Chapter 7

Lilith stomped all the way to back into the castle, up the stairs, and over to her room, throwing the door open only to find Freya there, flinching at the sudden sound of wood against stone. Seeing her sister dampened Lilith's rage, at least, and she collapsed next to Freya on the bed with a sigh, a hand coming up to rub her eyes.

"Where did ye go?" Freya asked, assuming that careful tone she always did when Lilith was angry, not so much because she feared her reaction, but rather because it always helped sooth her.

"I wanted tae see what Aaden would tell Cameron," Lilith said.

"So ye spied on them?"

Lilith looked at Freya from under her hand. "So, what if I did?"

Freya gave a small shrug. "I spied on faither an' Evander."

The casual way in which Freya said that drew a chuckle out of Lilith. "Did ye? What did they say?"

"Tell me about Aaden first."

With a sigh, Lilith pushed herself up to her elbows, glancing over at the window that overlooked that large oak where they had stood. "I heard him tell Cameron that he isnae worried about me rejectin' him because he kens how tae court lasses. An' then he told him that he bedded the friend o' his lover an' she still forgave him but I dinnae understand how he could have possibly managed that. He is naething but a scoundrel."

"Lilith, he is a man, an' men?—"

"An' then!" Lilith exclaimed, cutting Freya short. "An' then, he made a bet with me that he could kiss me without touchin' me lips an' o' course I didnae believe him so I allowed it. An' then he kissed me an' said he was glad he lost the bet! Can ye believe that? What kind o' decent man does that? He kent I didnae wish tae kiss him."

Freya tried to stifle a laugh behind her hand, but Lilith could see her shoulders shaking. "I think it's quite romantic," she said. "He is only teasin' ye."

"I dinnae enjoy bein' teased," Lilith said indignantly. "If he truly wished tae win me affections, he would act properly."

"Well, it isnae easy fer him," Freya pointed out. "Ye make it very difficult. But I need ye tae be civil. In fact, I need ye tae be kind. Listen tae him. Dinnae try tae push him away so fast."

"Why?" Lilith demanded. "I already ken that I dinnae want him."

"But I want Evander," Freya said. "An' he wants me. He will ask fer me hand in marriage but faither will only allow it if ye are engaged first. He is allowin' Evander an' Aaden to stay here to court us, so the least ye can dae is be nice tae them."

Being nice to Aaden was difficult, but being nice to Evander was impossible. From what little she had seen of him, she didn't think he was the right man for her sister, but Freya was young and impressionable, and she couldn't see just how bad of a match he was for her.

Could I convince her tae forget about him? Will she ever listen tae reason?

Lilith would never know if she didn't try.

"Freya, I think… have ye considered any other suitors?" she asked, as gently as she could. She didn't want to appear too insistent, since that would only serve to anger her sister and make her more combative. "Evander isnae the only lad in the world."

"I ken that, but he is the one I want," Freya said. "Besides, all the other suitors are gone now."

"Aye, but ye did speak tae some o' them," Lilith reminded her. "Faither would be happy tae invite them back if ye so wish."

"Why dae ye insist?" Freya asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion as she regarded Lilith. "If there is somethin' ye wish tae say, then ye can say it. I willnae be angry, I promise ye."

Despite Freya's promise, Lilith still hesitated. Perhaps she wouldn't be angry, but she would most certainly be upset, and Lilith didn't want to sour the mood. Still, what she had heard had to be said.

"I simply dinnae think Evander is the right man fer ye," she said. "Both Cameron an' Aaden think so too. I heard them speak o' it. Last time Evander was here, he was tryin' tae bed every maid in the castle."

Upon hearing Lilith's words, Freya's lips pursed into a thin line, her gaze falling to the floor. "I'm sure that isnae true," she said. "I dinnae ken why Cameron an' Aaden would say such things about him, but Evander loves me. I have his letters, Lilith. Ye can read them yerself if ye wish. Ye'll see that he's nae lyin' tae me. Nae one who writes about love an' beauty like he does just fer me could be lyin' about all o' it."

With a sigh, Lilith fell back onto the mattress, closing her eyes. She would never manage to convince Freya to let go of Evander. She was too blinded by the idea of love, too eager to live a grand romance and have a man who adored her that even an imitation of it was enough for her to fall head over heels in love. Maybe the only reason for her to change her mind would be to witness it herself, to see him flirt with another woman, but Lilith hated to think about the ache that would cause her sister. It wouldn't be fair to her, seeing the man she loved with another.

"Fine," Lilith said in the end, relenting. She only hoped that her sister would change her mind before the wedding, while she could still run. "I will be nice tae Aaden, ye have me word. But I am only doin' it tae please ye, Freya. The man is a brute."

Relieved by Lilith's promise and the change of subject, Freya sat up straight on the bed, beaming at her. "Ye will? Ach, thank ye, Lilith! Thank ye! An' I'm sure he's nae a brute. How can ye ken that after only speakin' with him for only a few minutes?"

For a moment, Lilith considered avoiding the question, but she didn't see a reason to withhold the truth from Freya. The only reason why she hadn't mentioned it before was because the excitement of the travel and her return had pushed everything aside — including the incident with Aaden at the inn.

"This isnae the first time we meet," Lilith said, taking a deep breath to calm herself as she remembered the way Aaden had spoken to her that night. "When I went tae visit Olivia a year ago, I met him at the inn where I stayed on me way back."

"Ye did?" Freya said, eyes wide with curiosity. "An' what happened?"

"Precisely what ye think," Lilith said. "He tried tae seduce me an' he failed, but he wouldnae leave me alone, so I had tae threaten him."

"Threaten him? Threaten him how?"

Lilith was certain Freya already knew the answer from the way she was looking at her, her gaze full of disbelief and disapproval.

"I pull out me dirk," Lilith said with a shrug. She wouldn't be embarrassed about it after everything Aaden had done that night. After all, she hadn't hurt him. She had only suggested that she might if he continued to act like a beast. "But I promise ye, he deserved it. He wouldnae leave me alone! An' now he's here an' he is still actin' like a brute."

Silence stretched over them for a while as Freya contemplated Lilith's words. In the end, she said, "Perhaps this is fate. Perhaps ye are meant tae be together, so he was placed back in yer path."

"I very much doubt that," Lilith said, scoffing. "Nay fate would be so cruel as tae bind me tae that man."

Freya gave her a small, long-suffering smile, along with a gentle push on the shoulder. "Ye must admit he is charmin'. An' handsome. If ye only gave him another chance, he may surprise ye yet. If ye still dinnae like him after that, then we can think o' a way tae convince faither tae change his mind an' stop bringin' ye suitors."

The last thing Lilith wanted was to give Aaden another chance, especially since she hadn't given him one at all to begin with. She didn't want that man in her home. In fact, she didn't want any of the suitors.

But what other choice did she have? Her father was determined to find her a husband and despite Freya's assurance that they could find a way to change his mind, she doubted they ever could. With Aaden there, she could either continue to be as difficult as everyone claimed she was or she could try to at least open up a little; develop a friendship with him, perhaps, if not a romance.

"Fine," she said, so reluctantly that one may have thought she was being taken to the gallows instead. "I will give him another chance. But that is all I will dae."

The grin that shone bright on Freya's face was enough of a reward for Lilith.