Page 30 of Highlander’s Beautiful Liar

“This should be good,” Edward muttered and nodded his head.

Alec raised his glass. “Yer Majesty, MacKays, and SInclairs, I proudly present my wife, Cora Isles. Nearly seven months ago, my wife learned of her true heritage. She is the daughter of Duncan MacKay, and I bid ye accept her with open arms. She has witnessed her father at the hands of his son, and faced six torturous months paying for the sins of her birth. With the MacKay blood coursing through her veins, I trust that ye will accept her as my wife, yer Lady, and the mother of the future Laird MacKay. Any babe that she produces will honor Duncan MacKay with his name.”

Loud cheers echoed off the stone walls as everyone raised their glasses. As they toasted, Cora turned her head to watch Edward’s face. There was a mix of anger and pity. “You testify that Seth killed his father?” he asked quietly.

“Yes.”

“Did he act alone?”

Cora hesitated. Edward was now her king by birth, and she felt sure that she shouldn’t lie to him. As she opened her mouth, Alec saved her from any answer.

“Yer Majesty, it would be a great honor if ye sanctioned my marriage.”

“I believe I sanctioned a marriage between Cora Isles and Innes Campbell. I have half a mind to demand that ye dissolve this farce here and now.”

“’Tis a love match,” Alec said as he put his arms around her. “And we had no idea of any betrothal when we fell in love.”

“I will not be made a fool,” the King declared quietly. “If I should later discover that ye are lying to me and this is not a love match, the consequences will be dire. I can strip ye of yer title whenever I want, Sinclair. Doonae doubt that.”

Cora swallowed hard. Edward knew that they weren’t really in love, and yet he was insisting that they continue this charade. What was the point? Was he simply trying to save face if and when Innes Campbell approached him?

Suddenly, Edward smiled and clapped Alec on the shoulder. “Congratulations. Connor will be pleased to hear that ye’ve finally settled down, although, between the two of ye, I’m not sure which one has broken more hearts. My dear Lady Sinclair, I have no doubt that ye want to spend this day with yer husband, but I’m afraid that I’ll be leaving at first light tomorrow, and there are still some things that we need to discuss.”

“Of course.” Cora nodded her head. “Take as long as ye need.”

“Doonae fear my dear, I will do nothing to interfere with yer wedding night.”

As the King winked at her, her heart sank. Her wedding night? That had been the farthest thing from her mind, but she felt the heat of Alec’s gaze on her and knew there was no way around it. Tonight, she would lose yet another part of herself.

10

It was amazing for Cora to watch how the rest of the clan interacted with her now. Those that had previously scorned her were now acting as though they were old friends, and her previous friends were keeping their distance. It broke her heart, and she vowed that she would find a way to make it right. She had lied to all of them to protect those she loved, but she had come to love her friends as well, and now they were baffled and hurting.

Despite how some felt about Alec, everyone acted as though any marriage should be celebrated, and they did it with great gusto. There was dancing, singing, laughter, and drinking. When was the last time Cora had seen such joy anywhere? And it was all for her.

At the center of attention, she sat in her chair at the end of the table and tried to look relaxed. It hadn’t escaped her notice that King Edward’s attention was trained on her or that Alec was also watching her like a hawk.

She didn’t know what it was like to be in love, and now she had to act the part.

“Come dance with me!” Jamie declared heartily and pulled her out of her seat before she could say no. Before he could get her too far across the floor, a hand grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up against a hard body.

Alec. His warmth spread through her, and she flushed at the knowledge that she could already recognize him without turning around. “I believe the first dance belongs to me,” he said a little too possessively. “Off with ye.”

Shooing Jamie away, he tugged her with the other dancers before he effortlessly picked her up and spun her.

“Oh!” Breathless, she gripped his large shoulders as they danced. Her heart fluttered as she tried to keep up with him, but this type of dancing was so different from what she was used to. In England, it was proper with contained emotions, but here, the steps and laughter were large and expressive. Joy spread through her even as she tried to focus and concentrate. She’d always loved music and dancing.

“Smile,” he murmured in her ear. “Ye are dancing with the man that ye love.”

Immediately, the euphoria slipped away with the reminder that every smile he gave her, every touch of her body, was all for an act. Whatever chance she and Alec had of having a real relationship, or even having a friendship, had slipped away at the knowledge of her lies, and that hurt her more than she wanted to admit.

Finally, at the end of the song, the crowd cheered, and Alec slipped his hand around her waist. Afraid he was going to ask her for another dance when the instruments started up again, she forced a smile. “I think I need a moment to breathe.”

With a frown, he released her, and she made her way out of the great hall and to the great entrance of the keep. Sounds from the doors told her that the village was celebrating just as enthusiastically outside as they were inside.

Was there nowhere she could hide?

“Lady Cora,” the King said behind her.