It was then that Marissa looked at his hands, noting the bruises that decorated his knuckles.
They interrogated the man. Likely beat him bloody.
She couldn’t find it in herself to feel sorry for him. Not when his actions had come so very close to costing her her life.
“Clan Hendry’s lands are on the other side of Clan Sherman,” Michael interjected. “Laird Sherman stands between our lands and the man who sent an assassin after ye. It might be valuable to have an ally that can stand in the way, between us and them.”
“Plus, they have a mighty large army,” Joseph chimed in. “It would never be a bad thing to have their crests flyin’ next to ours.”
“Good crop, too,” Arthur supplied. “It would be a smart trade agreement.”
Marissa took some satisfaction in this, knowing that the deal they were making wasn’t just to ensure her protection. It would benefit all of them. And it would help to keep her safe.
She was quite all right with those terms.
“So, we’ll be gettin’ married in four days then?” she asked, her eyes flicking to Arthur.
He nodded. “If ye think ye can wait that long.”
Marissa laughed. Before she could respond, the servants’ door opened, announcing the arrival of their meal.
The smell of it made her mouth water, and the moment breakfast was served, she dug in. It had only just dawned on her that she hadn’t had a proper supper the night before.
At the cèilidh, she had only grazed from the buffet table. Nothing more than a few bites of fruit. And, after her run-in with the man Eric had sent, she hadn’t had much of an appetite.
But now she found herself ravenous, wanting to focus entirely on filling her belly instead of joining the conversation around her.
“Cody should remain behind,” Michael said, continuing his conversation with Arthur and Joseph as he ate his breakfast. “He’ll provide extra protection for Marissa and yer sister.”
“And Amara,” Joseph snorted, but no one deigned to respond to that.
Marissa, however, was quite pleased to realize that she hadn’t been the only one to notice the burgeoning affection between her nephew and Ayla’s maid.
“And he’s skilled?” Arthur asked, focusing on cracking the shell of a soft-boiled egg with his spoon. “I only want to trust him with her protection if he’ll actually be able to protect her when and if the time comes. Otherwise, he’ll just be a hindrance.”
Michael bristled at Arthur’s insinuation. Marissa knew that he hated when anyone questioned his son’s abilities, but she also knew that Michael would understand the sentiment, and likely would have asked the same if the roles were reversed. And so she was not surprised when he deflated quickly.
“He is incredibly skilled,” he declared, his voice even and calm, all signs of his agitation mere seconds ago gone entirely. “I taught him meself. He’s been protectin’ the girls for quite some time now.
Arthur nodded. “Alright then. He’ll stay.”
“And Abigail?” Marissa chimed in.
Her hopes suddenly rose. Maybe her youngest sister could stay there with her. It would be nice to have her there for the next few days, especially as she started to prepare for the wedding. But her hopes were quickly dashed when Michael began shaking his head.
“She’ll come with us,” he replied. “Freya is quite far along in her pregnancy, and I dinnae want to leave her alone. And I may need Abigail’s help if the baby decides to come early.”
Marissa understood, even if the news was disappointing. She returned her focus to her breakfast, happy at the very least that Cody would be staying.
And they’ll return in only a few days. On me weddin’ day, in fact.
A small thrill ran through her at the thought, and she allowed herself a bit of fanciful daydreaming as breakfast and conversation continued around her.
As much as Marissa had prepared herself for a hounding from her family, it proved to be entirely unnecessary. Apparently, they had all forgiven her for not telling them that Eric had continued his advances.
Or, even if they hadn’t entirely forgiven her, they had at least agreed to put it behind them. Because not a single mention of it was made.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
