Not only did Edana hate most everyone around her, she also held herself in great contempt. Only someone with a very low sense of self-worth would immediately assume that a suitor at their door this late in the evening was there to belittle them. Edana’s feelings toward herself would serve him well. It was easy to make self-loathing women fall in love. They would heedlessly throw their heart at the first suitor to ask for it, in the hopes of receiving the admiration they denied themselves.
Passing her on his way out the door, he paused quickly to steal a kiss. The whispery sigh that escaped her lips was not one of protest, and he smiled against her lips as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “I will never tease ye, Edana. I intend to make ye mine.”
He didn’t give her a chance to respond, turning quickly to make his leave. He knew his visit had been successful. He’d left the poor lass wanting more, with her heart beating wildly in her chest. In a week’s time, she’d want no other man but him, of that he was sure.
*
Three Days Later
Arran rolled drowsily out of bed as he cursed Kip for creating so many tasks for him to complete in the stables that day. He knew it was unusual for someone in his position to work in the stables, but he didn’t care. Keeping busy was the only thing keeping the drinking at bay and the pain in his heart at a safe distance.
He threw open the door to his bedchamber to see who felt the need to disturb him so late in the evening, and he had to blink several times to make sure he was seeing correctly when he saw Mary standing in his doorway.
“Mary? What are ye doing? Ye should’ve been in bed hours ago. Ye work too much as it is.”
Mary waved a hand in dismissal at Arran’s words as she stepped inside without waiting to be invited in. “I doona need ye telling me when I should be in bed, and I doona work too much. I work just the proper amount. ’Tis only that ye work too little that ye think anything more than that is too much.”
“Ah. O’course ye are right, Mary.” Arran knew better than to argue with her and so he simply smiled and crossed his arms as he prepared to hear what she had to say. “Now, what do ye need? Ye havena been in my bedchamber this late since I was a wee lad.”
“Ye are right, and I see ye haven’t changed yer bad habits at all. Ye still doona have enough common sense to check and make sure ye are properly clothed before ye invite company into yer room. For goodness sakes, cover yerself lad, I think ye have blinded me.” She shielded her eyes dramatically as Arran glanced down at his entirely naked self.
“Ach, Christ, Mary! I’m verra sorry.” Scrambling, he reached for something to cover himself, finally deciding to simply sit on the edge of the bed so that he could sit under the protection of fabric.
“Doona apologize, lad. ’Tis no like I havena seen a man naked before. Why, I used to clean that little backside of yers when ye were only a wee laddie.”
Arran rolled his eyes, wishing Mary would spit out her news so that he could return to a peaceful slumber. “Ach, let’s no talk about me backside. What’s brought ye here?”
“Ah, right.” Mary stopped grinning and faced him head on. “I’m verra worried about Edana.”
“Aye? Why?” Arran was awake now. He’d been worried about the lass too, but he didn’t understand why Mary would be. He straightened up in the bed, eager to hear her explanation.
“For the past three evenings, I have seen Tormod, the visitor who they all say is Ramsay’s bastard nephew, sneaking into Lady Edana’s room late at night. It isna proper for him to visit her after dark.”
“Ye are right, it isna, but they are our guests, and I doona think ’tis our place to instruct them on how to behave themselves. Besides, I doubt he is doing anything to the lass she wouldna want him to.” He believed his own words, but he couldn’t deny how uncomfortable the thought made him. He wasn’t jealous of Tormod. He didn’t care about Edana in that way. But he had seen the lad interacting with some of his men and did not like the feeling he got around him.
“No, I doona think he is hurting her, Arran. I think he is using her so that he can become laird. Ye know that our visitors decided that whomever becomes laird should marry Edana. I believe he is trying to make her want to do just that, which would be fine except for I doona think Tormod is a good man. No even much better than Edana’s father.”
“Aye, I agree with ye, Mary. I doona like the lad either.” Arran lay back on his bed, gathering the blankets to cover himself, drumming his fingers back and forth across his forehead as he tried to think of how to best proceed.
Only one plausible solution crossed his mind. Although the idea didn’t thrill him, it was the only way he saw to keep his new friend from entering a horrible marriage. With no hope of his own true love coming back to him, what did it matter whom he married anyway? He sat up in the bed to tell Mary his plan. “I know what I shall do, Mary. We shall have a series of games to test the strength and leadership of all the men who enter. Whoever wins shall marry Edana and become laird of Kinnaird’s old territory.”