Page 3 of Hunted By the Hard Highlander

“It was supposed to be ye.”

Huffing, Hendry walked away. The entire castle was swept up in the energy of the ceilidh. He had managed to avoid hosting any guests himself, but since he had yet to meet a woman suitable to be wed, the ladies had insisted that inviting his potential brides into his home would be the best way to entice them to stay. He was skeptical, yet Sebastian had defended his wife’s idea.

Speak of the devil.

“I was wonderin’ where ye were,” Sebastian said, falling into step beside Hendry. “I was beginnin’ to think that I wouldnae see ye until the ceilidh tomorrow.”

“I was overseein’ yer wife and her troops,” Hendry said, glancing at his ally. The man must have arrived recently, his travel leathers still affixed to his body. “But I do believe that Willy can handle them if he looks away from his damned whittlin’.”

“They’ve all been lookin’ forward to this, ye ken?” Sebastian said, his voice low enough that it did not echo down the corridor. “Yer lands are a bit of a mystery to anyone that kens of ye.”

“Ye already ken that I daenae enjoy havin’ outsiders within me walls, even if they are allies,” Hendry said, leading the other Laird toward his study.

“Aye, and it seems that the entirety of the Highlands is whisperin’ about it,” Sebastian said.

“Gossipin’ does nay one any good.” Hendry stayed quiet for the rest of the walk, letting Sebastian into his study. When the door closed behind him, he said, “I am surprised more guests dinnae take it upon themselves to arrive this evenin’. They’ve made the entire ordeal a spectacle.”

“That is what ye want,” Sebastian replied as he pulled an armchair over to the roaring fire. “I have gotten word that several noble families will be sendin’ their daughters in hopes of securin’ an alliance with Clan Anderson.”

Rather than responding, Hendry poured them both a drink. He did not want to indulge in a conversation about his potential brides. Though he knew that this would be his last chance to find a suitable wife, that the Elders’ edict would go into effect within the next week, his stomach turned with discontent at discussing any of the women.

“An alliance would be ideal,” he said, passing Sebastian a glass. “I will be retirin’ after this drink.”

“Aye, tomorrow will be a battlefield that ye are still nae familiar with,” Sebastian said, the corner of his mouth tugging upward as he raised his glass in a silent toast.

Aye. And I must win this battle.

* * *

“What a waste of time,” Hendry grumbled to himself, standing just outside the great hall.

Even though the doors were closed, the muted music felt near-deafening. Somehow, the chatter of the people inside was nearly as loud as the tune. Just as Sebastian had predicted, this was the kind of battleground that he was not familiar with.

Refusing to be frozen by his apprehension as though he were a nervous adolescent, he walked into the gathering. Suddenly his senses were overwhelmed with the sight of women in a rainbow of gowns, the savory smells of the assortment of dishes his staff had prepared, and the sharp sound of laughter. He pushed forward, going straight for the table laden with drinks.

I’m meant to speak with these women. But the lasses I met last week had hardly any interest past their own chatter.

“Excuse me.”

Hendry stopped, only a few strides away from the whisky that promised to make this evening easier. Reminding himself that his clan’s future relied on his performance tonight, he turned toward the feminine voice. A girl who could not have been more than sixteen stood in front of him. She was pretty, but she still had the softness of youth that immediately disqualified her as a candidate in his mind.

She nodded her head, stuttering out her name. It came out so quietly that Hendry did not catch more than the last sound. He sensed that asking her to repeat it would only make the conversation they were about to have even more painful.

“Ye have quite a lovely castle,” she said, looking up at him with almost watery eyes. “And I have always dreamed of livin’ in the mountains.”

“Aye,” he said, shifting uncomfortably, aware of the other Lairds’ eyes on him. Their amusement made this even worse. “It is bonnie here.”

“I only wish the mountains could be flattened a bit,” the girl continued with a slight pout.

I cannae do this.

“Perhaps,” he said, clearing his throat and looking over at the table he had nearly reached, “ye should have a drink.”

“I would like that very much,” she said, giving him a grateful nod.

They shuffled over to the servant passing out glasses of wine and whisky. Even their movements side by side felt wrong. When she walked away from him with a cup cradled in her palms, Hendry let out a sigh of relief.

“I assume that she wasnae yer future wife, then?” Sebastian asked with a smirk that infuriated Hendry.