“But the engagement…” she began, her thoughts scrambling to keep pace. “It was never real.”
James nodded, a faint, rueful smile touching his lips. “Aye, it began as a farce,” he said. “But I would make it truth, if ye will allow it.”
He took her hand then, firm and steady, his thumb brushing lightly over her knuckles.
“If ye will have me, lass… will ye marry me and become Lady MacAllister, in truth this time? Nay secrets, nay lies.”
Eloise stared at him, her vision blurring as tears welled in her eyes, her heart swelling so full she thought it might break. All the confusion, the fear, the longing she had tried so fiercely to deny now rose within her, undeniable and clear.
“Ye mean it?” she asked softly, searching his face for any sign of doubt.
“With all that I am,” he answered without hesitation. “I would have ye by me side, nae for duty, but because I cannae imagine a life without ye in it.”
Joy burst through her then, bright and fierce, chasing away every shadow of doubt she had clung to. She laughed softly through her tears, shaking her head as if she could scarcely believe it.
“Aye,” she said, her voice trembling but certain. “I will have ye, James.”
His expression broke into relief, and in the next instant he pulled her into his arms. Eloise clung to him, her hands gripping his shoulders as though she never wished to let go, her heart finally at peace.
He kissed her then, deeply and without restraint, and she returned it with equal fervor, all hesitation gone.
“Ye have nay idea what ye’ve done to me, lass,” he murmured against her lips.
She smiled softly, her forehead resting against his. “I think I do,” she whispered, her voice filled with warmth.
Eloise felt certain of her place, not as a guest or a pawn, but as something far more precious.
I am the Laird's betrothed.
Eloise burst into Beatrice’s bedchamber without so much as a knock, her cheeks flushed and her eyes shining with tears. Beatrice startled from her writing desk, her quill blotting ink across the parchment as she turned in alarm.
“What has happened?” she cried, rising quickly. “Ye are cryin’ and red in the face, cousin, ye look as though ye’ve run from battle.”
Eloise laughed breathlessly, clutching her hands together as if she could scarcely contain herself. “It has happened,” she said, her voice trembling with joy. “James has asked me to be his wife, and I said aye.”
Beatrice blinked at her, her expression shifting from concern to utter confusion, and then to suspicion.
“Are ye feelin’ well, Eloise?” she asked slowly, stepping closer. “Have ye been poisoned again, for ye speak as though in a fever dream.”
Eloise let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. “Nay, I am quite well, I swear it,” she said, though her smile turned sheepish. “Oh, Beatrice… I must apologize to ye, for I have kept somethin' from ye.”
Beatrice crossed her arms, her brow lifting. “I had suspected as much,” she said. “Out with it, then.”
Eloise took a breath, her joy softening into earnest honesty. “The betrothal… it was never real,” she admitted. “James only claimed it to protect me from Drummond, to keep me safe beneath his roof.”
Beatrice’s mouth fell open, her eyes widening in astonishment. “A farce?” she echoed, incredulous. “All this time?”
Eloise nodded, stepping closer and taking her hands. “Aye… but now it is real, truly real, and he asked me proper.”
Beatrice stared at her a moment longer, then gave a soft, knowing huff. “Well, I was never fooled once,” she said, a smile tugging at her lips. “The way that man looks at ye? Nae even the saints themselves could feign such devotion.”
Eloise laughed through her tears, relief flooding her chest. “Ye are nae angry with me for keeping such a secret?” she asked.
Beatrice squeezed her hands and grinned. “Angry? Nay,” she said warmly. “Only glad ye’ve finally caught up to what the rest of us already kenned.”
Eloise laughed and the two cousins hugged in joy.
A few days later, the courtyard of Calibroch bustled with life as banners snapped in the wind and clans arrived one after another, their horses stamping and voices rising in greeting. Eloise stood at the steps, her heart pounding, when at last she saw a familiar carriage draw near.
