The Bride Chooses a Highlander by Adrienne Basso

Author:Adrienne Basso
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2018-10-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

There was an air of tense anticipation in the great hall as the McKenna retainers joined the MacTavish clan for the evening meal. Concerned that normally there was barely enough food to adequately feed the usual number who attended, Katherine had instructed her brother to relinquish whatever food stores they could spare and promptly brought those items to the kitchen.

Graham had raised a questioning brow at her odd request, but complied. Fortunately, his men had been successful in their hunt last night and earlier that morning. A grateful Lady Morag had overseen preparations of the fresh meat they provided and the result was an ample amount of simple, well-prepared food for all.

Katherine remained quiet throughout the meal, her mind consumed with thoughts of her future. ’Twas a relief to know that her brother—and mother—didn’t expect her to be submissive and meekly comply with an unacceptable arrangement and marry Hamish Drummond.

Unfortunately, her father had other ideas and it appeared Katherine would not be afforded the necessary time she needed to change his mind. Instead, she would need her wits and cunning to escape that fate.

Graham’s remarks had firmly planted two seeds of ideas in her mind of how she could accomplish that task. The more she considered them, the faster they grew.

Lose her virginity or marry another before returning to McKenna Castle. Both were appalling in their own way, with challenges and consequence, yet each were surely a means to an end. There was little doubt Hamish would abandon her if either occurred.

If she returned home no longer a maid she could very well remain unmarried for the rest of her days. No self-respecting noble would eagerly take another’s leavings, no matter how large her dowry.

’Twas the height of hypocrisy, of course, as men had the freedom to do whatever they wished with the opposite sex before and even after their marriages. Women, however, were judged differently. They were expected to remain pure until they married and faithful after they had spoken their vows.

Nay, the more she thought about it, the more Katherine realized that surrendering her virginity merely for the sake of escaping Hamish was too high a price to pay. Personal repercussions aside, she could not inflict that dishonor upon her family, her clan, or herself.

That left one other possibility. She would have to wed another and return home a married woman. But who would take her as his bride?

Her eyes instantly turned toward Lachlan. God’s bones, he was magnificent. Her breath caught just looking at him. But she could not let attraction and desire rule her head. She must be careful and considered and look to all possibilities before making a choice.

To that end, Katherine’s eyes drifted over the McKenna retainers seated together at the trestle table closest to the door. She knew nearly all of them. Several were unmarried; two had lost wives to illness last year. If she married one of them, their lack of property would not be a hindrance—as a wedded couple they could live at her dower estate, a half day’s ride from McKenna Castle.

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