Page 65 of At the Highlander's Mercy
But there was so much depending on this meeting of two of the wealthiest and most powerful chieftains in the west of Scotland that the lack of mirth did not surprise him. It had taken him more than a year to work out the details and arrangements for this parlay and Rob worried over its success. Lilidh squeezed his hand.
‘It will all work out fine, Rob,’ she whispered before letting his hand drop and taking a step back and away from him.
He would allow no such obeisance from her now since any success was in large part due to her effortsas well. No one could force the Beast of the Highlands to do something he was loath to do except for the wife and daughter he loved so much. When Lilidh enlisted her mother’s support, Connor had had no choice but to agree.
But his face showed just how much he did not wish to be here.
‘Connor, welcome to Keppoch Keep,’ he said aloud as he waited for his father-by-marriage to dismount and approach.
Since he was an earl, Rob bowed respectfully as
Lilidh curtsied and they waited for Connor’s signal to rise. Considering that Gavin MacKenzie was of lower rank and bowing as well, Rob almost laughed as Connor dragged out the moment much longer than was customary. Then he watched as Connor gained power over his adversary, as he’d done many, many times before.
‘Connor, may I introduce you to the MacKenzie? Gavin...’ Rob said, turning to the younger chieftain. ‘May I make you known to the Earl of Douran, the MacLerie?’
As expected, Gavin bowed again. ‘My Lord Douran.’
A smile played on Lilidh’s face now and a matching one tugged the corners of the irascible Connor MacLerie as he let the man remain bowing before him. Then Connor reached out and offered his hand to Gavin and he rose and shook it.
‘Come now, Gavin. We are linked by marriage already and hopefully more soon, so please call me Connor. This is my wife, Jocelyn MacCallum, Lady MacLerie.’
He was so predictable in this that Rob found it difficult not to laugh. As the two men introduced their wives and close kin, Rob and Lilidh watched as the first step to the negotiations went smoothly. Then Lilidh invited them all within for the prepared meal and, as the group moved into the keep, Rob tugged Lilidh’s hand to keep her at his side.
‘Does he never use a different greeting?’ he asked her in a low tone so none would hear.
‘Only for someone higher in noble or royal status than he,’ she whispered back. ‘It is successful in reminding others of their lower status, so he continues.’
They reached the dais and he watched as his steward guided everyone to the appropriate seats, which only long discussions and strategic planning could devise so that none were insulted. Once everyone was seated, both at the high table and those below, Rob took his cup and rose to make his official greeting to all those visiting Keppoch Keep.
But as he held his cup aloft, everything around him seemed to cease. Time itself seemed to pause as he beheld all that he had achieved in his life.
Lilidh’s smile, one that held promise and love and passion, reminded him of her support and love since they finally chose each other over everyone else. Now, she carried their second child—a secret she would reveal to her parents during their visit here.
Connor and Jocelyn—his parents for many years—now sat as friends and allies at his table.
His cousin Symon—once his adversary and now the commander of all Matheson warriors—sat next to hiswife of a year. Marriage to Mairi MacKenzie had forged a strong bond between their clans, but more importantly, had given Symon the happiness that had been missing from his life for so long.
Gavin MacKenzie and his wife, Edana, were new allies and, with Lilidh’s and Rob’s efforts to re-establish relations between the MacKenzies and the MacLeries, a new stability and peace would begin in the western Highlands.
But his gaze always came back to Lilidh.
The love of his life.
The woman who had helped him become the laird he wanted to be.
It always came back to Lilidh and his love for her. One that was threatened by his immaturity and stupidity, but one that was reclaimed in time.
So, at this moment when he should have been the chief and welcoming his important visitors to this significant meeting, the only words he could think of were of and for her. Knowing the pain and the cost of almost losing her, he held his cup in her direction and returned her smile, ignoring all the others there.
‘To Lilidh MacLerie,’ he began. His throat thickened as he thought of all the things he wanted to say to her, about her, before their kith and kin. All the words vanished until he was left with only those. ‘To Lilidh,’ he repeated.
The hall filled with cheering and she blushed as they called out her name over and over until it blended together in one roar. Rob reached down and kissed herhand. ‘I will tell you the rest later,’ he said, pulling her close and touching his mouth to hers.
‘Until later, my lord husband,’ she whispered back before nodding her thanks to those present.
* * *
The meal took some time and hours passed and though Connor and Jocelyn made it their custom to be the last to leave their hall, Rob decided that he would forgo that custom this night. Breaking away from his family and hers, they sought the quiet of their chambers. A momentary stop in the nursery to see that Tavish was sleeping and then he pushed open the door to their rooms.
