The Knight's Temptress (Lairds of the Loch) (27 page)

“Aye, but ye may be killed in this Dumbarton affair o’ yours, lad. I must—”

“You know my father well, sir. He will honor any agreement I sign. So will my brothers if Father and I should both die before I inherit. You have noted yourself that both of my parents love Lina. They will do everything in their power to protect her and any children we may have.”

“They would, aye,” Andrew agreed. “Art agreeable to such haste, lass?”

“I have agreed to marry Sir Ian,” she said. “The manner of it matters not.”

“Good,” Andrew said. “Let’s get on with it then. I’m hungry.”

“You might be wiser to tell my lady mother and the others about this first,” Lina suggested dryly.

Ian looked swiftly at her, fearing that such abruptness had changed her mind.

She looked as calm as ever. Then her gaze met his, and she smiled.

His cock leaped again.

Sakes, he thought, the damned thing was practically crowing!

Following her father downstairs, Lina was too conscious of Ian’s presence behind her to worry about what sort of reception their news would bring when Andrew announced it. But as they neared the hall landing, her feet seemed to slow of their own accord. What
would
everyone else think of such a hasty decision?

When Andrew stepped through the archway into the great hall, she heard Ian say quietly behind her, “Wait, lass.”

Pausing at the landing, grateful for any respite, she turned. “What is it, sir?”

“I think we should let Andrew tell them first, don’t you?”

“Mam and the others from the solar are not even in the hall yet,” she pointed out. “We would have heard them coming downstairs.”

He stepped down beside her. “I did hear them.”

She looked up into his face. “But how could you when I did not? Murie does not go anywhere quietly. Nor, I think, does Lizzie.”

“They were muttering to each other, aye,” he said. “Andrew had just said he would send for the priest, though. Perhaps you were paying such close heed to him that you missed hearing them.”

She swallowed, remembering that she had heard her father’s words and realized only then how quickly he and Ian meant for the marriage to take place. Even so, it seemed odd that she could have been so lost in her own thoughts that she had failed to hear the passage of four people down the stairs outside the room.

The door was thick and well fitted, but if Ian had heard them…

She stared at Ian’s broad chest while these thoughts sped through her mind. Distantly, from the hall, she heard Andrew’s voice. A slight tingling was the only warning she had before Ian put both hands on her shoulders.

“What is it?” he asked. “Art having second thoughts?”

It was hard to focus on anything save the warmth of his hands and the fact that they could evidently spread their warmth to other parts of her body.

“Lina?”

Gathering her wits, she said, “I will keep my word, sir. I was just trying to imagine how I could have missed hearing them.”

“I have gey sharp hearing. And you did have other things on your mind.”

Nodding, she glanced toward the archway and said, “We should go in.”

He took her near hand in his and raised it to his lips as he had once before. This time, he kissed it lightly, looking at her as he did, his expression unusually solemn. “Aye, sure, we’ll go in,” he said. “Just as soon as you look me in the eyes and tell me you’re doing this willingly and not just because you said you would.”

She looked him right in the eye then and said, “You first.”

Ian laughed as much at the look of determination on Lina’s face as at the challenge she had flung at him.

When she continued to watch him, he sobered. He was still holding her hand, so he gave it a warm squeeze and said, “I’m more willing with every minute that passes, lass. I believe that we will suit each other well.”

“This may be the most reckless thing you have done, sir.”

“It may be, aye. But you are doing it with me, so I’ll wager that you won’t carp and correct me at every turn as some wives try to do.”

“I would not do that in any event,” she said, peering into his face in that way she had that made him feel as if she could see right through him to his core. “I wonder if my opinions matter to you, though. I’m unlikely to change my feelings about many things that you do. Nor will I agree with you in all that you say.”

“Then, likely we’ll fratch from time to time,” he said. “Would it help if I were to promise that I’ll always listen?”

“It might,” she said doubtfully. “It would help more if you
did
always listen.”

He choked on another bubble of laughter. Forcing himself to speak seriously, he said, “Have you hitherto found me an
un
willing listener?”

She shook her head, looking at his chest again. “No, sir, not recently.”

Cupping her chin with his free hand, he tilted it up and kissed her gently on the lips. “Then, we must leave it there, I think. Your father is calling to us.”

Her lips had parted. She stared at him blindly.

“Lina?”

“We must go in, aye,” she said. Whirling, she stepped through the archway, only to stop in her tracks when the hall erupted in applause and cheering.

Rather pleased to know that his kiss had ruffled her more than any teasing had, he followed her. To his surprise, he was looking forward to his wedding… and even more to the night that, by every tradition, would come afterward.

Lina stared at their people, gathered as usual at trestle tables in the hall for supper, standing now and cheering. She had missed Andrew’s announcement of the wedding to come, and she failed now to see him striding toward her until he was right in front of her.

Catching hold of the hand that Ian had so recently kissed, he raised it high.

Then, turning so that he stood between them and taking Ian’s hand in his other one, Andrew raised it, too, shouting, “ ’Twill be a grand union, this one, aye?”

“Aye!” they shouted back. More cheering erupted. Young Pluff jumped onto a bench, put two fingers in his mouth, and emitted a piercing whistle.

Lowering their hands, Andrew drew the two together as he stepped back until Ian stood beside Lina, holding her hand.

She looked up at him to see that he was waving at everyone in the hall with his free hand and grinning widely.

Knowing that she should smile, too, but feeling as if her life had just spun beyond control, she briefly shut her eyes. Opening them she saw red-headed Pluff looking straight at her and grinning as if he had arranged the whole thing himself.

Unable to resist the boy’s infectious grin, she grinned right back at him.

Feeling surprisingly happy but oddly alone, despite the warmth of Ian’s hand clasping hers, she looked toward the high table, seeking Lady Aubrey. But her ladyship had moved to the narrow archway leading to the service stairs, where she was talking with Tibby and Tibby’s mother, Annie Wylie.

At the high table, Lady Margaret looked pinch-lipped but resigned.

Ian released Lina’s hand, put his own to her elbow, and urged her to follow Andrew, now striding toward the dais. When he stepped onto it, he declared loudly, “Now that I’ve told ye all what’s to occur and why we’ve dispensed with a parson for the nonce, we’ll get on with it. Step up here, lad, and speak your piece.”

Lina felt the spinning sensation return and drew a breath to steady herself.

Without taking his hand from her elbow, Ian murmured, “Will you stand beside me, lass, and face everyone? Or would you liefer take your usual place at the table? I’ll escort you there myself if you like.”

The world righted itself. Quietly, she said, “I’m not such a feardie, sir. As you said, we’re doing this together. I would not want anyone to think otherwise.”

“Good lass. I ken fine that you have great courage. I just thought you might feel more dignified or more at ease to stand at a distance.”

“Is that what a woman usually does during a declaration?” she asked.

His eyes twinkled. “Sakes, I don’t know. I’ve never attended one.”

A gurgle of laughter escaped her. “I doubt that one actually attends such events. They tend to be rather more spontaneous than that, I think.”

“Then you ken more of them than I do,” he said. “Let’s ask your father.”

Andrew was already arranging his stage. “Ye’ll stand here before the table, lad, and face them all,” he said. “Ye need say nae more than that the lady Lachina MacFarlan is now your lady wife. Likely, they’ll cheer again. But dinna let them be going on about it all night. I’m gey hungry.”

“What about me, sir?” Lina asked. “What do I say?”

“Nowt, lass. Just dinna contradict the man. ’Tis a bad habit in any marriage.”

“I missed hearing what you told them about why we are doing it this way.”

“I just said that since ye’ve decided to marry and Sir Ian has to return to his knightly duties afore the parson could get here, and may be going into battle, we’re doing a declaration. I also said that we’ll have the parson here when he returns to make all right with the Kirk. So, now, art ready, lad?”

“Aye, sir.” Taking Lina’s hand and facing the lower hall, Ian said, “I declare to you all that now and forevermore the lady Lachina and I are man and wife.”

Chapter 12
 

A
s Andrew had predicted, applause erupted, making Lina search her feelings again. With her back still to the high table and thus to the other women and Rob MacAulay, she could not even imagine what
their
feelings might be.

Ian was enjoying the applause, and she did enjoy his company. Moreover, everyone in the hall seemed to approve, so smiling back at them was easy. The truth, though, was that she could not define her feelings for Ian further than liking, although she had been willing to marry him despite the flaws in his character. So she had clearly ignored some of the standards she had set earlier for her husband.

She had expected, at least, to marry a man whose opinions regarding risk taking and family responsibilities echoed her own. Had those standards been so trifling to her that she could fling them aside for a too-daring, dutybound warrior simply because of his handsome face, persuasive charm, and infectious impulses?