“I’ll nae hear anythin’ else but athank ye,” she insisted, her tone indicating she was not to be argued with. “If ye’re goin’ to marry me sister, I’ll be celebratin’ ye. So give me just a moment, and I’ll have one of the maids lead ye to yer rooms.”
Freya didn’t wait for a response as she turned and strode out of the room, yelling for one of the maids as she disappeared into the corridor. Marissa and Arthur could do nothing but stare after her.
“Yer sister is a force of nature,” Arthur mused, staring after the woman who had just breezed out of the room.
“Ye should have tried growin’ up with her,” Marissa snorted.
He turned his attention to her, allowing himself a moment to truly take in her features.
On his ride there, he’d tried to picture what she might look like, but he’d struggled to conjure any kind of image in his mind. Looking at her now, though, he couldn’t quite believe his luck.
Her short auburn hair curled delicately around her face, accentuating her fair features. Her brown eyes shone with an untold emotion as she gazed back at him.
“How did ye ken I was a writer?” she asked abruptly, breaking through his thoughts.
“It was in yer letters,” he explained as if the answer should have been obvious.
Marissa blanched. “Ye actually read them?”
Arthur arched an eyebrow at her. “Of course, I read them. Ye think I wouldnae get to ken everythin’ I could about me betrothed?”
“I’m at a disadvantage.” Her tone had softened as she continued to speak. “I dinnae ken anythin’ about ye. Up until an hour ago, I didnae even ken ye existed.”
“Dinnae worry, lass.” Arthur winked at her, a cocky smirk playing on his lips. “Once ye get to ken me, ye’ll nae be able to get enough.”
A laugh tore from her throat. But before she had time to retort, Freya breezed back into the drawing room, a maid hot on her heels.
“This is Esther,” she explained. The maid dipped into a curtsey as Freya gestured to her. “She’ll show ye to yer rooms and help ye with anythin’ ye need.”
“I appreciate it greatly,” Arthur said, giving them both a nod of gratitude. “And I’ll be happy to stay and celebrate. But I will have to return home early in the mornin’. I’d only just returned with me men from the war before ridin’ here.” He gestured down at his clothes, for the first time offering an explanation for his disheveled appearance. “I didnae want to wait to see me betrothed.”
Freya nearly swooned at his words. Marissa, however, had an odd expression on her lovely features.
“It’s alright if ye need to leave early,” Freya said, waving a dismissive hand. “We can make sure?—”
“I’ll be leavin’ with him,” Marissa blurted.
Freya’s mouth snapped shut, her eyes going wide as she turned to stare at her sister. “Ye are?” she asked.
“Aye.” Marissa nodded.
Arthur watched as she paused for a moment, her throat bobbing as she swallowed, and then continued speaking.
“I’ve been apart from Arthur for a long time,” she explained. “And I think it would be best to get settled into the castle beforethe weddin’. Understand what me life will be like. And get to ken him more in person, rather than just on parchment.”
Freya’s eyes never once wavered from her sister. There were a million reasons why she could object, Arthur knew that well enough. The least of which was the fact that Marissa was an unmarried woman who would be living in a castle with an unmarried man without so much as a chaperone.
However, as Arthur watched the two sisters stare at each other, a silent conversation passing between the two of them, he got the feeling that the pair might do things a bit differently than one would expect.
Apparently gathering whatever she needed from the look on her sister’s face, Freya nodded.
“Alright,” she said, her voice thick with emotion as her sister’s impending departure settled over her. “I’ll have some of the maids begin packin’ yer things so ye’re ready for the journey.” She then turned to Arthur. “We’ll be kin soon enough. If there is anythin’ ye need to help me sister make this journey, ye need only ask.”
There was something on her face, a lightness and an honest eagerness to help that reminded Arthur of his siblings. It reminded him of the way they looked out for each other and guided each other through life. And he could see Freya’s intent to bring him into that as well.
It was not an offer he would ever take lightly.
“Me offer is the same to ye,” he said, his voice steady and serious. “Nae just for Marissa’s journey to her new home, but anythin’ ye and yer clan need. All ye need to do is ask. We’re allies now. Clan McEwan and Clan Reid.”
