Chapter 18

18

Daniel stared out his window at the garden below. He watched his daughter run through the rows of flowers, but as he caught sight of Lana, an unthinkable rage overtook him.

Since their little detour the previous day, he couldn't stop thinking of her talk of taking a lover. The idea of another man touching what belonged to him made his hands itch to grab his sword. He wanted to kill the hypothetical man she dreamed of.

"Daenae look so gloomy," Cameron said, joining him at the window. "Ye should be happy yer daughter likes yer wife. Nay evil stepmaither to worry about."

"Aye," Daniel uttered, his voice far too dark and angry.

He had no idea why he had agreed to her idea. His only explanation was his own stubbornness. That, and a refusal to acknowledge that he was starting to care for the woman. He had planned to set her straight once they arrived home, tell her in no uncertain terms that he would be the only man to ever touch her, but there hadn't been time.

When Lana and Daniel returned to the castle, they found that her siblings and their children had all arrived in their absence. Daniel had spent the entirety of dinner trying to remember all of their names as Lana bounced from seat to seat, connecting with every one of them. He was struck by how comfortable she was with her family and how much joy it brought her to have them under one roof.

Perhaps this is what happens when ye grow up with love.

But Daniel didn't have time to dwell on that thought. His castle became a cacophony of noise and activity as her family jumped into the wedding preparations. Her sister, Ciara, and sister-in-law, Olivia, chatted with her long into the night about decorations and color palettes. Meanwhile, the men spent the evening sizing Daniel up and making veiled threats if he were ever to hurt her. As for Cameron, he tried to out-drink all of them, only making a fool of himself in the process.

"I'm nae sure how ye are standing this morning," Daniel mused, glancing at his brother. "Are ye feeling alright?"

"A bit of a headache." Cameron smirked. "But nothin' a drink willnae fix."

Cameron walked over to the seating area of the chambers and helped himself to his brother's whiskey. Skye's kitten was at his feet, gently swatting at a piece of string he held out.

"Do ye want one?" he asked.

"Nay," Daniel said, watching the kitten flip onto her back. "Believe it or nae, it's too early. Even for me."

Cameron made his way to his brother's side, and the kitten bounded after him.

"When did ye become the cat sitter?" Daniel asked. "Shouldnae that animal be in the barn?"

"Her name is Rosebud," Cameron corrected, as if the kitten were royalty. "And we'll thank ye to address her as such. Skye asked me to watch her while she showed Lana the gardens."

Daniel rolled his eye at his brother as he stepped back to the window. He glanced outside to see Lana and Skye picking flowers from the garden. Lana chose white rose buds while Skye held a beautiful bouquet of blue flowers.

"They're picking those to wear later at the wedding," Daniel observed.

Once again, he noted the smile across his daughter's face and the admiring look she gave to Lana as they bent over the plants.

"Smart girls," Cameron said as he rejoined him.

What should have been a comforting image only made dread curl in Daniel's gut as he watched them. He couldn't shake the sense of doom that had settled over him.

"Are ye alright?" Cameron asked, sipping his drink with a satisfied smack of his lips. "I ken ye daenae like strangers in the castle, but ye're about to have a lot more of them. Are ye sure ye're ready for this wedding?"

"It's nae that," Daniel sighed.

"Then what? Daenae tell me ye're nervous about yer wedding night?"

"Enough, Cam." Daniel wasn't in the mood for his brother's teasing. "For once in yer life, can ye please try to be serious about something?"

He stormed away from the window before dropping down into a chair. He stared into the empty fireplace, wondering if he should have taken Cameron up on that drink, after all.

"Sorry, Dan," Cameron said as he crossed to his brother. "Sometimes I daenae ken when to hold me tongue. What's botherin' ye?"

He sat down and waited for Daniel to speak.

Daniel heaved out a loud sigh. "It's what happened in the tavern. The fight with Clan Cullen."

"Aye," Cameron said. "I've been thinking about that too."

Ever since setting eyes on Alexander, Daniel had been thinking about that fateful night. He found himself running through all his interactions with Flynn MacDonald, obsessing over every word shared and every scowl on the man's angry, flushed face.

"Do ye think I should warn Alexander?" he asked.

Cameron gave him a surprised look, as if the thought had never occurred to him. "Alexander?" he echoed. "What does he have to do with it?"

"Laird Cullen is angry with me for embarrassing him at that wedding," Daniel explained. "It may be that he's also upset with Alexander. And, for that matter, Lana."

The sense of dread he had been pushing down all morning suddenly rose, threatening to overwhelm him. He had spent the night lying awake, worried that someone might want to hurt Lana, and it was even worse to imagine this in the light of day.

"Is that what ye are worried about?" Cameron asked. He shook his head, brushing aside his brother's concern. "Nay one is coming to hurt her. We just ran into some angry old men desperate to earn their Laird's approval."

Daniel glanced up, wanting to believe him, but his gut was telling him something was wrong.

"Come on, Dan," Cameron said, trying to reassure him. "Those men were a bunch of harmless drunkards. They couldnae hurt a fly. I had to hold ye back just to keep ye from killing every one of them."

"Ye were the one who said I've been lazy in me relations with the neighboring clans. What if ye are right and more of them are unhappy?"

Cameron rested his hand on his brother's shoulder. "I dinnae mean ye should rush out today to try to fix this. Our clan is strong, and ye have council members who have taken pains to maintain relationships with our neighbors. Please, daenae worry."

"Very well," Daniel said.

He tried to trust his brother's words. He wanted to believe that the incident in the tavern was nothing more than old men claiming their territory. But what if it was something more?

"Come on," Cameron urged. He slapped his brother on the shoulder before standing up and returning to refill his drink. "Ye have a wedding tomorrow. Let's talk about that."

But the subject of the impending marriage didn't lift Daniel's spirits. It only made him think of the conversation he had with Lana before arriving home yesterday. When she had told him she would rather take a lover than lie with him.

He looked up at his brother, who was putting the cork back into the bottle of whiskey. "Pour me one of those, would ye?"

"This doesnae feel real," Lana said as she stood in her wedding dress, with Olivia, Ciara, and her mother surrounding her.

"But it is," Olivia assured her, grasping her hands. "I always kenned ye would have a lovely wedding."

"Thank God the weather cooperated," Ciara said, glancing out one of Lana's tall windows.

It was a non-traditional choice to hold the wedding outside rather than in the great hall of the castle, but Lana had insisted on it. If she couldn't marry for love, then she could at least have the wedding of her dreams. And the wedding she had always dreamed of took place out in the open, with the sun welcoming her and her husband into their new life.

Daniel hadn't fought her on it. In fact, he left every wedding decision up to her, only balking when she announced she wanted a meatless menu. In the end, he had convinced her that some meat and fish options were important for the guests who were expecting extravagance. Luckily, Lana had worked with Mary to avoid any recipes with rabbit.

"Are ye ready?" Moira asked, tucking a tendril of hair behind her daughter's ear.

Lana didn't know how to answer the question. She was a contradiction of feelings today, filled with a deep sadness that her wedding day was very different from what she had anticipated. But every time she started to feel gloomy, she saw Daniel's face in her mind's eye and heard Skye's laughter in her ears. She even thought of Cameron and the way he would pull faces at her at the dinner table to mock Daniel whenever he got too grumpy.

Lana wasn't just marrying Daniel today, she was joining his family, and that made everything feel more important. It may not be romantic love, but there was something there. A deep care that could, with the right watering, blossom into love.

"I'm ready," Lana declared, checking her dress in the mirror for the final time.

From the window, they had watched the guests arriving, and a quick glance outside showed her that nearly every seat was full.

"I'll take yer maither downstairs," Olivia said. She gave Lana a final hug before Moira did the same.

"I'm so proud of ye," Moira cooed.

Lana felt tears prick her eyes as she hugged her mother tight. "I wish Faither could be here," she whispered.

Moira's eyes grew glassy at the mention of her late husband.

Olivia offered her mother-in-law her arm, and then the two women left, leaving Ciara and Lana alone in her chambers.

"It's time," Ciara said, holding out her arm to her sister.

Lana took her arm with a sniff, forcing away the sadness that came from thinking of her father.

"What do ye think?" Ciara asked as she guided her down the stairs toward the courtyard. "Will Daniel be a good match for ye?"

Lana was reminded of her first conversations with Olivia and Ciara on the very night she first met Daniel Clark, Laird of Clan MacCrawford. Ciara had reminded Lana of her marriage to Magnus, a man she had never expected to fall in love with. It was her proof to her younger sister that love didn't have to mean love at first sight the way Lana had always imagined it.

"I havenae decided yet," Lana answered, which was as close to the truth as she was ready to give.

Ciara nodded at her sister and squeezed her arm. "Ye ken yer family is always here for ye," she reminded her.

Just then, they stepped into the outer courtyard, where Alexander stood, ready to greet them. He beamed at the sight of Lana dressed in beautiful blue, with a crown of white roses on her head.

"Sister." He smiled, taking her arm from Ciara. "How beautiful ye are."

Lana blushed at his compliment, and Ciara left them to find her seat beside Olivia.

Lana's stomach fluttered with nerves as she caught sight of everyone seated in the courtyard, waiting for her.

"Are ye alright?" Alexander asked. Lana was surprised by the sincerity of his question and the serious look on his face. "I daenae wish to force ye into a marriage ye daenae want."

Lana could only look at him, shocked by his words. First Daniel was giving her permission to take a lover, and now Alexander was asking if she wanted to cancel the wedding. When had the world turned upside down?

"I shouldnae have pushed ye," Alexander continued, sensing her confusion. "I was thinking of our clan and the benefits of joining with Daniel. It was wrong of me. I should have been thinking of me sister."

His kind words brought tears to her eyes, and she hugged him tight.

"I ken ye want what's best for me," Lana assured him. "It's just sometimes ye get a little distracted."

She smirked, waiting to see how he would respond, but he took the jab gracefully. He smiled and gave a knowing nod.

"But I daenae want to get out of this wedding." Lana was surprised by the confidence in her voice. "Daniel is… complicated. But he needs someone to look after his daughter. And I want that to be me."

Alexander took her hands in his own and bent down to meet her eyes. "As long as ye are sure," he said.

Lana nodded. A weight lifted from her shoulders as she realized how confident she was about this wedding.

"It isnae the love I thought it would be," Lana murmured, catching sight of Skye through one of the archways of the outer corridor. The girl was squirming in her chair, constantly checking over her shoulder for Lana's arrival. "But it might be even more important."

Alexander squeezed Lana's hands and kissed her on the cheek. Then he turned and held out his arm. Lana took it and walked confidently toward her future.

Daniel was waiting for her, a dashing figure in his clan colors. The sight of him took her breath away, surprising her with a surge of pride and readiness she had not expected.

His eye locked on hers, and for a moment, it was just the two of them. She caught the hint of a smile on his lips, and she walked faster as her heart fluttered with excitement.