Page 6 of A Nameless Highland Laird
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Charlotte swayed with the carriage as it rocked along the well worn road. The two days since her father had made his request had passed faster than she had anticipated, putting her on her way to meet her future husband before she felt truly ready for it all. Almost as soon as the last of her trunks were packed, she had been loaded into the carriage and sent off with little more than a reminder from her father about what he expected from her.
The world rolled by her as they passed through Sinclair lands and further into the highlands. She wasn’t sure how long the journey would take, but she was already weary of looking out of her window.
It was in the middle of summer, which was normally her favorite time of the year. She loved to ride and feel the sunshine on her face as the summer was one of the only times the sun ever truly came out from behind the clouds. But seeing the rays dancing on the bright green grass and the clear blue skies that all lay just out of her reach made her scowl. Still, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the passing landscape.
In her twenty-four years, she had never been allowed to journey so far away from home before. Knowing that she was headed to commit the rest of her life to a man who was only known for his cruelty, she doubted that she would ever be allowed to leave again. If this was to be her only excursion out into the world, away from castles and courtyards and villages, she wanted to soak in as much as she could, even if she scowled the whole time.
The land that sat in between her father’s clan and her future husband’s clan was unlike anything she had seen before. For the last hour, there had been nothing but valleys of green, sprinkled with white and purple and blue wildflowers. Occasionally, she would catch a glimmer from a small pond. But there were no people, no villages; nothing that disturbed the pristine beauty of nature.
Without any trees to provide shade, the sun was warm, even from the confines of her carriage. But the grass didn’t seem to mind—it all but glowed in the light, a shade of green she knew no painter would ever be able to capture correctly. The creatures that lived within the valley seemed unaffected by the bright rays as well. Birds sang loud, echoing each other’s notes, harmonizing with the rest of the world. Squirrels and rabbits raced through the unmanicured grass, leaving their own trail as they scurried to wherever they pleased.
Charlotte found that she envied the freedom the small animals had, and then she felt foolish for ever being jealous of a rabbit.
It was as if the entire world had gotten the message that she was on her way to become a bride, but something had been lost in translation. They were all celebrating, showing off to the best of their abilities as though this marriage was something worth celebrating in the first place. The world didn’t seem to understand that celebrating was the last thing she felt like doing.
The serene picture of the lush valley around her was little more than a painful reminder of just where she was headed. She had left behind the magnificent mountains and the crystal blue water of the Sinclair lake. There were no dramatic cliffs, no sounds of the ocean slamming into the rocks. There were no forests to hide in or clearings to ride through. There was just grass. And no matter how hard she tried to see the bright side, no matter how much she tried to force herself to enjoy the trip, she couldn’t seem to do it.
A sigh slipped out of her as she eased back into the cushioned seats. Four hours ago she had been grateful for the pillows, but now they did little to ease her discomfort. She doubted that was the pillow’s fault, or even due to the carriage. Her discomfort had started to mount the second she had walked into her father’s study and had been growing ever since. No amount of reassurance from her maid that everything would be fine or cushion under her seat could ease the tension she felt.
Things had just happened too quickly for her to grow accustomed to the idea of marrying Laird Knox. All her life, Charlotte had been content to let others around her make the decisions for her. Her maid chose her outfits and how she wore her hair. Her father chose whom she sat next to and spoke with at dinner. Her tutors had decided which lessons she would learn and the books that she would read. And none of that ever truly bothered her. She had known since she could get a grasp on clan politics that she was to be nothing more than a pawn in the game, that her life was not truly her own. But for once, she wished that she hadn’t sat passively by, without argument or complaint about the life her father was dooming her to.
However, a lifetime of practice in passivity had kept her quiet. Even now, in the solitude of her own carriage with only her sleeping lady’s maid as company, Charlotte didn’t dare to allow herself to examine how she felt about it all. At least, not beyond the surface.
She was nervous, but she suspected that any new bride would be. She was sad to leave her home, but again, she doubted that was unique to her. Anything beyond that, she couldn’t think about. The harsh reality of her situation was that how she felt about it didn’t matter. Her father didn’t care that he was sending her behind enemy lines or that her new husband could do whatever he wished with her. No one cared if she wanted to stay or go, or if she even wanted to be married in the first place. No one cared if her heart already belonged to another. All they cared about was her obedience. So that was all she could afford to care about too.
The only person who didn’t seem able to understand that was Alec. With so little time to spare, she had hardly been able to talk to him about her impending nuptials and when the conversation didn’t end the way she thought it would, she couldn’t do anything about it.
When her father had ordered her to marry Laird Knox, she assumed that that would be the end of her relationship with Alec. They both had always known it was a fleeting thing, but he had blatantly refused to accept reality. Which is why even now, at least a hundred miles away from home, he rode steadfastly beside her, his horse keeping pace with her carriage.
After the first hour of the journey, she had stopped bothering to look out at him to see if he was still beside her. She knew by the stubborn set of his jaw that not even her father could keep Alec from following Charlotte. Of course, she had no idea what Alec’s plan was once they reached the Knox castle. She doubted that Laird Knox would be amenable to letting Alec tag along and she shuddered to think of the horrible things her husband might have done to Alec for even trying. But Alec had been adamant when they had talked the night before.
“What do ye mean ye are leaving?” he had asked, his unknowing smile still plastered on his face.
“I mean what I just told ye, Alec. My father has given me an order that I must follow. My carriage leaves at dawn and I have nay choice but to be in it. I will nae be coming back. I hope ye live a happy life without me.”
He tossed the shovel to the side and moved to stand in front of her. His hands went out to her arms, rubbing them in what he thought was a soothing gesture. She found it grating as the smell from the horses was rubbing off on Alec and onto her gown.
“Dinnae speak as though things between us are ending. Dinnae say this like we are over.”
“But Alec, I am to marry another man. And nae just any man, a Laird who is known for being a tyrant. I dinnae see how ye think there is any other way through this.”
Alec dropped his hands and narrowed his eyes.
“Yer father ordered ye to marry Laird Knox?”
His voice was low and guttural, but she tried not to let it bother her.
“Aye. Why did ye think I was being sent away?”
“I dinnae ken, Charlotte,” he spat. “I thought perhaps ye were touring the highlands or being sent to a convent. I did nae think ye would be forced to marry someone as vile as Laird Knox. How can yer father do this to ye? Does he have nae sense?”
“Alec! Ye cannae speak of Laird Sinclair that way. Keep yer voice down before someone hears ye.”
“I dinnae care if someone hears me!”
The longer they talked, the louder he got and the more nervous she became. For two years they had been able to keep their relationship a secret but that was all going to be ruined if Alec couldn’t calm down.
