainty in her eyes. “Be kind to her. She seems taken with you, Laird.”

Then without a by-your-leave or even a hasty pardon, she left Graeme’s side and hurried over to her daughter.

Robina spoke in earnest and a moment later, Eveline’s gaze shifted over her mother’s shoulder and found Graeme. And she smiled. It was all she did, but what an extraordinary smile that lit up the entire room. It took his breath away and made his chest tighten to the point of discomfort.

Then her mother drew her into a tight hug and Eveline disappeared from view. Just as well, because at that moment, a hand slapped down on his shoulder and he
turned to see Bowen and Teague standing just behind him.

“How much longer do we have to stand this?” Teague demanded. “The men are getting restless. We won’t be able to keep the peace much longer. It’s like asking a starving wolf to sit and watch you skin a stag without attacking and devouring it whole.”

“As soon as her father and the earl make their appearance, the ceremony will take place, and then we’ll take our leave,” Graeme said.

Bowen frowned. “What make you of this whole thing with the earl, Graeme? I do not like how much time Armstrong has spent with Dunbar. It makes me uneasy. Dunbar has the ear of the king. He’s Alexander’s favored earl. And let’s face it, the Montgomerys are getting the worst of it in this so-called truce.”

Graeme frowned. “Nay, ’tis not so. We’re giving nothing up while the Armstrongs are giving their daughter to their sworn enemy. It could be said that we have more favor with the king.”

Teague’s jaw dropped open. “Not giving up anything? Graeme, you won’t have heirs. You won’t have … anything. The lass is useless.”

Graeme turned, his expression fierce as he faced down his brother. “She’s not useless. Do not say such again in my presence. Or anywhere else.”

Teague’s eyebrows shot upward, but he fell into silence.

“He could have ordered the marriage of Rorie to one of them,” Graeme pointed out in a softer voice. “It would have been logical. Daughter for daughter. Armstrong has two sons of marriageable age and neither are spoken for.”

“Over my dead body,” Bowen snarled. “Rorie is but a child.”

Graeme fixed him with his stare. “And Eveline is less of a child? In a lot of ways, Rorie would be a more competent wife than Eveline herself. Rorie’s young, but she’s hale and hearty and she’ll bear a man children. She’s of marriageable age. You and I know she’s not ready for a husband. But the king doesn’t. He could have very well taken her from us and there would have been naught to do unless we wanted to wage war against the crown.”

Teague swallowed, his jaw drawn into a hard line. He was infuriated by the mere idea.

“Now imagine how they are feeling,” Graeme said in a low voice. “Imagine how we would feel if we were even now preparing to watch Rorie wed an Armstrong.”

“You’re becoming soft,” Teague hissed. “You cannot sympathize with these bastards. They are not deserving of our regard or sympathy.”

Graeme nodded his agreement. “Aye, I know it. I don’t expect you to like them. I’m merely asking you to imagine if the situation was reversed and Rorie had been ordered to marry an Armstrong.”

“ ’Tis unthinkable,” Bowen said. “I cannot imagine how Eveline’s family hasn’t rebelled against the crown.”

“Because Armstrong knows it would be signing a death warrant for his entire clan,” Graeme said. “We may hate the man, but he’s not stupid. A daughter for his entire clan? He doesn’t like it, but he also knows he has no choice as much as it pains him. Just as if Rorie had been ordered to marry an Armstrong, we would not have a choice either.”

“Marry the lass so we can take our leave at once,” Teague muttered. “I want to return to our lands before anyone decides that we’ve not given in return what we are being given. I still say the Armstrongs have favor with the king or the earl. In the king’s mind, he’s ridded them of a burden and saddled you with a wife who cannot
provide you heirs. What are they truly giving up, Graeme? Because the way I see it, the king has done you a great injustice. You are the chieftain. ’Tis your bloodline that should carry on. He’s now made it impossible for you to do so.”

C
HAPTER
10

Eveline stood with Graeme in front of the priest as she waited for the ceremony to commence. She supposed it would be proper if she were to have her hand on Graeme’s arm or if he were to have her hand tucked underneath. But her hands were locked in front of her, buried in the folds of her exquisite gown so that no one would see how badly they shook.

She’d gathered enough information from rapidly scanning lips in the conversation that took place prior to the ceremony to know that her father would be responding in her stead.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She’d give anything to make her own promises, but she was afraid to try. Afraid to attempt to form those words and then have no idea if they came out a whisper or if they came out a bellow.

Perhaps once she reached the Montgomery holding she could … she could start anew. Maybe she could even try with Graeme, but not until she was certain that it was the right thing to do.

She was fascinated by the man she would soon be wed to, but he was still a Montgomery, and no Armstrong had any reason to believe the Montgomerys were anything
but bloodthirsty savages. Even if everything she’d seen so far of Graeme contradicted that idea.

But she also had to remember that with the earl present and a dictate rendered by the king himself, the Montgomerys would be on their very best behavior.

Eveline would know more about the character of her husband once they reached his lands and he was no longer restrained in his actions and words.

So lost in her thoughts was she, that she hadn’t realized that the ceremony not only had begun but that now Graeme was facing her. He reached down for her hand and for a moment she thought he would kiss her.

What a breathless thought. She hadn’t imagined such a thing until now, and it made her precariously light-headed.

But all he did was hold up her hand, turn to the others, and then he made an announcement, one she couldn’t see since she wasn’t facing him.

Whatever he said, she could only assume he’d announced that they were man and wife. Or perhaps that she was now a Montgomery. Or perhaps he’d even said he was taking his leave now. But whatever it was he’d proclaimed, it was met with reserve on both sides.

Somber. It was the word to describe the expressions of everyone gathered. There was no joy. No festive spirit. There would be no wedding feast with music and food well into the night.