Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

K endrick could feel her fear. The cracking of her voice when she talked broke his heart. He cared for her. It was never his intention to see her that way. Brittle and broken.

By him.

He hated that she would even suggest that he would marry her off to Reed. The very memory of seeing them close, together in the stables, made him feel like he was going mad. Maybe he was mad for wanting his betrothed's sister—but she was his friend first .

When he had run after her and spun her, her back now facing the wall, he had no idea what he was setting himself up for. He could not resist her. She was so warm, so still beneath him. Her skin… he wanted to worship it. Her large dark eyes… he never wanted to stop looking into them.

Her lips were petalled, plump, and moist. His mouth watered at the sight of it. God help him, he could not hold himself back. Her beauty was too hard to resist.

He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

He settled against her mouth cautiously at first, then backed away to get her permission. Their lips brushed again, this time with more force as she drew him in. The taste of her was like heaven.

He had repressed all his desire for her. He had nothing but passionate desire for her. And so he had become a shell. He was overcome by every affection he had tried to suppress. She clung to him fiercely after he slid his hand around her waist, moaning quietly against his mouth.

And then, something clattered against the floor.

"Milaird…?"

It was Angus' voice… and Lorena was beside him.

Kendrick swiftly let go of Sophia, realizing what he had done.

"Father!" Sophia exclaimed, and she clapped her hand over her mouth. "Lorena?"

Kendrick turned to face Angus, recoiling. What did I just do? A battleground would have been easier to navigate. Having his betrothed and her father witness a kiss with Sophia was worse . Like a nightmare he couldn't wake from.

"Angus," Kendrick managed to utter. "Lorena."

"Father, Lorena, I can explain. It is nae what ye think at all—"

"It is exactly what I saw, bairn," Angus interjected sternly. "Yer sister is betrothed to the Laird and…"

"Nae, Father! It was a mistake," Sophia cried.

Kendrick could feel shame wreath around him. He was no coward to hide behind a lass. He never thought he would feel sorry if he ever kissed Sophia. Yet, he did. "I assure ye Angus, it is nae so."

"If I would dare, milaird," Angus said. "I would like an explanation."

"Sophia is nae to be blamed," Kendrick explained. "It is entirely my fault."

Sophia caught Kendrick's attention. She was trembling and her gaze was fixed on the ground.

"I will pay whatever price, Angus," Kendrick protested. "I will nae allow her to be ruined."

"I am only returned with yer horse, milaird," Angus stated absently. "This I did not expect," he paused. "Ye need to marry her."

Kendrick was struck by the words—like a tree by lightning. "But I cannae marry Sophia. I am promised to yer Lorena," he added.

"Our engagement is broken as of today," Lorena interjected. "I cannae marry ye, milaird, nae anymore."

"Ye will have to marry Sophia instead." Angus was almost pleading.

Sophia had still not uttered a word. The way she moved her head suggested she was trying to avoid everyone's eyes.

Angus was right , Kendrick said within himself. He created the problem. He had compromised his daughter. He had not been strong enough to hold himself back. He could not allow Sophia to be shamed alone for his misdeed. He had too much affection for her to allow her to endure such ruin.

"I will marry her," Kendrick blurted out. "I will make Sophia my wife."

"Ye've made a wise decision, milaird," Angus mumbled. He lowered his head. "I will take my leave. I must… we must—"

Lorena chimed in. "We must leave and begin preparations. I shall depart with my father, milaird."

Kendrick gave an approving nod.

"Are ye nae coming along, Sophia?" Angus asked. She did not respond. Although she was present, her mind seemed to be elsewhere entirely. Angus took her hand, which caused her to startle. She did not resist. She followed him silently out of the keep.

Kendrick clenched his fists until his knuckles were white. He was paying his debt to the heavens. There was no other explanation. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so cruel with him. The one thing he feared most—and now, it was a reality.

He thought about how happy it would have made him to have Sophia as his wife if circumstances had been different. Of course, nothing had changed, and he couldn't tolerate the idea that by marrying her, he risked harming her. He sagged out of the hallway to his chambers.

Reed was seated in the corner of his chambers when Kendrick awoke, though he had no memory of dozing off. He sighed as he opened his eyes.

"Awake now, milaird?" Reed asked, still sitting on his chair, adjusting his own kilt.

Kendrick arced up from his bed. "Aye… when did ye get in here?"

"Ach, ‘tis been a while," Reed replied. "Yesterday, at the stable..."

Of course. Reed had seen him at the stable the evening before and then he had embraced Sophia.

"I need to speak first. I am recently betrothed," he announced.

Reed gave him a confused look. "Ye've been promised to a lassie for three days now, my friend."

"Nae, that is nae what I meant," Kendrick corrected and cleared his throat. "I promised myself to Sophia yestereve."

Reed remained motionless. He blinked. He , who was never short on conversation, was silent. Kendrick remembered his friend's fondness for Sophia. His Sophia .

"Perchance, milaird… is this yer own way o' joking?" Reed laughed incredulously. "If it is, then this is a funny jape, I must say."

Kendrick pushed himself up from the bed, and Reed stood from his chair.

His laughing stopped. "Ye aren't toying with me, MacNeil?"

Kendrick was about to open his mouth when Logan pushed the door open and made his way into the chamber, staring at them both. "What's with the way ye both are standing? Like two gossiping lassies!"

"Ach, ‘tis yer boy. He is playing with me. Can ye believe it, Logan?" Reed cried like a rooster. "Yer nephew expects me to believe that he is betrothed to Sophia!"

Logan turned to Kendrick. "Is it true?"

"Aye, it is…" Kendrick lowered himself on the chair Reed had previously occupied. "Her father made the match yesterday."

"Lad, yer betrothed to her sister…" Logan shook his head.

"Nae anymore," Kendrick replied. "My betrothal to Lorena has been… dissolved."

"How did it happen?" Reed said. "Why did ye nae say anything before asking for her hand?"

Kendrick wished they'd leave him alone, but he knew his anger was misdirected. He couldn't really blame Reed for his own actions. He shouldn't have stopped Sophia in the corridor. He should not have pursued her after that. And he should not have kissed her. "It was…unplanned. Something happened."

"Did ye, mayhap… compromise the lass?" Logan suggested.

Kendrick decided he would not acknowledge the question, not if it meant casting Sophia in a bad light.

"Yer silence is rather suspicious, milaird," Logan commented.

"I dinnae have to explain myself, Uncle." Kendrick crossed his arms over his chest. "Ye should go. Ye too Reed. I would like to be alone."

"Alone ye shall be," Logan agreed, "But ye have a council in two hours. Laird Munro is still considering the plan o' attacking the Mackenzies. He will be there with the rest."

"I ken he would," Kendrick huffed.

"It appears yer warning was nae enough to keep him from attacking."

"I saw him visit yer study yesterday," Reed added. "Did he nae come to accept yer proposal on the matter of shared land?"

"He did nae ," Logan said. "He suggested we attack the MacNeil clan and forcefully take their lands. Their harvests too."

"Ach, bastard!" Reed exclaimed.

"If that is all," Kendrick began bitterly, "I shall join ye at the meeting."

"Very well," Logan said. "Come, Reed. Let us away."

In little time at all, Kendrick was waiting for the council to enter the great hall. He had too much on his mind and was pacing around; the potential betrayal of Munro, and God help him, his union with Sophia.

The elder councilmen showed up quickly. Logan also arrived on schedule. They greeted Kendrick and soon got to work on finding a solution to their issue of harvest.

Logan came to a stand beside Kendrick at the head of the table. "Our Laird has called for this meeting, as Laird Munro has decided he will not agree with using the borderlands for our next sow. Furthermore, ye should know he is also determined to attack the Mackenzie clan so he can use their lands for a prompter, bloody harvest."

"How did ye find out about this?" one of the men in the council asked.

"He paid the Laird a visit. He also sent a letter this morning," Logan unfolded a white envelope.

"What does it say?" the man asked again.

" To Laird MacNeil ," Logan read out, " My men are ready to hunt. I am giving ye a final chance to form an alliance with us in this attack. As promised, we shall divide everything we seize between our clans. If ye turn this down, the friendship that has lasted between us for years and generations will come to an end ."

The men whispered amongst themselves, and one of them then addressed Kendrick. "What action shall we take, milaird?"

"We shall nae give into Munro's threats. If it is war he wants, then we shall give him war. For the harvest, we will seek another, peaceful solution. Nae blood will be shed."

"What about the Mackenzie clan? Do we interfere?" Logan inquired.

"Aye, we will interfere. Send a letter to their chief. Tell him that I require a meeting with him," Kendrick replied.

"It is dangerous, milaird," one of the councilmen spoke. "Laird Munro will nae let it slide—we should nae interfere with another clan's problems."

"They're nae just another clan," Kendrick retorted. "They're allies. Allies that stood by my grandfather when he battled against clan Munro. It is time to repay our debts."

"If I may," the old man replied, "It might be better if yer uncle goes to the Mackenzies in yer place."

"Why should I sit in my keep while my uncle attends such important matters alone?"

"Milaird," another of the councilmen interjected, "Ye've nae heir. If something goes wrong, the clan will be thrown into chaos. I understand yer reasoning," the man insisted, "But ye must see that putting yerself in harm's way will be of no benefit to us all."

"Besides sending my uncle, do ye have any other suggestions?"

"Nae, milaird," the man said.

"Tis settled then. Make sure to send the message today."

After a moment of silence, the eldest of the councilmen cleared his throat. "If I may, milaird, yer yet to tell us yer progress on securing a wife."

"Put yer worry to rest," Kendrick muttered. "I've decided on a lass to marry. We are to be wed anon."

"Who is the lass that has captured yer heart, milaird?" the councilman asked.

"Sophia Gibson, daughter of Angus Gibson."

The old man nodded his head, and all the councilmen did the same. Cheerful smiles colored their faces when the council was dismissed, and they left the room.

Kendrick had been on his way to his chamber when he met Sophia by the door. If things were not so fraught between them, he might have thought she was waiting for him. She was wearing his colors, and her hair had been braided down her back.

The cursed woman knew how to make his heart flutter effortlessly.

"Milaird." She smoothed down her gown. "I've been waiting for ye."

Kendrick reminded himself not to smile, not to show any feeling. He had to learn to manage his affection for her if they were to be married. "Why were ye waiting?"

"Ye looked rather… disagreeing last night, milaird," she replied. "I came to check if ye were alright."

"I am." He wanted to ask her the same question, but he pressed past her instead.

"Milaird." Her voice was faint. "I happened to have overheard yer discourse in the great hall. If I may, I would suggest ye listen to yer council."

"Yer a mere lass." Kendrick knew she only wanted him safe, but he didn't want her involving herself in such dangerous affairs. "Leave the men to the running of their clans."

"Is it not to be my clan, soon?" She grinned. "It concerns me if it involves ye, I believe."

"Why so?"

Sophia reached a hand for his own.

"Ye ken the reason why."