Page 38 of How to Woo a Highlander

"Even if it wasnae announced, we are nae strangers, are we? Ye could have told Alastair and me," Lain added in a sulky voice.

William held his head between his hands in exasperation.

"Can ye forget about that? It is nae even the important thing; what is important is that Jane doesnae want to marry me," William said.

Alastair's head shot up. William sounded worried by that fact. If William truly liked Jane and she resisted because of him, Alastair could not bear the guilt.

"She doesnae?" Lain said, his surprise palpable.

"Aye, she doesnae, and I cannae blame her. Jane is a bonny lass, and she is considerate and carin', and she can be a great friend. I can only imagine how much more amazin' she would be if I took the time to get to ken her, but I willnae because I dinnae love her," he explained.

Alastair could not control his shock and spoke out.

"Ye dinnae?" he all but exclaimed. William sighed and nodded.

"Aye, I dinnae want this marriage either, but I ken it is the only way to keep the peace, fragile enough as it is. I am only marryin' her for the clan, and if I'm honest, Jane deserves better than that. She should be with a man who loves her, because her romantic heart would be miserable with me," he added.

Alastair's heart began to thump in his chest. If William did not like Jane, then his actions were not a betrayal. William said it himself that Jane deserved love.

Get yerself together, Alastair, he didnae say that he wouldnae marry her. Think of the clan!

Alastair cleared his throat. He did not want the line of conversation to continue. There was a war afoot. It was his duty to focus on that, and so far, he had neglected it.

"Let us nae discuss these matters anymore. Let us tackle the reason ye called me here. How did yer visit to the Lairds go?" he asked.

William gave a tired but satisfied smile, and even when awaiting his response, Alastair couldn’t help but notice that Lain was still sitting there, even though work was mentioned. When it came to discussions about the clan, Lain only knew things because they spoke in front of him, but his lack of interest was so apparent that he never actively listened. Normally, he would have traipsed out of the room by now, but today he seemed to have some interest.

"In two weeks, soldiers from both clans will arrive at our borders; we will be more than ready for a Grant invasion," William said. Alastair, however, was still looking at Lain. Was he suddenly becoming less lazy? Catching his eye, Lain seemed to realize that he was still sitting with them, although the conversation had changed.

"I will leave ye two to discuss," he said and got to his feet. William looked between the two of them curiously but stayed silent, he was used to Lain being absent during discussions about the clan but was less likely to point it out.

“Ye can stay if ye wish. It seemed ye had some interest just now. We might finally be able to find some use for ye, thank the gods,” Alastair teased halfheartedly. If Lain truly gained interest and began to work with them, it would be a good thing. However, it was not likely. Lain rolled his eyes.

“Think ye can rope me into workin’ like ye two just because I am a few seconds late to escape this loathsome conversation?” he scoffed. “Then ye truly dinnae ken me!”

Lain’s outburst brought a moment of laughter between the friends, but it died down as Lain turned to leave.

“Get to it then. The fate of the clan rests in the hands of ye two,” he added, closing the door behind him.

Alastair’s attention turned to William, who leaned back in his seat, his blonde hair falling back where his head rested against the chair.

"It is nae the first time Grant has brought war to our borders, but it will be the last time," he said as the door clicked shut.

Alastair could not help but consider that William was suddenly the most relaxed he had seen him in a while. The responsibility of being Laird was genuinely taking its toll on him.

Perhaps that was why he did not have an interest in Jane. He had not seen his friend truly happy since the moment he took over the Lairdship. He sighed to himself even as William sat with his eyes closed. His job was to make the burden on William less - if William was not happy, then he was not doing his job.

"I will go and begin to make preparations for the comin' army, so that they have a place to stay and ample supplies," Alastair said, getting to his feet. It was time to work.

He was halfway to the door, however, when William spoke.

"Alastair, dae ye ken why I cannae love Jane?" he asked. Alastair froze, what would he say? Did he already know that Alastair wanted her? He turned to find that William had not moved, still sitting with his eyes closed and his head resting back.

"Nay, I dinnae. Why?" Alastair asked, taking a step back into the room.

"It is because I am still in love with someone else," William confessed.

At first, the words did not register to Alastair, even though he had heard them, and he blinked dumbly at his friend. William had never been involved with any woman to his knowledge.