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Not that his reputation was something he wanted to think about right now.
“Ye have three weeks to convince me to stay married to ye. That’s how long I’ll stay. If ye fail to convince me, I’ll return to me braither’s castle, and we’ll annul the marriage.”
“Very well, lass. But for those three weeks, ye’re staying with me.”
Evander watched her hand come up before she’d fully decided to offer it and knew he’d won, though her face gave nothing away.
“Where is yer castle, then?”
“We’re currently… on the march. We’ve set camp outside MacKinnon, and we’ll move from there.”
“That doesnae answer me question. Why have we nae heard of yer clan before?”
“Because we’re… wanderers. And the Highlands are a muckle big place, ye ken.”
Freya’s mouth tightened. “I’ve seen maps. Yer clan is on none of them.”
“Aye, and a clan must begin somewhere. I have the people. I have the swords. I have no desire to kill for pleasure as—” He cut himself off. “Ye’ve made the bargain. Will ye stick to it, or will ye prove yerself an oathbreaker?”
Freya crossed her arms. “Three weeks and nae a day more.”
“Very good. Now, pack yer things. I’m waiting.”
“Och, nay. I’ll come in me own time. Just let me ken where ye’ll be.”
“Are ye trying to offend me again?”
“Nay. I’m trying to say goodbye to me sister without a stranger named Evander watching me every move.”
Evander smirked. “Very well, I’ll send someone for ye tomorrow morning.” He paused, before adding, “And that doesnae count toward the three weeks.”
Callum was waiting for him outside the castle.
“What happened?”
Evander chuckled. “Ye have so little faith in me, Callum.”
“That doesnae answer me question.”
He didn’t answer his man-at-arms right away, choosing to wait until they had ridden back to camp.
He knew Callum must be growing more and more annoyed with every hoof-fall of the horses, but he wasn’t going to question him.
“Me Laird—”
“She’s agreed to the proposal, Callum. With Muir and MacKinnon as kin, no laird will dare make a move against us, and we can finally find a place to settle soon.”
That seemed to calm Callum.
“And there was no pushback from the lass? Seeing how she acted that night, I expected quite a bit of it.”
Evander couldn’t have hidden his smirk if he tried. “Of course there was, but she saw reason when I laid out the details of the proposal. She’ll be free to do as she wants, and I suspect that is what she wishes for in the end.”
“The rest of the clan will be pleased to hear that ye’ve taken a wife. They’ve been after ye for… how long, now?”
He didn’t think he’d ever be able to adjust to the idea that he was their Laird. That these people looked up to him. It was not a position he had expected to be in, but he was here, and there was no changing it.
“Too long. They wanted a laird with a wife, and that’s exactly what they got.”
