Chapter 3

The Perils Of Marriage

Ragnall was becoming more and more irritated. He stood by the coach, waiting for his new wife. He had instructed her to say goodbye to her sisters, and she had done that at the chapel, but she felt the need to do it all over again at the carriage.

He rolled his eyes as they hugged again, individually and then as a group. Just when his wife was almost out of their grasp, one of the girls said something, and there was another outpouring of emotions. He could have gone over and put an end to it all, but she had accepted they were to leave immediately, so he could not grudge her a few more minutes.

Ragnall walked to the coach behind him, where Craig Stewart was waiting. Craig was one of his closest advisors, and he had traveled down with him for the wedding. Craig was a man who did not get what he wanted by force—he picked up information through whispers, bribes, and subtle threats. Ragnall’s man-at-arms, Eric Thompson, was the type of man who used force, and he had been left to guard the castle in Ragnall’s absence.

It is wise to have both types of men at yer disposal.

“Did ye get the lay of the land?” Ragnall asked.

“Aye, I believe I did,” Craig replied. “Most of it confirms what we already kenned about Clan Gallacher. They have very little fightin’ in their history, and we have never been at war with them in the past. While the clan is poor, there is a lot of potential. As long as Laird Gallacher does not squander more money, this castle can thrive. With some guidance, of course. Ye were wise to pick a woman from this clan. Nay one will think ye are makin’ any sort of power grab. Ye are as powerful without them as ye are with them. Still, if peaceful times turn to war, there will be a few clan members who will join our ranks, and the castle does have good fortifications.”

“Thank ye, Craig,” Ragnall said.

There had been too much betrayal and death in the past not to safeguard the future against the same thing happening. It had not taken much for peaceful times to turn to bloody war before.

Ragnall looked back at Laird Gallacher’s daughters, and he did not see his wife. He walked back to his coach and found her inside, waiting for him.

“I thought we were never goin’ to leave,” Holly said.

Ragnall found her irritating, but he could not deny there was some humor in what she had done. He did not show that—there were many ways to show weakness, and he had to avoid them all. He climbed into the coach, sat opposite his wife and then gave the order to the driver.

Holly leaned out the window, waving to her sisters for as long as she could

”Goodbye, me dears,” she said to them, her voice getting louder the father they got.

She pulled herself back inside and slumped into her seat. There was a sad smile on her face, but it disappeared when she glanced at her husband. She looked down at her feet and remained silent.

”I daenae ken when I will see them again,” Holly muttered.

Ragnall was silent.

He needed to instill fear in his enemies, but he did not need to instill fear in his wife. Still, he had noticed the way she had looked at him the first time she had seen his face. It was not only the first time either. She had been caught by surprise a few times.

That did not matter. She was a beautiful enough woman, and she would give him an heir. The more heirs, the better.

”Aye, and a marriage is all about compromise,” Ragnall told her.

Holly remained silent as they traveled from Gallacher Castle. If they did not stop very often, they could make it to MacPherson Castle by nightfall.

The farther they traveled, the sadder she looked, and she seemed unable to sit still. She fidgeted constantly. It did not irritate him, so he did not comment on it. There were far bigger problems in his life.

Ragnall had given Laird Gallacher ample compensation for his eldest daughter’s hand—enough to provide dowries for his other four daughters, pay off his existing debts, and a little extra for the wedding. He was glad to hear his advisor’s report. Everything in his life had to be strategic and calculated.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel he had been too hasty in leaving right after the wedding. From what he had seen, Laird Gallacher had not spent much on the wedding. The dress was obviously not new, and the embroidery had been added to make it passable. He only hoped the money had been spent on food and drink for Clan Gallaher to celebrate the union.

He looked at Holly again.

”Ye are a fine woman, and ye will make a fine wife,” he said for a lack of anything better to say. He did not want her to feel uncomfortable.

”Me Faither obviously doesnae think I’m a fine woman, and it remains to be seen if I will make a fine wife,” she replied.

”As long as ye cause nay trouble, ye will be fine,” Ragnall told her.

”And it remains to be seen if I will cause any trouble,” she threw back.

”I do prefer me women feisty,” the Laird said.

That silenced his new wife.

The dress might not be anything special, but what was below was. He knew nothing about her when he had made the deal other than that she was of marriageable age. He had been pleasantly surprised that Laird Gallacher had sired such a fine woman. She must have gotten her beauty from her late mother.

Holly caught him staring at her, but then she quickly looked away. Ragnall did not like that he had been caught looking at her, but he was not ashamed of it. To prove his point, he looked at her some more.

She was short, but what she lacked in height she made up for in curves. There would be time for his hands to explore them once she had time to come to terms with the man she had married. The point was to produce an heir, but he did not need to terrify her. The scars on his face were only the tip of the iceberg, and it was better if she came to terms with his face before she saw the rest of his body.

Ragnall, however, did not need time to come to terms with anything. Holly had soft, smooth skin like freshly poured cream, and her curls shone like golden hay in midsummer. Her green eyes were brighter than the green foothills in the Highlands. He had half a mind to prove to her he was the beast she saw and rip her dress off her.

It is only the two of us, and we have a long ride ahead of us.

Holly caught him staring again, and it irritated her. She folded her arms across her chest as if he might see through her dress.

Ragnall chuckled.

“When can me sisters visit?” she asked, not looking at him.

Ragnall raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Me sisters,” Holly repeated witheringly. “Will I ever get to see them again?”

“Ye’re nae me prisoner,” Ragnall stated.

“Am I nae?” Holly asked.

Ragnall chuckled again, this time through his nose. He did not know the woman at all, but he was amused by her feistiness. “Who do ye think I am?”

“Ye tell me,” Holly fired back.

She might have been amusing in her defiance, but Ragnall had no time for petty squabbles. He took the higher moral ground and did not respond.

Holly was quiet for a while before she spoke again. “It’s only that I had to leave very quickly, and I didnae get to see much of them. I saw them very little on me weddin’ day, and I worry I will never see them again. Ye are a recluse, and I dinnae wish to be one also.”

“Where did ye hear that I’m a recluse?” the Laird scoffed.

“Are ye nae?

“Nay,” Ragnall replied.

That quietened Holly for a moment, but not for long. “Well, when can they come and visit me?”

“I dinnae like people in me castle,” Ragnall told her.

“Then when can I go back and visit them?” Holly asked.

“I dinnae ken. If ye go back soon, they’ll think that I’m treatin’ ye harshly.”

“What care do ye have about yer reputation? So, that’s it? Ye mean to keep me as yer prisoner.”

“Och, for goodness sake!” Ragnall boomed. “Have ye been listenin’ to a word I’ve been sayin’? I never once said ye were me prisoner, and I only said I didnae want ye to go back soon. I didnae say ye couldnae go back, did I? Do ye need to argue about everythin’? Give it a wee bit of time, and ye can see yer sisters again. Now, are ye goin’ to hold yer wheesht, or should I put ye in another carriage?”

“I was only askin’,” Holly muttered, looking ashamed.

Ragnall didn’t mind being challenged, but he hated arguments about nothing, especially when the person he argued with didn’t listen to a word he was saying. His only wish at that moment was for Holly to be challenging without the pettiness.

She sat opposite him, her arms folded even tighter than before and a scowl on her face.

He had not thought about his wedding day until the meeting with Laird Gallacher. He had not thought much about it since then but had not expected it to be like this.

“What things of mine did ye have them pack?” Holly asked.

Ragnall was surprised when she spoke again. After he had warned her, he had expected her to remain silent for the rest of the trip. Yet, there she was, sitting opposite him, wearing the look of defiance that he had become familiar with in the short time he had known her.

“I told yer maids to pack what ye might need. I dinnae ken what they packed.”

Holly shook her head. “I hope they packed me summer dresses. The days are becomin’ warm.”

“Och, if ye dinnae have enough summer dresses, I can buy ye more.”

“Why spend needlessly when I have perfectly good dresses to wear?” Holly asked. “I ken what ye did for me faither, but do ye nae ken how he got into this mess? Spendin’ money when ye dinnae need to isnae how ye look after yer clan.”

“Aye, aye,” Ragnall said.

“I ken why ye married me, but that doesnae mean I am nae part of yer clan now. Yer clan will see me as yer wife, and if I run around with a new dress every day, how does that make me look? As yer wife, I will support ye, of course, but me support goes to the clan, too.”

“Alright, enough,” Ragnall sighed. “I’ll buy ye dresses, or I’ll nae buy ye dresses. Can ye just give me a minute to think?”

“Aye, I will give ye a minute to think, but I deserve to ken what me new life will look like. I have ample skills, I’ll have ye ken. I have looked after me four sisters, and now I’m helpin’ me entire clan by marryin’ ye. I willnae sit still. I aim to help yer clan in any way I can. It is me clan now, too.”

“When we get to the castle, ye will learn everythin’ from the housekeeper, Nay, scratch that. Ye will likely hear from the cook. I still dinnae ken how she kens more about the castle and the clan than anyone else.” And about me! “Now, I have to think about other matters. Ye’ll have whatever ye need when we get to the castle. For now, I would appreciate the silence.”

Thankfully, Holly did not speak again. Ragnall really did have bigger things to think about, mainly the whereabouts of Fraser. A scouting party had been sent recently down to the border, but he had not been found. Ragnall didn’t know if Fraser was biding his time, waiting for a chance to come at him, or if he was amassing men behind the scenes for a full-out attack.

Ragnall didn’t only have himself to worry about. Now that he had taken a wife, she would be in danger, too. He needed to catch Fraser soon because he would have a child the next year. He could not think about a child of his having a target on their head. As long as Fraser was around, everyone close to him would be a target.

“How long until we reach the castle?” Holly inquired.

Ragnall shouldn’t have let the question get him so riled up, but he had asked for quiet, and she had not given him that. Then, there were thoughts of Fraser swirling in his head, and Holly managed to do something to him that no one else could do.

He lunged forward, quickly covering the short distance between them, then cupped her cheeks. Her skin was warm and soft, and he felt her trembling in his grasp.

“I dinnae have any answers for ye,” he boomed.

He looked her in the eye, getting lost in the emerald hue, and the way she looked back at him with more than just fear was impressive. She glanced at his scars as if to further antagonize him. It was then that the question fully registered.

“Alright, maybe I do ken the answer to that question, but I asked ye nae to bother me.” Ragnall pushed his face closer to hers. “So, will ye please stop askin’ me questions?”

Holly held his gaze, breathing heavily. “Or else what?”

Ragnall wanted to laugh at her response. He had her in his grip, able to do what he wanted to her, alone in the carriage together, and she still rose to the challenge. If she were a man, she would make the finest soldier on the battlefield.

Her eyes echoed the response. Or else what?

He had come this close, and she was daring him to go a little further. She wanted him to kiss her to prove she was not afraid of him, even if it were obvious she was terrified. She wanted him to think the scars did not bother her, when they bothered everyone who looked at him. She wanted him to kiss her so she could take control of the situation. If he kissed her, she could claim she made it happen.

Still, it would shut her up once and for all, if only for as long as the kiss lasted. There was also the fact that he really wanted to kiss her. He had not kissed a woman in over a decade, and he had not expected that urge to sneak up on him like this.

He could see her chest rising and falling, and he wanted her more. He did not care if she claimed anything—he would always be the one in control, and he could do as he pleased. If he wanted to kiss his wife, he would kiss her.

Ragnall held her chin, not allowing her to advance. She did not try to move back either. He made the advance, leaning toward her to kiss her. Her fragrance filled his nostrils—hints of bergamot and lavender. She was one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen.

Their faces were an inch apart, and he could feel her warm breath on his lips. She wanted the kiss as much as he did, and he did not care whether that was because of fear or anything else.

His lips touched hers, and a long whistling sound filled his ears. He might have realized what it was if he had been paying more attention, but Holly had him under her spell. A swish followed soon after, and then a soft thunk!

Ragnall immediately grabbed his wife and threw her down on the seat, covering her with his body. He didn’t have time to feel the pain as the arrow speared his arm.