Page 3 of The Highlander’s Defiant Bride

“You had no right,” he snarled. “Do you know what men would say if they learned my daughter was selling household goods to cover my losses?”

Her shoulders drew inward, instinctively. “I only wanted to help,” she said, softer now. “We will make do. We always have.”

For a fleeting heartbeat, she thought he might soften. Thought he might see what she had done for him.

Instead, his mouth twisted. “These coins change nothing.”

Cold settled in her chest.

“You are to be married.”

The words landed like a blow.

Destiny went utterly still, her pulse roaring in her ears. “Married?” she whispered.

“Aye,” he said, already turning back to the ledger, as though the matter were no more than another line item to be recorded. “To the heir of the Munro clan. He will send for you in a fortnight.”

Her hands tightened in her lap, knuckles whitening. “Nay,” she said, the word barely audible. “Father . . . not a Munro.”

He did not look at her. “This marriage is necessary.” His voice, when it came, was calm. Too calm.

And Destiny understood then that this decision had been settled long before she ever crossed the threshold.

“And it will be profitable,” he added.

The word struck her harder than she expected. Profitable. She kept her eyes lowered, staring at the worn edge of the desk, remembering when he had once spoken of honour instead. “For the clan?” she asked softly.

“For me,” he replied without hesitation. “And through me, the clan.”

Her fingers curled into her skirt. She did not lift her head. “The Munros are strong already. They do not need me.”

“They need access to our lands in order to secure their position with the neighbouring clans,” he said. “And I need my name restored. Once you are married, I am no longer a disgraced chief clinging to old favours. I become Munro kin. That changes how men speak to me. How they bargain.”

Destiny felt something cold settle in her chest. “You mean . . . they will listen again.”

“They will court me,” he said. “Doors that are closed now will open. Men are far more generous to a man who stands behind a powerful clan.”

She hesitated. “And if they are not?”

A thin smile touched his mouth. “Then they are not the only clan worth binding myself to.”

Her breath caught, though she kept her voice steady. “You would seek other alliances?”

“I would be a fool not to,” he said. “This marriage is a beginning, not an ending. Once I am tied to Munro blood, I regain leverage. With leverage comes choice.”

Destiny’s thoughts raced, unease prickling beneath her ribs. “Choice,” she echoed.

“The Highlands are a web, Destiny. One must never tie oneself to a single thread. Today the Munros are useful. Tomorrow, it may be another clan willing to pay a higher price for influence.”

Her stomach tightened. “And my place in all this?”

“You are my most valuable asset,” he said plainly. “Amongst the Munro clan, you will hear things. See things. Understand how they move, where they are strong, and where they are not.”

She felt suddenly very small. “You mean as a wife.”

“As a daughter who remembers where her loyalty lies,” he said. “Do not pretend you have forgotten who you belong to.”

Tears crept behind her eyes, but she blinked them away. “And what will the Munros give you?”