“I kenned I had to do somethin’,” she explained, “and I was right. It was the only thing that made him leave me be.”
“And so ye sent the letters to some anonymous laird, thinkin’ that was the only way to keep yer lies goin’.”
Marissa nodded, averting her gaze.
But it didn’t fully make sense. A thousand more questions popped into Arthur’s mind, each one fighting to spill past his lips.
“Did ye plan to pretend forever?” he asked. “Just writin’ letters that ye thought would never be delivered until the day they lay ye in the ground? Did ye nae think that, eventually, when ye remained unwed after so many years, the man might return and call yer farce?”
She considered this for only a moment before shrugging. “It’s worked for three years. I figured he would tire of it all, eventually.”
Silence fell between them. The birds outside the window tittered merrily, the sound of their joy at odds with the awkwardness that permeated the drawing room.
“I understand why ye did it,” Arthur said finally. “But now, because of ye, me council thinks I have been courtin’ ye, and I have to answer for those lies.”
Her soft brown eyes went wide. “I’ll tell them everythin’,” she blurted. “I’ll tell them that the letters were meant for another laird. Or I’ll tell them the truth. I will…”
Arthur shook his head, and she trailed off.
“Ye could tell them until yer very last breath,” he advised, “and they wouldnae believe ye. There is only one choice now, and that is for us to marry.”
She stood up, stubborn lines forming between her eyebrows as she stared him down. “I made up this lie so I could get out of marryin’ someone,” she protested with a hand on her hip. “And now ye’re sayin’ it’s what’s goin’ to make me marry ye? How is that fair?”
“It isnae,” Arthur answered honestly. “It isnae fair. But it doesnae make it any less true.”
“It’s cruel!”
He chuckled darkly, gesturing to his gruff demeanor. “Do I look like someone who cares if somethin’ is cruel?” He didn’t give her time to consider the question before he continued to speak. “We are in this predicament because of ye. If it was so important to ye nae to marry, ye should have made sure the laird ye were claimin’ as yer future husband truly didnae exist.”
“I thought I’d made sure,” Marissa protested.
“Clearly, ye didnae make sure enough.” His words were filled with ice, his eyes flashing as he regarded her.
Marissa puffed up her chest at the challenge. “I willnae be forced to marry anyone!” she declared.
She glared down at him, her brown eyes—which just seconds ago had been soft and worried—blazing.
“I made up this whole thing so I wouldnae have to marry anyone,” she continued, her voice rising. “I told ye I would make it right. I told ye I’d talk to yer council and make them understand. But I willnae be forced to marry some brute I dinnae ken!”
Arthur huffed a small, patronizing laugh. Placing a hand on each of the armrests of his chair, he pushed himself to his feet with one fluid, assured motion.
They were only a foot or two apart, but that didn’t stop Marissa from staring him down.
“Careful,” he warned, his voice barely above a low growl. “Ye sound like ye want to run. And if ye do that, ye may just find out how much I love to chase.”
“What did ye just say to me?” Marissa blinked at the man, his words echoing in her mind as she tried to make sense of what he’d just said.
“Ye heard me.”
The words washed over her, eliciting a wave of fear. His pupils dilated, filling his light grey eyes like a wolf preparing for a hunt.
A long sigh escaped her lips, and almost without giving it a moment’s thought, she sank back into her chair.
Marissa did not look at him again as she dropped her head into her hands. She ran her fingers through her short, auburn curls as she considered her options.
Is it true? That his council wouldnae believe me if I told them the truth?
The man before her seemed to believe that was the case. He believed it enough to threaten her. However, based on his brutish nature and appearance, she got the feeling that threats might be a tool he utilized often.
