Page 27 of To Charm a Highlander

Haydon picked up the piece of parchment again.“I received this a few hours ago.‘Tis a request for Donella’s hand in marriage.”

Conall continued to study his brother.“And who is the request coming from?”

Haydon looked over at Callum.“Laird Fraser Gunn.”

Callum jumped up from his seat, his hands fisted at his sides.“My brother?Nay!”

There was silence for almost a full minute after his outburst while Haydon studied him.Callum took his seat again, his jaw so tight he thought his teeth would crumble.“I am sorry for my fit of temper, Laird.‘Twas disrespectful.”

Haydon nodded.

Callum took a few breaths to calm down.He had no idea what was in his Fraser’s mind, but it couldna have been good.“Since ye made sure I was here when ye revealed this request to yer brother, I assume ye kenned ahead of time that I would ask for permission to court Donella with the purpose of marriage.”

“Ye ne’er mentioned marriage, but I did assume that was yer intention.”Haydon leaned his forearms on the desk and looked directly at Callum.“Why do ye suppose yer brother is suddenly interested in Donella?”

“If it was anyone except my brother I would say as the new laird, it would be wise for him to form alliances, and we all ken the best way to do that is through marriage.And we all ken the Sutherland Clan is one of the best.”

Conall leaned forward.“Why do ye say if it was anyone except yer brother?”

“The warrior who insulted Donella and then injured my arm was one of the Gunn clan warriors.Since yer sister and I were there together, I ken his request is another way to punish me.”

“For something ye say ye dinna do,” Haydon said.

“Aye.The men who claimed I fumbled on the battlefield and caused my da’s death were lying.‘Tis hard to say who is near and who is far from ye when yer in the midst of a battle, but I ken my da was nowhere near me.”

“Why do ye suppose yer brother wanted to ban ye, since as firstborn, he was the one who would inherit the lairdship anyway?”Conall asked.

Callum ran his fingers through his hair.“I doona ken.”

Conall looked at Haydon and nodded at the piece of parchment on the desk.“What do ye plan to do about that?”

“Well, since Callum has requested permission to court our sister, I am assuming he has marriage on his mind also.She has become verra popular of late.”

Conall and Haydon both looked at Callum.

He could feel the heat rise to his face like some giggling lass.“I like the lass.Verra much.She has told me as much as she kens about what happened to her—”

“—She told ye?”Haydon asked.

“Aye.I wanted her to ken that I was going to ask permission to court her, and she felt that I needed to ken about that before I approached ye.”

“Apparently it made no difference in yer intentions.”

“Nay.As I said, I care a great deal for Donella, and had I more to my name, I would ask right now for her hand.But we all ken that right now all I have is my sword.”

“And a good one at that,” Conall added.

“Aye, but that isna enough to offer for the lass,” Callum said dejectedly.

Conall looked over at Haydon.“Donella has a dowry, I assume?”

“Aye.For the last several years I never expected to use it.”He glanced at Callum.“I will make my decision within a few days about yer brother’s request and yers.In the meantime, based on what my wife has told me about Donella’s wishes in this, I will permit ye to court her.”

Callum let out a deep breath.“Thank ye, Laird.”

He went to stand and Haydon said, “From what Malcolm has told me, yer pushing yerself too hard and ‘twill take longer for ye to heal if ye donna give yerself a break.I suggest ye take over training the new lads who have just started working with their swords.”

Callum nodded, more than pleased at the outcome of the meeting.Still concerned about his brother’s request, he felt as though he had the upper hand.