Page 83 of A Touch So Wicked

“A message? Verra well,” Hugo agreed. “What is it?”

“Tell your chieftain that he is invited to attend a wedding celebration. In five days, The Maiden of Misterly and Lord Clarendon will wed in the great hall at the hour of noon.”

A hush fell over the hall, followed by the clamoring of voices, some raised in disapproval and others openly accepting of Damian’s effort to achieve lasting peace for Misterly. Elissa’s own feelings were hard to define. She knew Damian’s announcement of their marriage had come as a surprise to those present. No one had expected Damian to defy the king openly, and everyone was aware of the consequences of such a rash act. He could lose Misterly.

Furthermore, inviting Tavis Gordon to the wedding was asking for trouble. The man was a bomb waiting to explode. Did Damian think he could promote peace by inviting Tavis to Misterly? Was he willing to overlook the fact that Tavis was an outlaw in order to form a tenuous friendship?

Elissa suddenly became aware that Hugo was staring at her. “Is it true, my lady?” he asked. “Will ye wed the Demon Knight? I thought ye were promised to the Gordon.”

“Elissa is to be my bride,” Damian insisted, forestalling Elissa’s answer. “Will you carry my message to your chieftain?”

Hugo nodded jerkily. “Aye, but ’tis a marriage made in hell. The lass bears no love for Englishmen.”

Elissa wanted to say there would be no marriage, but the words stuck in her throat. Damian would have his way.

She would become the Demon Knight’s wife whether she wished it or not.

Chapter Fifteen

Elissa stood at the window, gazing at the stars twinkling overhead. How she wished she were still that small child who believed that wishing upon a star would grant everything she desired. If wishes came true, her beloved father and brothers would be alive and Misterly would still belong to the Frasers. But wishing didn’t bring miracles.

In five days she would become the Demon Knight’s bride, a thought as frightening as it was thrilling. Damian was a unique man, multilayered and complex. Men obeyed him without question and women adored him. He was his own man—courageous enough to defy his king and strong enough to hold what was his.

Damian wanted her, but he didn’t love her. He believed that emotional love was a weakness. There was no denying, however, that he excelled at lovemaking, for it took little effort on his part to make her want him.

Elissa frowned as she considered her feelings for Damian. She no longer hated him. She had realized that when she couldn’t bring herself to kill him to appease Tavis. She’d allowed Damian to make love to her even though she knew she was betraying her clansmen. She cared for him—nay, she loved him—and the guilt was nearly killing her.

Unable to bear her dark thoughts any longer, Elissa turned from the window and pulled the counterpane from the bed. A knock on the door diverted her. She greeted Maggie warmly and invited her to sit down.

“I canna stay, Elissa. I’m spending the night with my family in the village,” Maggie said. “Is there anything ye need before I leave?”

“Thank you, but there is naught I need. Is Lora abed?”

“She’s sleeping like a babe,” Maggie said. “Yer mother, too.”

Maggie fussed with the counterpane, looking as if she wanted to say something but didn’t know where to begin. Finally Elissa asked, “Is there something you’d like to tell me, Maggie?”

Maggie flushed and wrung her hands. “I donna know how to begin.”

Elissa grasped her hands. “Start at the beginning. I know you and Sir Richard have become close. Is that what this is about?”

“I dinna think anyone noticed,” Maggie murmured.

Elissa grinned. “We couldna help but notice.”

“Sir Richard is a handsome man…for an Englishman,” Maggie added hastily.

“Do you love him?”

Maggie dropped her gaze. “Aye. Sir Richard promised to marry me.”

“Do you believe him?”

Her head shot up. “Is there a reason I shouldna?”

“Some men will promise anything to lure a woman into his bed.”

“What did Lord Damian promise ye when he bedded ye?” Maggie returned sharply. Elissa’s stricken expression must have shamed Maggie, for she appeared horrified by the words that had just tumbled from her mouth. “Oh, Elissa, forgive me. I know ye had little choice in the matter. But yer going to wed his lordship and that makes everything all right.”