I stepped closer and put a hand on each side of his jaw, “Lochie, this is the point, they don’t think you’re a scoundrel, they think well of you and want the best for you.”
“Ye are the best for me, and I hae given ye m’oath that I winna beguile ye?—”
I said, seriously, “You broke that oath, Lochie, you cannot deny it.”
He set his jaw. “I thought ye forgave me.”
“I did, but it doesn’t help that the oath you made was broken and?—”
He put his hand on his heart. “I feel a sharp pain through m’chest, Ash, ye are breaking me.”
“I am not, stop being overdramatic.”
He tried to look away but I held his face and made him look up at me. “This is a very simple point, if we got off on the wrong foot, with a broken oath?—”
“I dinna mean tae break m’oath, I dinna ken what tae do...”
“Whether you meant it or not, we began with an oath broken?—”
“Dost ye think I dinna mean it when I promised ye...? I mean tae always care for ye, tae protect ye. I ken ye were taken, but I searched for ye everywhere, I brought ye home, I fought for ye?—”
I stroked the hair back from his face. “You did do all of that, it’s not that you didn’t promise me. I trust that you mean it, that you will do everything to protect me, and I know that you are heroic, but, this is important, Lochie, stop arguing with me about it... I want you to marry me.”
He bit his lip. “Tis not a bad thing?”
“No, this is a good thing. I want you to marry me in front of your family so that theyknow.”
He nodded.
I said, “You said you didn’t know what to do. I think you need to let me tell you in this, because I feel very clear that this is whatwe need to do. You need to marry me in front of your family so thattheyknow you mean it. And if that isn’t reason enough, you can do it for me. I am new around here, if you marry me, they will see me as important to you.”
“Och, I never thought of it. Ye think it will matter tae their opinion of ye? I think they find ye verra fine already. Did someone say somethin’ tae ye?”
“That isn’t really what I meant, look, Lochie, I think that when I stepped away it freaked you out and now you aren’t able tae hear what I’m saying...”
“I canna hear ye over m’poundin’ heart, I want tae run from the room and go brawl in the courtyard with Craigh. He crossed me earlier and it has all been terrible since.”
I chuckled. “Well, that seems unnecessary.”
“I think ye are, as Beaty would say, ‘borrowin’ flowers from the fae, and they arna yer friends.’”
I said, “Lochie, m’laird...?”
He looked up at me from his seat. “Aye?”
“Please take a deep breath, I have a question for you.”
He took in a long breath and then when I rolled my hand he let it out.
I said, “Do you love me?”
“Aye, I?—”
I said, “Shhhh, that’s enough, ‘Aye,’ is what I wanted to know. Do you want to marry me?”
“I already hae in m’...” He met my eyes. “Aye.”
“Will you ask me to marry you?”
