He quickly pulled open the door, and she strode out before him, not looking back. Trembling a little, he shut the door and walked after her, wondering what her words had meant.
Why should he know what she wanted? Why should she care if he did know or not? In that moment, it seemed like she was angry at him and not in the usual way he saw daily. There was something deeper, like something she’d held in for a long time. As they entered the main hall, he heard voices, and then with surprise, he saw a young man standing next to the laird.
The blaigeard has come early, I see.
“Och, we have been blessed with a surprise!” Laird MacPherson said, an uncharacteristic smile on his face as he patted the young man on the shoulder. “Ada, come here and meet yer betrothed.” He waved to his daughter.
Blair could see the tension in her back as she walked towards the pair, and Blair’s fists clenched at his sides. He nearly touched the sword on his hip, but he restrained himself. He kept to the side of the hall and watched the interaction.
“Ada, this is Irving, Laird MacIntosh’s son.” Laird MacPherson smiled at his daughter, and Ada curtsied.
“A pleasure tae meet ye, Irving,” she said with a stiff tone.
Blair would have been amused at her sudden good behavior if he wasn’t so angry at the man standing before her. He was tall with blond hair and broad as well. When he smiled at Ada, it was wide and charming, and Blair could tell he was handsome and thought so of himself. No doubt many lasses thought so too.
Shite.
Ada was still shaking a little from her interaction with Blair in her bedroom when the blond, tall man appeared in the hall far earlier than expected. He was handsome, too handsome for his own good. One might even call him perfect. And this is exactly why she hated him.
“It is a great pleasure tae meet ye, Lady Ada. Yer father has told me much about ye, and now that I have seen ye with me own eyes,” he paused and lifted her hand to his lips, “I ken that all those good things are true.”
Ada cleared her throat, a little uneasy at the long look he gave her. But it was to be expected, was it not, that her betrothed should find her attractive? He was certainly good-looking enough but in a very ostentatious way, a way that made it certain he knew it.
He has likely been told many times about it.
His smile was almost smug, and it made her wary of him.
“Ye are very kind, sir,” she said in an uncharacteristically polite tone. If it was not so tense a situation, she could imagine that Blair might laugh at her.
As if he would crack a smile.
“Come now, we shall dine together,” her father said, clapping Irving on the back and leading him to the table. “I have already ordered that a fine meal be served tae celebrate yer arrival.”
Servants brought wine, and Ada sat reluctantly at the table on the other side of her father. It brought her fully into Irving’s line of sight, and occasionally she caught him looking at her. Each time she did, he smiled with his perfect white teeth.
“Yer father wrote that he was too busy tae make the journey, lad,” her father said as the first wine was poured.
“Aye, he thought it best I go alone, for there are a few land disputes goin’ on at the moment amongst the farmers, many borderline discussions.”
“I see.” Graeme nodded. “Well, it is a disappointment that ye cannae be there tae assist. For that will certainly prepare ye for takin’ over the lairdship when yer father passes.”
“Ye are quite right, Laird MacPherson. But dinnae worry. Me father is preparin’ me now that I am old enough. He has been illfrom time tae time of late, and so he has been worried that he will pass before his time.”
“I am sorry tae hear that,” her father said, and Ada merely took another long sip of wine.
If her betrothed was going to be laird soon, that meant she would soon be a lady, a lady of a clan and a castle. The idea was attractive, if not also frightening, because it meant that finally, perhaps, she might have some freedom over her daily choices.
And maybe father will start tae see me more as a grown woman and nae a child he likes tae imprison. Nae that it will matter, since I’ll be gone in MacIntosh Castle.
“What dae ye think about it all, Lady Ada? Will ye mind livin’ a few hours away from yer family?” Irving asked.
She looked up from her plate of food and glanced at him. It felt odd that he should speak so assuredly about the marriage, and he did not seem fazed that she had not been asked for her opinion on whether the marriage should take place. Instead, two men had made the decisions about her life, and she had simply been told that it was going to happen.Men are such an arrogant tribe.
“Nay, I should nae mind,” she said with a quick look at her father.
In fact, the farther the better, although she knew it would be hard to be so far away from Ella.
“That’s good. I would nae like tae get married and then find out that me bride is so unhappy that she is far away from her family.” Irving started to laugh, as did her father, and Ada frowned, looking over to Blair out of habit.
