She nodded. “If I see ye alone, I will return to where I was. I hope ye’ll do the same for me.”
“I shall,” he murmured, but he knew he’d seek her out whenever possible. He was drawn to her in a way he never had with another woman.
Ailis allowed herself one last glance back, letting distance grow while dreaming of what could be between them.
She returned to the festivities, where Moira was watching for her. “Where did ye go?”
“I was in the courtyard. I needed some time alone without all the noise,” Ailis answered, not willing to admit the full truth.
Moira’s expression told Ailis that she didn’t believe her, but Moira said nothing.
“I think we should move the two clan tartans closer on the wall,” Ailis suggested, not wanting to continue to deceive her sister.
Moira nodded. “They are too far apart to indicate two clans joining together. It won’t be a complete merge of the two, but many will see it that way.”
“We’ll see to it after everyone has retired for the night.”
*
As the celebrationcontinued, Ailis found herself with Lachlan yet again. Shadows danced across their faces in the torch-lit grand hall, reflecting her uncertainty. They stood apart, but the space between them hummed with unspoken words.
“Ye seem troubled, Ailis,” Lachlan remarked, gently breaking the silence.
Ailis hesitated for a moment. “Just thinking about the wedding tomorrow.”
“I’m certain me brother and yer sister will be very happy together,” he said.
“I hope so. They went through a lot to get to the point where Father would allow them to marry,” she replied.
He nodded. “I’ll be staying on for a while as Alisdair learns more about yer clan.”
Ailis worried her heart would betray her feelings for him, so she nodded. “We enjoy having ye here,” she replied formally. She wondered if her heart could take seeing him so often, unable to truly express her feelings.
Lachlan watched her for a moment before finally walking away. He’d hoped she would express happiness at the thought of him staying longer, but she’d disappointed him.
Much later, Ailis stood watching Lachlan as he moved through the crowd.
“Ye are contemplative this eve,” observed Lachlan, his presence commanding and comforting.
“Merely gathering me thoughts,” she replied evenly. “Fiona looks so happy.”
“As does Alisdair. I’m pleased they’ve found one another. The alliance is exactly what Clan McClain needed.” He didn’t say it, but they both knew the McAfees needed the alliance a great deal more than the McClains.
“And Clan McAfee,” Ailis added. “I worry the unrest we’ve seen will not end with this wedding, though I hope it does.”
“We cannot know unless we ask those who are leading the unrest, and they seem to be hiding their actions from our view.”
“Like cowards.”
“Aye,” he grumbled. “They are very cowardly. Merely thinking to kidnap a woman makes them cowards. And they carried it out.”
“Do ye believe Fiona’s kidnapping is connected to the men who keep attacking in unmarked plaids?”
He nodded. “I believe so, as do me brothers. But there is no proof. We cannot accuse without proof and still have peace.”
*
On the terrace,Ailis and Lachlan stood, unaware of the cloaked figure watching them from the shadows. He coldly whispered to himself, “Marriage between the McAfee sisters and the McClain men cannae be permitted.”
The figure knew their union would jeopardize his ambitions of uniting all the Highlands under one ruler—him. Control over the clans was essential, and he’d do whatever was necessary to fulfill his goal. They’d already thwarted his plans when Fiona married Alisdair. The same could not be allowed for the remaining sisters.
“Love can be a powerful weapon when wielded correctly,” he mused.
He observed the couple with a sinister smile. He would wait for the perfect moment to strike, sowing doubt and discord among them. For now, he must have patience.
He watched as Lachlan uttered something that made Ailis howl.
They didn’t know it yet, but the man in the shadows plotted against them—against them falling in love, and against the world as they knew it.
