Page 17 of Kidnapped by a Rogue
Margaret’s heart raced. She hated to argue, but this time she had to stand up to them.
“I can’t do this,” she said. “I won’t.”
“Ye don’t have to do anything ye don’t want to,” George said in a soothing voice, and put his arm around her.
“You used to understand the importance of putting the family first and doing your duty,” Archie huffed.
She looked up in time to catch the cautionary look George shot Archie.
“Do this for the family,” Archie said, attempting a more conciliatory tone, “and I promise that after the king tires of you and moves on to someone else, I’ll find you a good husband.”
“Bygoodhusband,” she said, struggling to keep her voice even, “ye mean a powerful man ye wish to make an ally?”
“Of course, he must be that as well, but we’ll find a husband who will make ye happy,” George said. “You deserve that after what happened with William.”
“After what happened with William, Ineverwant another husband.” She’d told them that a hundred times in the last weeks, but they never seemed to hear her.
When George attempted to put his arm around her shoulders again, she stepped out of his reach. She usually avoided confrontation and swallowed her anger. But not today.
“William must have been a dreadful husband,” George said, “even before he left ye.”
“William did not leave me. He threw me out,” she said. “And if ye knew he would be a terrible husband, why did ye marry me to him?”
“Marriages are like any alliance,” Archie said. “Ye need not like your partner.”
“I’ll not marry again.” She dug her fingernails into her palms with the effort to maintain her composure. “I willnot.”
“For God’s sake, Margaret, control of the crown is at stake, and we need allies.” Archie leaned over her as he spoke, in a way that reminded her far too much of her former husband. “I will choose a good man for you, and when I say so, youwillmarry him.”
“We can discuss this another time,” George said as he drew Archie away from her and refilled his cup. “Is everything ready for our special guests and the feast tonight?”
“King Henry’s emissaries have already arrived,” Archie said. “Margaret, make certain the food and music are the very best tonight, or they’ll tell tales in London about the inferiority of our Scottish court.”
Without waiting for her to respond, her brothers began discussing their strategy regarding the emissaries from Archie’s brother-in-law, the English king. Margaret hid her shaking hands in the folds of her gown. She had not realized until this moment how determined Archie was to force her to marry again.
She never realized the toll her marriage had taken on her until long after William threw her out. During her marriage, she had focused on getting through each day as best she could. Soothing her husband’s temper, coaxing him from foul moods, listening to his lying boasts, enduring his constant criticism and demands. Worst of all, suffering his invasion of her body, even when the midwife warned it was too soon after her last miscarriage.
She might not survive another marriage. She feared she would fade away altogether until there was nothing left of her at all.
But what could she do? She dug her nails into her palms and forced herself to keep an outwardly calm expression while she struggled to think of a plan.
Her dowry.If she was to have any control over her life, she needed her own resources. Her dowry included lands, jewels, and gold that would provide her the independence she needed to live her life as she saw fit.
Provoking Archie had been a mistake when she would need his help to force William to return her dowry. She chastised herself for her brief display of anger. That never served her well. She waited for a pause in their conversation to speak again.
“I’m sorry I reacted poorly to your suggestion that I marry again,” she said, casting her gaze to the floor. “I know ye meant well.”
“We are only trying to do what’s best for all of us,” George said.
Archie and George did what was best for Archie and George. Though they may persuade themselves that what was best for them was also best for her or the family, she knew better from bitter experience.
“Alison also urged me to consider remarrying.” Alison was wrong, but at least her sister truly did have her best interests at heart and wished Margaret to find the kind of happiness she had. “Perhaps I will warm to the notion with time.”
She would never agree to remarry, but her sister Sybil said the key to lying was to not make it too far-fetched—and Sybil knew about such things.
“You’ve always been a sweet-natured lass,” George said, and put his arm around her shoulders again. “Any man would be lucky to have you.”
By sweet-natured, he meant compliant, which was what men wanted. But she was not going along with her brothers’ plans for her this time.
