Page 66 of The Laird’s Lost Wife

He laughed aloud, the noise bouncing off the water. “I didnae think that ye were a superstitious woman, Daphne.”

“I’m nae. I’m just… just practical.”

She had to get away. With an effort, she rose to her feet and stumbled a few steps away. Her wet hem dragged on the ground, and the pebbles dug into her bare feet. Where were her boots?

Hunter made no effort to grab at her again and pull her down. He just stayed where he was, watching her with a wry smile.

“I think ye agree to this, but we’d better wed,” he said calmly. “I’ll arrange it tomorrow, and then Willow will be acknowledged as mine. The clans daenae care much about bastards, as long as there’s a wedding at some point.”

Daphne spun around to face him, stumbling a little on the slippery rocks. “Nay, I cannae. We cannae!”

“Why nae? Ye have been reading too many English novels, lass. I’ve been thinking about ye for years, and I flatter meself that ye have been equally preoccupied. Marriage is the obvious solution.”

She let out a long sigh and pushed her hands through her hair, which hung loose and tangled around her shoulders. Her fingers caught a knot about halfway down, which made her scalp sting, so she gave up.

She forced herself to meet his gaze squarely. “I ken about yer vow, Hunter.”

He blinked, the smile dropping from his lips. “What? Who told ye? How did ye—” He broke off, shaking his head. “No point in asking. It could have been anyone.”

Daphne said nothing. She didn’t want to get Elspeth in trouble. Helena had certainly not been happy that the maid told her about it, and now Hunter seemed upset that she knew.

He rose abruptly to his feet and began to pace up and down, shale crunching beneath his boots.

“The vow, the bloody vow,” he muttered heavily. “I’ve already broken it, already sired a child.”

“So ye see, we cannae wed,” Daphne reasoned, twisting her fingers together. “And ye cannae claim Willow as yer heir. Els—um, I was told that it would be bad for ye if ye broke yer vow.”

“Aye, but those are me consequences, nae yers,” he shot back grimly. “Or it will be my punishment.”

She rolled her eyes. “If I marry ye, they’ll be mine.”

He acknowledged that with a grunt and a nod of his head. She could almost see the cogs turning in his mind.

She almost felt sorry for him. It was a solution he was after, hoping to find some answer to this problem. But there was no solution that allowed him to break his vow. As he had rightly pointed out, it was already broken the moment Willow was born, and now all that remained was for people to find out.

I wish there was a way.

She jolted uneasily at that thought, because it would do nobody any good. There wasn’t a way. And even if there was… well, best not to think about what her answer would be if she could marry him, because that would only upset her further. No sense in torturing herself with something she couldn’t have.

Abruptly, he stopped pacing and turned to face her.

“We’ll have to wed,” he insisted. “Only a dishonorable man gets a woman with child and doesnae help her. The only way to fix that is by marrying her. If I was married already, that would be a different matter, but I’m nae.”

She felt a sting of insult. “I’m glad that yer duty is what motivates ye.”

He didn’t seem to notice. He only took a step toward her, his keen eyes fastened on her face. “We’ll announce it tomorrow.”

“I am telling ye, Hunter, nay. Yer vow⁠—”

“It’s me bloody vow. It’s nobody’s trouble but mine.”

“That’s nae true.” She took a step toward him, closing the space between them. “I ken what comes after a laird is deposed, for whatever reason. War. If yer people turn against ye for breaking a vow, they willnae let ye choose an heir. There’ll be carnage. Bloodshed. The clan will be torn apart. Even if it rights itself, it’ll take a while, maybe even years, and lochs full of blood. So, this isnae just yer concern. It’s mine, and Willow’s, and yer mother's, and everybody else’s who is a part of this clan.”

“Daphne…”

“I ken that ye want to help me. I ken that ye want to help Willow. I’ll nae stop ye from seeing yer daughter. I’ll never do that. But I can take care of meself, Hunter. I’ve done it for five years now.”

He breathed out heavily through his nose. “I’ll protect ye from whatever threat comes.”