Page 6 of Highlander’s Haunted Past

It took a foolish man to douse a spark rather than nurture it into a flame.

Kenna looked away from him and out into the crowd, clearly working through the position he had put her in. For a moment, Rob feared he had pushed her too hard and too soon. Blown on that ever so small spark with too much enthusiasm, sending it shuddering into oblivion. But then, she seemed to be a stubborn lass, and she eventually gave a hefty sigh before jutting her chin subtly toward one of the ladies who sat, alone, on one of the benches.

“That lady, the one in green, is a cousin on my mother’s side. Her father gambled away all of their money, putting them deeply into debt, further than any were willing to pull them from. Well, she met a merchant in Inverness; a kind man, able and willing to resolve a good portion of the debts just to have her hand. ‘Twas a welcomed and celebrated proposal. This morn, the maids gossiped about how she was found abed with a Munro. She claims she was forced, that he had a bit too much drink, but he claims otherwise. No witnesses could step forward to argue fer either, so Laird Munro vouched fer his man, and the Queen dismissed her complaint. When we leave tomorrow, she will be left without justice and without her virtue. I expect the engagement will fail just as soon as the rumors reach the merchant’s ear. She is not the only one. Similar stories fill the castle if ye listen fer them with open ears.”

“Do ye think of our wedding as one of those stories?” The question slipped from him before he had the sense to contain it.

Kenna’s eyes widened, even her bruise paling a few shades before she blessed them both by looking away. It wasn’t an answer, and yet it was. A wordless confession that even she, full of spirit and daring, wasn’t fool enough to speak aloud.

The wall between them, the one he had slowly chipped down, brick by brick, was back and higher than before.

The merriment in the hall did little to rouse either of their spirits after that. Once the Queen took her leave, the room erupted into unbridled pandemonium fueled by a seemingly endless supply of music, willing women, and drink. It wouldn’t be long until the chaos in the hall reached the head table, and the men would certainly be expecting a show from the newlyweds—one Rob certainly did not wish to give, especially given the course of his and Kenna’s last conversation.

Though his bride was silent, unmoved by the dancing and noise around her, she was just as deep into her cups as any, and he saw a glaze as smooth as a loch at dawn cast over her blue eyes.

“Let’s go.”

Kenna looked over at him, her eyes seemed confused and heavy with the weight of liquor.

“Where?”

“Yer bedchambers,” Rob replied in a near whisper.

That certainly caught her attention. Suddenly, she was sitting much more upright than before, looking this way and that in the hall as if she was a trapped deer looking for a way to escape a wolf.

“‘Tis still so early. The sky is still a bit light.”

“Aye, but not fer much longer. The sun has already set, ye ken. It will be dark by the time we get there if we leave now.”

“But—”

Rob reached over and pressed a finger to her lips. “If we go quietly, we may just avoid a bedding ceremony.”

She stared at him, unblinking.

“Unless, of course, ye wish to have an audience.”

She glanced out at the crowd again and the full understanding of what he meant hit her as quick as lightning. She jumped to her feet.

Rob was worried that after all she’d had to drink, she would just topple over, but the lass must have been an experienced drinker for her feet were steady. She even managed to slide her chair back silently, preventing it from scraping loudly against the stone floor and ruining their secretive escape.

Rob joined her, following her as she motioned him toward a side door and then out into the twisting castle passageways, dangerously allowing himself to enjoy the sashay of her gown as they went.