Page 27 of The Eagle

“What is so funny,” the Uisdein’s son asked.

“I-I cannot marry them all.” Stuart could not stop laughing. “Can I have three wives?”

Ethan glared. “What nonsense are ye spewing?”

He sobered and glared at the man. “I will not marry Flora. Yer father is who broke off the betrothal. What has changed?”

“Ye do not know anything,” he responded bluntly. “Ye will marry her as soon as we arrive.”

The trip to the Isle of Benbecula was not long, perhaps a pair of hours. Stuart mentally timed how long it would take for Artair, or one of the guardsmen, to make it back to the keep—if they’d survived.

“What happened to my men?”

Ethan shrugged. “None were killed if that is what ye wish to know. We are not barbarians.”

“No, that is not the reason ye did not kill them. It is because ye fear my brother’s wrath.” Once again Stuart chuckled. “Ye underestimate him if ye think he willna come after ye with all his fury.”

Because of the seasickness, the short trip seemed to take much longer. Of all his brothers, he was the only one that got sick when on a boat. Despite it, he was not glad to see the shoreline.

Once they came ashore, Ethan ordered that his hands be untied. Horses waited on the shore. Stuart mounted, eager to get the confrontation over with. When Ethan gave him a suspicious look, he hitched an eyebrow. “Let us go and see what yer father hopes to accomplish.”

Ethan grunted but did not reply.

The Uisdein was a pampered egotistical man, with little sense. Stuart prayed he’d find a way to talk himself out of this predicament before anything permanent occurred.

It was not Stuart’s first time visiting the isle. Several times he’d accompanied his father, who for some reason wished an alliance with the Uisdein.

Part of the agreement was for him to marry the Uisdein’s daughter, Flora. At the time, it had been a surprise to Stuart and the lass.

Apparently, his father had not chosen Darach, as he hoped for a more beneficial match for him. Duncan could not be forced to do anything, and Ewan was gone. That just left him. He was given no say in the matter.

Although he had come to care deeply for Flora, now all he felt was contempt. Not only for the Uisdein who’d abruptly broken the agreement, but for his daughter who he’d been told had decided to marry someone else.

If Flora was in love with someone else, it was understandable. At the same time, he often wondered why she’d initiated intimacy between them.

His stomach had yet to settle so he breathed deeply in an effort to be in a good frame of mind once coming face to face with people he never thought to see again.

They passed through the gates into a small but well-tended courtyard. Once there, he dismounted and was shoved forward into the main house.

He entered flanked by Ethan and another man.

“Stuart Ross, I am pleased at yer appearance.”

The Uisdein made a show of waving him in. Sitting at the high board in a chair that would be best suited for a king, the laird looked down at him.

At Stuart remaining silent, the man continued, “There is much to do and little time. I am sure yer brother and his army of warriors will arrive soon. Therefore, this marriage must be completed immediately.”

“Are ye mad?” Stuart asked.

The laird glared at him. “No, ye are the one who is mad to think ye can stand up to me. I am Laird Uisdein.” He motioned around the room to guards that stood at a ready. “I will not stand for disrespect from another Ross.”

“I am not going to marry yer daughter.”

“Where is Flora,” the Uisdein asked, clapping his hands. “Tell her to come at once. It is time.”

A maid ran across the room, tripped on her skirts, and fell to the floor, sprawled with her hands and feet at odd angles. The woman squealed in fright when someone yanked her up, and then rushed up the stairs.

Again, laugher bubbled from deep in Stuart’s gut. The situation was ludicrous. Of all the hardships his family had faced in recent months, if this was the worst fate could do to him, he was one lucky bastard.