Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

A s the carriage entered the gates of Gunn Castle, Evelyn's mouth dropped open. Three weeks had passed since the Mackay wedding, and even knowing she was to marry, she had not stopped thinking of that tender kiss in the library.

Her Viking man had been on her mind for weeks, distracting her so much, even Yvaine had noticed. When her sister had asked her if something was wrong, Evelyn had dismissed Yvaine's concerns, telling her she was distracted with her upcoming wedding. The truth of the matter was, she had been reliving the experience, pining over what she could not possibly have, and yet, unable to stop herself.

Now, however, as she was helped down from the vehicle, she struggled not to gawp at the two identical men standing before her. Two identical men who looked exactly like her Viking man. But which one was it? Which one had stolen her heart in the small amount of time they had spent together?

While her father and the men conversed up ahead, the entire party made their way into the castle. Evelyn's heart thumped in her breast. What was she supposed to do? Surely, whichever one of them it was, would give her some inclination that he recognized her, wouldn't he?

They were led into a large drawing room, where the brothers, for clearly they were twins, and another man, welcomed them warmly.

"Me laird, we are so pleased ye have arrived safely," one of the twins said.

"Thank ye, Laird Gunn," her father replied. "It was, indeed, a long journey, but we are glad we made it in good time. May I please present tae ye, me daughter, Lady Evelyn Sinclair." Her father gestured toward her. "Yer betrothed and future wife."

Laird Gunn took a step toward her. "Good day tae ye, Lady Sinclair."

Those piercing green eyes gazed at hers, but there seemed to be no recognition at all. It was worrisome to say the least. Still reeling from shock, and seemingly too frozen to speak, Evelyn remained silent, struggling to form a sentence. A few seconds passed, and then, a sharp dig in the back of her leg made her jump. Yvaine, who stood a little behind her, had clearly given her a swift kick to nudge her out of her stupor.

"Good day tae ye, me laird," Evelyn blurted.

Her father, who stood a little to the side and now behind Laird Gunn, after his approach toward her, scowled in her direction. Clearly, he was not pleased with how she was behaving at this first meeting. She had made it clear, one way or another, that she didn't really want to marry Laird Gunn, and no doubt, Laird Sinclair likely imagined her behavior was some sort of protest.

"Let me please introduce ye tae the others," Laird Gunn continued, seemingly not fazed at her lack of reaction. "This is me braither, Benedict. As ye can see," the laird smiled kindly, "we are twins." Benedict smiled and nodded toward her. His green eyes met hers, but still, not a flicker of recognition. "And here, we have our cousin, Killian Gunn. He is me advisor and most fearsome warrior."

Killian nodded to Evelyn, and with a weak smile, Evelyn nodded back. "A pleasure tae make yer acquaintance."

She looked from the laird to his brother and back again, but neither of them gave any inclination that they knew who she was. But she was not a fool. One of them had kissed her in the Mackay's library. It was an experience she was not likely to ever forget, nor was the striking man's face. The problem now remained. Had she kissed her betrothed, or had she kissed his brother?

This could only happen tae me, fer God's sake.

"I am certain ye are all exhausted, and could dae with some rest before supper," Laird Gunn continued. "I will have ye shown tae yer bedchambers where ye can settle in."

Not long after that, Killian took their father to his bedchamber, and Evelyn and Yvaine were shown to their room by a kindly maid.

"I will have some tea and bread sent up tae ye, me ladies," the maid said, before she closed the door and left the sisters alone.

"What the devil has gotten intae ye?" Yvaine blurted, the second the maid was gone. "Ye just stood there when the laird was speaking tae ye. Faither wasnae pleased."

Evelyn moved over to the huge bed and dropped herself onto the furs that lay upon it. Getting married was going to be a difficult enough. For the entire journey from her father's castle to her new home, her stomach had been twisting in knots at the prospect of meeting a husband she was destined to spend the rest of her life with. Her stomach was still in knots, but now, it was for an entirely different reason.

Yvaine dropped herself down beside her sister and took her hand. "Maybe it'll nae be as bad as ye think. He seems like a nice enough man. Besides," Yvaine grinned, "he's so handsome. I really ought tae be jealous."

"It's nae the wedding," Evelyn murmured, her mind still racing with her dilemma.

"Then what is it?" Yvaine frowned.

Evelyn turned and looked at her sister. "Dae ye remember when we went tae the Mackay's wedding, and ye were swept onto the dance floor?"

"Aye." Yvaine nodded.

"Well, a man came up to me when I was stood in the corner. He was an arrogant, leering rake."

"Oh, God, Evelyn. What happened?" Yvaine looked panicked. Clearly, her mind went immediately to the worst thing that could have occurred.

"I was fine, Yvaine. It wasnae like that. The reason naething happened is that another man came along and saved me. I was so embarrassed, I ran to the library. He found me there, and wanted to see if I was all right. We ended up…" Evelyn hesitated.

"What? Ye ended up what?" Yvaine pressed, desperate to know.

"He kissed me," Evelyn said finally.

"Och, Evelyn. Ye're allowed one little fling before ye're married. Who's tae ken? I'll bet the laird has had his fair share o' the lasses before ye arrived."

"The thing is," Evelyn continued slowly, "the man was strikingly handsome. He was also tall and broad with piercing green eyes."

It took a few seconds for her sister to come to the only conclusion available, and then suddenly, Yvaine gasped, her eyes flying wide. "The laird?" she cried.

Evelyn dropped her gaze and began fiddling with her fingers. "I dinnae ken."

"What dae ye mean, ye dinnae ken?"

"He didnae tell me his name."

Her sister's hand flew to her mouth as she gasped again, and a second later, Yvaine started laughing.

Evelyn gawped at her sister. "This isnae funny."

But Yvaine continued to giggle. "It is, a wee bit," she tittered. "I mean, only ye could get yersel' intae such a mess."

"Aye well, be that as it may, now, I dinnae ken who I kissed. It could have been the laird, or it could have been Benedict, his brother. I looked both o' them in the eye earlier, but neither o' them gave anything away. What am I supposed tae dae?"

Evelyn caressed the necklace at her throat. If only her mother had been there. Though, if she were, would Evelyn tell her what had happened?

O' course, ye would. Ye told yer maither everything.

And she had. Their mother had had such a soft and tender way about her, always kind and concerned for everyone else's well-being before her own. Evelyn was determined that it was for that very reason, the fact that her mother had been such a gentle creature, that her father had taken her death so badly.

"This marriage is so important tae the clan, Yvaine. Dae ye think a silly kiss could ruin this alliance if it were discovered it was Benedict I kissed, and nae the laird?"

Yvaine took Evelyn's hand in hers. "I am certain everything will be just fine. But tell me this. What was it like? What did it feel like to kiss him?"

Evelyn had replayed the scene in her mind so many times, she didn't even have to think about the answer. "It was heaven, Yvaine," Evelyn breathed. "That's how it felt. Like I had left this earthly plane and floated to the most wonderful place anyone could imagine."

Evelyn turned to look at her sister, but was surprised to see her looking sad.

"Whatever is the matter?" Evelyn said.

Yvaine shrugged heavily, the sadness clearly affecting her entire person. "I just think that all these sacrifices ye make fer everyone but yersel' will make ye miserable yer whole life."

"It was good enough fer Maither," Evelyn replied gently.

"It was different fer Maither, Evelyn. She and Faither were head over heels in love. Ye are being asked tae give up yer life. What happens if ye did kiss Benedict? What happens if that feeling of heaven ye had, was with a man ye can never be with? What happens then?"

Evelyn didn't know what would happen. She had no answer for her sister. More than that, Yvaine's very valid point had not yet occurred to her. While she was worrying about ruining the alliance, Yvaine worried for Evelyn's heart. Yvaine's questions sat heavily in Evelyn's stomach.

There was a buzz in the great hall when they went down for dinner. Clearly, word of their arrival had spread quickly. At the high table, Laird Gunn stood and pulled her chair out, smiling as he gestured for her to sit in the chair beside his own.

"I trust ye are well rested, me lady," he said kindly, as he pushed the chair into the table once she was seated.

"I am, thank ye, me laird."

"Please, we are tae be married. Call me Audor."

"Then ye must call me Evelyn," she replied.

He nodded. "Very well, Evelyn."

Perhaps, given his kindness and that soft smile, it had been Audor who had kissed her. He was being more than pleasant, though that could just be because they were soon to be husband and wife. It was only when Benedict came and sat on the other side of her that Evelyn began to feel the nerves tightening in her stomach. She, this slight and slender thing, was situated between two huge men, one of which, she had already kissed. But which one?

Her father sat on the far side of the laird, while Yvaine sat beside Benedict, and Killian sat beside her at the end of the table. When everyone was settled, Audor stood and gave a riveting speech about the upcoming alliance between the clans. He told those present how the benefit of having an alliance with such an esteemed laird as her father could only bring greatness to their clan, and that he looked forward to the day he could call Evelyn his wife.

A great cheer and round of applause filled the room when he had finished, and after that, music began as food was served. Audor was in deep conversation with her father, leaving Evelyn feeling a little at a loss as to what she was supposed to do.

"Dae ye like venison, me lady?" Benedict asked, as a plate of dark meat was placed between them. He lifted several slices with a fork, and laid them on her plate. "Here, try it."

Evelyn smiled and thanked him. He then topped up her wine, and offered her the bread bowl.

"How was yer journey? I hear it is many miles from yer faither's castle tae here."

"It is," Evelyn said, trying to distinguish if his interest and kindness was simply him being courteous, or if it was Benedict she had encountered in the Mackay's library. "But we rested overnight, and with me faither's lead, we made it in good time."

"I'm sure there are few places ye venture without yer faither with ye."

It was a strange thing to say, and Evelyn was alerted, but he said nothing more to her after that.

Benedict leaned forward to catch her father's attention. "Are ye looking forward tae yer daughter's wedding, me laird? We have planned a grand affair."

Benedict continued. "Did ye attend the Mackay's wedding, me laird?"

Evelyn held her breath at his words.

Laird Sinclair shook his head. "I am afraid I was unable tae make it. I sent me apologies tae the Mackay's ahead o' time."

Benedict sported a wicked smile, and glancing from Evelyn to Yvaine and back again, he said, "And what o' ye ladies? Did ye attend?"

"Indeed, we didnae," Yvaine said, a bit too quickly. Evelyn winced at her sister's faux pas, and hoped her father had not noticed her obvious lie.

"That is a shame," Benedict replied, looking directly at Evelyn. "I dae think ye would have enjoyed it."

There was a playful teasing in his tone, and his eyes sparkled mischievously. It was him. It had to be him. And yet, Evelyn could still not be certain. How could she truly discover that it had been Benedict in that library?

A moment later, however, she got her answer. Turning away from her, Benedict began speaking to Killian, and twisting his head a little, his hairline moved. Evelyn could hardly breathe, for there on his neck, and directly below his left ear, was a scar. The very same scar she remembered discovering when she had kissed him back so passionately.

Och, me God! What am I tae dae? I kissed the wrong braither.

Before she had a chance to think further, Benedict turned back to her and with a half-smile, he said, "So, dae ye like reading? Would ye like me tae show ye our library after dinner?"

While Evelyn's face flushed bright red, his eyes danced with delight and his smile beamed knowingly at her.

"Ye must excuse me," Evelyn stammered. "I need some air."