Page 65 of Claimed by a Highlander
God have mercy, Rory had his uncle by the throat against the wall.
“Sybil is my wife,” Rory said. “I’ll not hear ye speak another ill word about her.”
“I didn’t mean to insult her, for she is certainly charming and well bred,” Lovat said.
With a start, she realized the two men were crossing the room. She feared she’d be caught before she could run up the stairs, but then they settled back into their chairs.
“However, there’s truth in the old saying that a man’s best fortune, or his worst, is his wife,” Lovat continued. “A Lowland lass from a disgraced and powerless family is of no value at all.”
Lovat was changing tack but not conceding. And Sybil had to agree with him. A different wife would better serve Rory’s ambition to be chieftain.
“Now there you’re wrong,” Rory said. “She’s of great value to me.”
“If ye want my help, you’ll listen to my advice,” Lovat said. “Set her aside and take a wife whose clan will be of use to us against Hector.”
“I’ll listen to your advice on other matters,” Rory said, “but I’ll not tolerate your interference regarding my choice of wife.”
“Ach, you’re as stubborn as your sainted mother,” Lovat said. “Do ye want to be chief of the great MacKenzie clan or no?”
“Not without her,” Rory said.
“Have ye lost your wits?” Lovat said.
“I know ye don’t understand this, but Sybil is the wife I need,” Rory said. “And I’ll make a better chieftain with her at my side.”
Sybil closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the door, overwhelmed by what Rory said about her. Men had flattered her, professing boundless devotion, but she’d always known they were empty words, just part of the game played at court. At least at this moment, Rory meant what he said to his uncle. She would hold that to her heart.
At the same time, Lovat’s persistence told her she was right about the strong opposition Rory would face if he claimed her as his wife. Even Alex and Malcolm, who liked her, had told Rory she was a detriment. His supporters and advisors would urge him to take a wife who would bring a useful alliance to the clan. They would make their case again and again.
In the end, Rory would do what a great chieftain ought to do. He would set his personal desires aside and do what best served his clan.
At least hewantedto keep her. And that meant everything.
***
Sybil felt at loose ends after Rory left, with nothing to do except wait and fret. Rather than spend time in the hall, where she would have to talk with Lord Lovat, she wheedled parchment and a quill from Lovat’s scribe and returned to her guest chamber to write letters to her sisters.
Letters she would never send and they would never receive.
The knock on the door sometime later startled her. When she looked down, she saw that instead of writing letters, she had filled the parchment with drawings of Rory. There was one of him as she first saw him, looking dangerous and handsome as he stood over her with a scowl on his face and his claymore in his hand. In another, he was rubbing Curan’s nose, and she could almost hear him murmuring in Gaelic.
Knock, knock, knock.“Lady Sybil?”
When she heard Lovat’s voice, she quickly flipped the parchment over and called out, “Come in.”
She stifled a scream when she glanced down and saw Rory in the nude on the back of the parchment. She managed to sit on it just before Lovat opened the door.
“I brought some excellent wine that I hope you’ll share with me,” he said, holding up a flagon. “You and I need to have a wee talk.”
A talk that required excellent wine was unlikely to be pleasant. She smiled and gestured to the only other chair in the room. “Please sit down.”
“I’ve witnessed a few marriages between Highland men and Lowland women in my time,” Lovat said as he filled their cups and handed her one. “I’ve yet to see a happy one.”
“Really?” Sybil knew when a message was being sent. She took a sip and watched him over the rim of her cup.
“I can tell that you’re stronger than most of your kind,” he said. “But our Highland ways are rougher than you’re accustomed to.”
“Rougher than court politics?” she said. “I find that hard to believe.”
