Chapter 5

5

W hile she rocked herself on the bedding, Archer glanced at her brother with a tight-lipped grimace.

"Maeve?" Flynn called and tried to touch her shoulder, but she flinched out of his reach.

Maeve dropped her hands from her sides and looked at him again. Her blue eyes were intent. They pierced right through him and nearly stole his breath. There was something unsettling about the way she stared at him while her lips moved.

Archer had never been this lost in staring at a woman before. Over the years even before his father's death, he had gradually stopped caring about securing himself a bride.

What woman would want to wed a mad laird's son? No one could be stupid enough to tie their fate to that of a man who had madness in his blood, and so he had stopped trying to match with any of the other laird's daughters. Until now.

"I am a lady," she said after a short silence passed between them. "I cannot marry a Highlander. It is not how a lady acts. I shall meet a gentleman of the right peerage and wed him. I shall…"

"Maeve," her brother called, and his tone dragged her out of the trance she seemed to be in. "Are ye all right?" Laird O'Kane tried touching her again, but she drew away from him and rose to her feet this time.

"Me Lady," Archer began, but the cottage's door flung open right then, and her sisters trailed in after each other.

"Maeve, are you all right?" They walked to her, each of them touching her forehead tenderly. "Are you ill? Do you need to rest? Is there anything we can do?"

One of them tried loosening the chignon Maeve's hair was styled into, and Maeve stopped her by taking her wrist.

"No, Ayda," she refused. "We do not undress in front of the gentlemen, do not forget that." Her tension was obvious in the stiff set of her shoulders and her rigid posture.

Archer frowned and huffed out a deep breath. "All right, that is enough," he interrupted as all three sisters whipped their gaze to him. "We need to rest for the night. Yer sister needs to rest because we have a long travel ahead of us. Once we arrive the Highlands, we can discuss this bargain again."

"What bargain?" the red-haired sister, Ayda, asked, and when no one answered her immediately, she looked at all their faces and turned to Flynn. "Brother?"

"I must marry the Laird," Maeve told her, breaking the suspense as she trembled visibly again.

"That cannot happen," the third sister murmured and covered her mouth with one hand. She displayed the same shock Maeve did when Flynn mentioned marriage.

Is marrying me such a terrible thought? Archer knew his best shot at finding a Scottish wife was this chance before him. Besides needing the O'Kane's support with the other Scottish clans, he also needed his marriage to work because Laird O'Kane was the only laird desperate enough to let his sister wed into the mad clan. My clan.

"We have discussed the terms of me help before now, and yer brother and I both agreed that weddin' yer sister to me is fair considering I just helped save ye three from the Earl of Cramshire."

"But still marrying a Highlander has its consequences," the youngest sister continued. She looked like she was about to say more as her eyes rounded, but Maeve touched her hand to stop her.

Archer looked at Maeve and saw color slightly return to her skin. Her lower lip quivered briefly, and he recalled her fearful shiver while they were trying to escape the Lord's manor.

Maeve's obvious terror just at the mention of marriage to him was evident even as she forcefully dragged her eyes from his again. He felt an unsettling prick in his guts at the thought of the woman already disliking the idea of marrying him when she hadn't even reached his clan yet.

Do I need to convince her of this marriage? Does she know of me clan's reputation and past?

Archer did not think that was the case. The woman lived the past six years a captive of the English Earl; there was no way she could know who he was.

He rarely ever cared what others thought of him or his clan. Archer was used to the murmurs and the rumors.

But those eyes, Maeve. She stared at him like she had a lot on her mind. Her lips were slightly parted, and her piercing gaze made him queasy in the pit of his stomach. For the first time in his life, Archer reeled with the urge to convince a person that he was not as terrible as the rumors spoke of him.

"It is all right," Maeve finally spoke, cutting into the tense silence that stretched out between all of them in the chamber. "I request a word with you, Laird Devlin, then we shall all rest and continue our journey to Scotland tomorrow."

Archer hesitated in granting her request at first, but once again, those eyes peeled away his resistance and left him with a fluttering edge of curiosity that wanted to know what she thought of the marriage.

"Make it brief," he announced.

"I would like to speak to you outside," she added. "Alone.

He raised a brow softly. "Are ye sure?" he queried.

"I am strong," she insisted before before exiting the chamber without glancing at either of the siblings.

Outside in the cold night, the crisp air dried up his nostrils when he inhaled, and Archer dragged his feet through the pile of snow that had begun falling while they were inside the cottage.

Very little of the fluffy snow already covered the ground, but he knew that by morning the grounds would be completely covered up. Archer had been to England only once before his father's mad war began six years ago. He had spent time with a distant relative because his mother thought it was best for him to be far from home at the time.

Archer recalled returning home to an unjust war and his father's rampage. Defending his clan had always been his duty, and fighting by his father's side was his duty as his son.

He rubbed the back of his neck as he thought of telling Maeve this little piece of history. Not like it changed anything. If the lady already hated him, then there was no way he could change her mind.

What does it matter if she likes me?

Archer tried to convince himself that it didn't. This was a marriage that suited both their clans and nothing more.

He heard her footsteps approach and spun around to see her walk stiffly towards him. Archer wondered why she needed to prove her strength to him by coming out in the cold to talk. I would have granted her request even if she lay shivering on the bedding.

"If ye have come to convince me to change the terms of me bargain with yer brother, then ye are wastin' yer time, lass. I shallnae take back me desire to wed ye and become one with yer family."

She blinked, and a droplet of snow landed on her cheek. Archer thought about reaching out to brush it away, but he shoved down the urge the moment it came because it made no sense.

"That is not why I wished to speak with you." She spoke calmly, her lips barely moving even though he heard her voice. Her eyes stayed set on his, unflinching, and he sensed her determination even though he did not know what she was going to say yet.

When he noticed a sheen of sweat on her forehead, he finally lost his will and reached out to wipe it away with a finger. Her fever was still raging, and he wondered how she managed to walk and talk.

"Are ye sure ye dinnae need to rest? Ye are burnin' up."

"I am fine," she insisted as he slid his palm fully over her forehead and placed it there.

She gasped when his finger moved over her skin, and her warmth seeped into him, teasing a little tingle into his nerves. Archer's pulse picked up a beat, and his finger on her skin froze as their eyes met.

They stared into each other's eyes, both not realizing that time stopped for a moment.

She sighed and stepped back first. Archer's pulse maintained the race it picked up, and his heart struggled to keep up. He frowned and allowed a slight irritation to replace the flutters building in his chest and spreading to his stomach.

"Then what do ye want?"

"I ask that we stop at my home first before we make it to the other side of the mountain. It has been six years…six long years, My Laird, and I want to see my home—and my mother—before I have to leave again. I would like the wedding to be held in my home. It has always been a dream of mine, and since I do not even get to choose the man I am to wed, then you can at least grant me this."

"All right," he answered without even realizing it, his heart softening just from looking at her. There was something about this woman that got to him already. "I mean…Aye. I am nae in a hurry. If a few days at home is what ye need, then it is what ye get."

She nodded once. "Thank you, My laird."

"Archer," he interrupted, surprising himself yet again. "Ye can call me Archer, and I shall call ye Maeve."

Another nod, then she pressed her lips together. "Goodnight…" she paused, and he held his breath, waiting to hear his name on her lips, "My laird."

Archer's chest tightened as he watched her walk back into the cottage, and he rubbed his chin while sighing. What kind of a woman is she?

Did she defy me on purpose? he wondered while watching her stiff back. Archer remembered her warmth when he touched her, and another shiver wracked through him.

She was burning up earlier, and she nearly passed out. He could tell she was still in pain because her fever still hadn't broken off completely.

But she still held her chin high and walked to me without whimpering in pain.

He had never met a woman like her. Soft and yet feisty at the same time. Weak and somehow still strong. Archer knew he shouldn't care too much about understanding, but somehow, he couldn't help himself.

He still stood there when Jensen walked over to him again.

"Is the lady all right?"

"Nae," Archer answered and raked his fingers through his hair. "I dinnae think she is, even though she claims to be."

"Do ye need me to do anythin'?"

Jensen had always been a loyal friend and ally to His Laird. Archer turned to him slowly and placed a hand on his right shoulder, patting gently as he met Jensen's gaze.

Not once had Jensen questioned his choice to help Laird O'Kane and wed his sister, even though it was a spontaneous decision. Archer appreciated that he could trust his man-at-arms to stand by him at all times.

"For now, we need to make it out of England without any troubles." For now, he had to shove down his curiosity and complete his task. Archer knew he would have more than enough time to explore his interest in Maeve Gibson once they made it to the kirk and tied the knot.