Chapter 4

How can I be here, walkin' intae his castle, when I am already dead?

Maddison's heart pulsed sluggishly, as if its chambers were clogged with ice. It was beating slowly, dully, like a distant drum, each thud loud in her ears with every step she took nearing her to her doom. Her body felt chilled as well, bereft of all feeling.

Unaware she was doing it, she held her breath as she stood with Lillie and Diarmaid at her side in the grand vestibule of Lennox Castle, waiting for her husband-to-be to arrive. She physically shivered to think she was back in the place of her captivity, that dark, dreadful time of terror that still dogged her, and that she was going to have to marry the lying brute whose name she could hardly bring herself to say.

When she saw him rapidly advancing along a broad hallway to greet them, flanked by two hulking warriors who might have been twins, she dug her nails into her palms and let out a silent scream.

It was like taking a punch to the guts when he laid eyes on her again after so long. As he drew nearer, striding along the hallway to greet her and her family in the vestibule, he felt the breath literally leave his body, and his heart pounded in his chest as if desperate to escape.

"Ye're all right, me friend, just keep goin'," Liam whispered in his ear, clearly sensing what he was feeling and wanting to support him at what he knew was going to be a very difficult meeting.

"There's only one braither. Is that nae the laird?" Tadhg whispered.

"Aye," Odhrán murmured his mouth dry. "That's Diarmaid. And that's his wife, the one he stole from me." The memory of the auction he had organized more than half a year ago, to sell off the daughters of reputable lairds whose clans had fallen on hard financial times, returned to him when he laid eyes on Diarmaid's wife. It was not one of his proudest moments. He had been about to bid for her as his own wife—forced to do so by his father's obsession with him getting married—when Diarmaid had beat him to it. He had greatly outbid Odhrán. But Odhrán had known it was all to spite him and his father and provoke him into revealing Maddison's location.

Despite Diarmaid having married Lillie, they had finally agreed to exchange Lillie for Maddison on the grounds that the marriage had not been consummated and, therefore, could be annulled. But it had turned out that that had just been a ruse for the Kincaids and their allies to get into the castle and launch their rescue mission for Maddison. Diarmaid had never had any intention of letting Lillie go. She had simply been bait.

It had been during that final confrontation that Odhrán had killed his father to save Maddison. Now, as his gaze glanced over Lillie, Lady Kincaid, he felt nothing. But as soon as his eyes alighted on Maddison, he could not look away.

Summoning all his wits and pushing down the feelings she was already stirring inside him, he finally came face to face with the trio.

"Good day ye all. I trust ye had a good journey here," he said, smiling in welcome. "Lady Kincaid, a pleasure tae see ye. I hope ye're well." Lillie bobbed a polite curtsey and allowed his lips to graze the back of her glove in greeting when he bowed.

"Laird Kincaid," he said, giving the huge Diarmaid a respectful nod, unmoved by his stern expression.

"Laird Lennox," came the similarly curt reply.

At last, Odhrán turned to look down at Maddison, deep into her dark gray eyes. It was like time stopped, and his mind stuttered for a moment, seeing the pure hatred writ large within them. Her face as she looked at him, her small, rounded chin held high, was a frozen mask, devoid of warmth or welcome. Even so, he marveled at how her delicate beauty had grown even more ethereal since their last meeting.

In that split second, his eyes drank in the perfect geometry of her features, her flawless pale skin, and the high, rounded cheeks that had a little more pink in them than before. Dark eyebrows arched elegantly above her large, thickly lashed eyes. Her small, straight nose was just as he remembered it, and her lips – oh, her lips! – looked as full and soft and pink as early roses. He thanked God she could not read his mind and tell how many times he had imagined what kissing them would be like, broken hearted to think he would never get the chance to find out.

He suddenly felt a slight nudge in his back from Tadgh and came back to reality. Taking hold of himself, he summoned his warmest smile.

"'Tis good tae see ye again, lady Maddison," he managed to say in a surprisingly even tone. He gave her his best bow, but when he went to kiss her hand, she withheld it, turning her head away, stony faced, refusing to look at him.

It hurt him deeply to be so brutally snubbed by her before the others, but he told himself he should be thankful she had not spat in his face in the circumstances, resolving to downplay the incident. All that mattered was that she was here, that they were going to be married shortly, and he would be able to watch over her until Rollo was no longer a threat. That made him remember his manners, and he turned to Liam and Tadgh.

"I'd like tae introduce ye two me two best war leaders. Liam MacTavish and his braither Tadgh. They're me good friends," he said. He was pleased with the way the brothers did him credit by both greeting the visitors with warmth and civility, bowing to each of the party in turn and kissing the ladies' hands before respectfully shaking the hand of Kincaid.

An awkward silence fell where Odhrán clapped his hands together and maintained his smile, while groping for what to say next.

"Perhaps ye would be good enough to have the ladies shown to their chambers? I'm sure they'd like tae refresh themselves after the journey. And we can have a quiet word. In private," Diarmaid said, flashing Odhrán a meaningful look.

"Och, of course," Odhrán said at once. With his eyes, he instructed the maid, Jessica, who was waiting nearby, to commence her carefully rehearsed duties.

She smiled as she bobbed a polite curtsey to Maddison and Lillie and said, "If ye'd like tae follow me, me ladies," before leading them up the grand oaken staircase. Two burly male servants followed behind, lugging the first part of the copious pile of stacked trunks and other baggage the visitors had brought with them.

Briefly, Odhrán allowed his eyes to follow Maddison up the stairs, transfixed by the sight of her shapely figure, which her gown of pale blue accentuated in ways he knew he had no business even thinking of… yet.

"A word? In private, Odhrán," Diarmaid said, startling him out of his reverie.

"Of course. Let's go tae the parlor. We can have a wee dram before the ladies are rested and ready for dinner," Odhrán told him pleasantly, turning to exchange a glance with Liam and Tadgh as he began leading the way along the hallway to the parlor he had had especially prepared for the occasion. He had thought it best not to use his study because it would likely bring back too many unpleasant memories. It had been there that the awful confrontation had taken place, and he had ended up killing his own father. Liam and Tadgh escorted them, hard on their heels.

However, when they got to the parlor, Odhrán told the brothers, "Thanks, lads, but I'll take it from here. I'll see ye at dinner." The pair winked at him behind Diarmaid's back and marched off down the hallway.

"Please. Come in and make yerself comfortable," he said, ushering Diarmaid into the spacious, well-lit chamber. A large fire was blazing in the hearth, sending out plenty of heat and casting an amber glow over the luxurious furnishings, family portraits, and other paintings adorning the walls. The room had hardly ever been used when his father was alive, but he was glad it could be put to good use now, for it seemed inviting. "Will ye sit by the fire?" he asked, gesturing to the pair of large chairs set opposite each other angle wise to the hearth.

"I dinnae need tae sit down fer what I have tae say," Diarmaid said tersely.

"Very well," Odhrán replied, sensing the tension rising between them. "Will ye at least have a dram with me?"

"I'll have a dram, aye, but nae because I want tae drink with ye," Kincaid said in the same slightly menacing tone, glaring at him. "But because I need it tae stop me from tearin' ye limb from limb." There followed a tense silence while Odhrán poured the whisky and came over to hand a glass to Diarmaid.

"And why would ye want tae dae that? Is this nae a happy occasion?" Odhrán asked finally, standing to his full height and looking Diarmaid straight in the eye, determined to stand his ground.

"Ach, ye ken very well what I mean. I'd like tae ken what game ye think ye're playin'. I ken ye went tae see the King and, somehow, ye persuaded him tae force this marriage. What I dinnae understand is why," Diarmaid threw down his dram in one swallow and banged his glass down on a nearby side table.

Odhrán had played out this meeting a hundred times in his mind beforehand, and he knew this was the part where he should tell Diarmaid all about his father's will and the letter his father had left instructing Rollo to exterminate the Kincaids. He knew he should explain that the marriage was his way of protecting Maddison.

But Diarmaid's attitude had needled him, and there was a little bit of pride inside him that stopped him from doing it.

"'Tis nae game. I was summoned by the King, and he ordered me tae marry yer sister because he was concerned about the effects of our feudin' on the region. He wants tae put a stop tae such things it seems. So, ye see, I had nae choice in the matter." He too swallowed his dram down and slammed his glass down next to Diarmaid's.

The Laird of Kincaid sneered at him. "D'ye think I believe a word of yer lies? I'm nae fool. I ken what ye did. Have ye and that bastard faither of yers nae inflicted enough pain on me family? Now ye wish tae torment me sister fer the rest of her life fer yer own twisted ends? Ye're as much a blackhearted villain as he was."

Odhrán bristled at the injustice of that. "I've nae intention of "tormentin'" Maddison as ye say. I ken what happened tae her. I ken what me faither did and what sort of man he was. I was here! D'ye think I feel good about it? If ye havenae forgotten, I killed him tae save her life. I'll care fer her and keep her safe and dae me best tae make her happy as me wife." He stopped himself, suddenly breathless, on the verge of letting his tongue run away with him.

"Ach, hold yer wheesht, ye lyin' dog," Diarmaid said scornfully, dismissing his words as if they meant nothing. "I'm just tellin' ye, from me and me braither, if any harm comes to her, ye'll be dyin', slowly and painfully. And if ye want forgiveness fer makin' her suffer like this, dinnae look at us, because we'll never forgive ye, never!"

In all his planning, Odhrán had not quite foreseen how Diarmaid's hostility would rile him so. Once again, it struck at his pride. He squared up to Kincaid.

"As much as I understand yer concerns, I'll first remind ye that ye're a guest in me home, and I expect the respect due tae yer host. Second, I'm the Laird here, which also commands a certain degree of respect. Third, 'twas the king who decided on this marriage. I'm as powerless tae change things as ye are. I suggest ye dae as I have and accept the circumstances as they are." He looked calmly and unwaveringly into Diarmaid's eyes, his chin held high.

After a few moments of staring intently at each other, Diarmaid appeared to collect himself and relent.

"Very well. If ye say so. It seems I've nae choice but tae accept what ye say since I cannae exactly question the King," he said, exhaling sharply. "Now, me and me wife would like tae stay for the ceremony. When d'ye plan tae hold it?"

Odhrán breathed an inner sigh of relief. He thought for a moment. "I havenae planned anythin' yet. What are yer thoughts on the matter?" He was hoping Diarmaid would name a day a few days hence. In his mind, there was no time to waste. The sooner Maddison was his wife, the sooner he could ensure her safety. Besides, he told himself, it'll please the council, and he wanted tae keep them sweet.

"I have business I'd like tae get back tae by the end of the week if possible. Me braither's away from home at the moment, and I've had tae leave a deputy in charge. I ken me wife would like tae get back tae our young bairn as well," Diarmaid replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "What about in two days' time? Would that be too soon fer ye tae make the arrangements?"

Odhrán could hardly keep the grin of his face. "Nay, nae at all. I'll arrange fer the minister and the piper tae be there. We can have the ceremony in the great hall in the late afternoon and have the weddin' feast straight after," he suggested, keeping his excitement under wraps. "D'ye think Maddison will be happy with that?"

Diarmaid gave a derisive snort. "As if ye cared about that."

"Of course, I care. I want her tae be happy," Odhrán insisted.

Diarmaid sighed. "Odhrán, be serious, man. Ye might be gettin' tae marry her, but ye'll nae force her tae be happy about it. However, ye've chosen yer path. I just hope tae God she can find some happiness in this life ye've forced on her. Maybe in time, she might grow tae tolerate ye."

"I'll take that as yer blessing then," Odhrán said, too thrilled with the way things were working out for him to protest much. "Of course, ye and yer wife will be me welcome guests as long as ye wish. Now, if we're done here, I'll have a man show ye tae yer chambers. I'll send a maid and a footman up tae assist ye and yer wife with anythin' ye need. We'll meet fer dinner a little later in the dining hall, eh? We can have a drink tae celebrate the weddin'."

"I can hardly wait," Diarmaid said drily. "And I'm sure me sister feels the same."

Odhrán rang for a servant. While they waited, he felt he ought to say something a little more conciliatory to his future brother-in-law.

"Diarmaid, I ken we've had our differences in the past when me faither was alive. But I want tae assure ye, things are different around here now. Ye may nae think it, but I'm nae ignorant of the honor ye're doin' me and Clan Lennox by allowin' the weddin' tae go ahead. I swear tae ye on me life that I'll dae everythin' in me power tae make Maddison happy and keep her safe. I'd never hurt her," he said, meaning every word.

Diarmaid looked at him closely for a moment as if gauging his sincerity. Finally, he said, "I saw ye kill yer faither right in front of me eyes tae save her life. And from what she tells me, I've nae doubt ye kept her alive while she was locked up. I have tae be grateful fer that, and I cannae doubt yer words. Just as long as ye dinnae forget mine."

"I willnae," Odhrán promised, holding out his hand, eager to ratify the truce. Diarmaid took it, and the two men shook hands. The servant arrived then and escorted Diarmaid up to the chambers he was to share with Lady Lillie.

Left alone, Odhrán rubbed his hands with a mixture of relief and satisfaction at the way the hurdles were falling before him one by one. He went to his study to write to the minister about the ceremony. When he had penned a quick note summoning the man to call on him, he sat back in his chair. He could hardly believe his crazy plan was going so well. In two days' time, she would be the new Lady Lennox.

He felt no guilt about not telling Diarmaid about the stipulation in his father's will that dictated his wife should be with child by the end of his first year as laird to ensure his inheritance. Marriage implied consummation, and if he could manage to put a bairn in her belly in time to meet the stipulation, all would be well. It would seem perfectly natural.

However, he was burningly aware that after the wedding would come the wedding night when, in the normal scheme if things, it would be consummated. The thought gave him a twinge of excitement somewhere below his belly, but something told him that persuading Maddison to agree to it was going to be the most difficult challenge of all.