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“You’re stuck with me now.” He steered her back to her chair, plucking up her brandy glass. “Here, you look like you could use this.”
She took a sip, relishing the reviving jolt. Royal settled into his chair, watching her with quiet intensity.
“Now that we’ve got everything sorted out, may I see Tira?” she asked.
“Of course, although I do think we have a few more things to sort out.”
She cocked an eyebrow.
“For one, when do we get married?” he asked.
“Well, it’s Scotland, so we can just pop off and find the nearest blacksmith, can’t we?”
“As charmingly quaint as that would be, I would advise waiting a few weeks. That will give my family a chance to gather and will allow us time to plan a proper church wedding and celebration.”
“I don’t need any of that. I want to get married immediately.” She leaned forward, her anxiety sparking again. “We can’t afford to wait, Royal.”
He took her hand. “I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you or Tira.”
“But—”
“No, lass. Running off will only look suspicious and raise more questions. I’ve only just got past the scandal of bringing my by-blow into the house. Marrying you in such a slipshod fashion will only generate more gossip.”
Ainsley chewed on her lower lip, feeing mulish and afraid.
“You’re not alone in this anymore,” he said. “You’ve got me and the rest of my family. We’ll protect you.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’ve been dealing with this on my own for so long. It’s hard to give up control.”
“You’re not giving up control. You’re just letting me help you.”
Help.She’d wanted that for so long, and now she finally had it. It felt both odd and miraculous. “All right, I’ll defer to you on that. Is there anything else to discuss?”
He considered for a moment. “I think that’s enough for now.”
Ainsley breathed a sigh of relief. She felt exhausted and battered by her emotions.
“I know you’re rather impatient to see your daughter,” he said with a smile.
“Ratherwould be putting it mildly.”
He rose and headed for the door. “I’ll have Angus fetch her right away.”
“Oh dear, must he?” Angus was the last person she wanted to deal with, especially while finally meeting her daughter again.
“He’ll insist, I’m afraid.”
“Then can we delay telling him that we’re to be married, at least for today?”
He threw her a surprised glance over his shoulder.
“You know he’ll be furious about it,” she said, “and I’d like to focus on Tira, if I may.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
She flashed him a grateful smile.
When he opened the door, Angus all but fell into the room.
