Ian wasn’t worried. The man was clearly joking.
Wasn’t he?
“Grey,” he whispered as Ross approached the laird, “what’s going on?”
His brother glared at him, his jaw set.
“Why the hell did you tell him?” His hushed whisper made the words no less ominous. Maybe more so.
“What? It was just a kiss. I figured it was better to tell him directly than let him find out some other way.”
“This isn’t twenty-first-century New Orleans. You don’t run around kissing women without any repercussions.”
His brother was deadly serious.
“But marriage? It was just a kiss.”
“It does seem a bit extreme,” his brother admitted. “But the laird is a notoriously religious man, so you might be well and truly screwed.”
Everyone in the hall had turned to look at him. What the hell did they want him to say? That he would marry a woman simply because he’dkissedher? It was insane.
At least one person was on his side. Lady Màiri looked beyond pissed.
“I would speak with my nephew alone,” Ross said, more as a statement than a question. He’d already grabbed his arm like he was some wayward child liable to run to escape punishment. In truth, he was tempted to do just that, although he doubted the people at the back of the hall would let him get very far. The Viking, as Grey fondly called Ross, dragged him to an alcove in the passageway just outside the hall, Grey following them, and then let loose.
“I thought your brother foolish in his dealings with Marian. But this is beyond foolish.”
Lady Marian, his brother’s wife. Ian still had a hard time believing Grey was married. And not by force. He’d actually chosen such a state. Though Ian had to admit he quite liked the woman, especially given her name. The Robin Hood jokes about his archer brother would be endless now.
“Uncle, this is crazy. Marriage? Over one kiss?”
Ross looked to Grey for help.
“It’s like I said, unwed people just don’t do that here.” He had the decency to look somewhat repentant. “At least, they don’t do it the first time they meet, and if they do break decorum, they make sure not to get caught.”
“Get caught?” Ross rubbed the back of his neck. “You told the laird of your indiscretion. This is all your doing.”
“Indiscretion?” Ian was starting to get hot despite the cold stone wall he’d leaned against. “It was a damn kiss.”
But he could see that it wasn’t. Not here. Not in this time.
“You don’t seriously think I should marry her?”
His brother knew as well as anyone Ian was not prepared to marry.
Ross and Grey exchanged a glance. One he didn’t care for at all.
“We need him on Bruce’s side.” Grey put up his hand, knowing Ian would argue that point. “You have zero chance of helping the situation if you piss him off—” Ross cleared his throat, his typical warning that one of them had said something inappropriate, “—if you anger him further.”
Ian waited.
Both of them just stood there, watching him.
He knew what it meant: they actually wanted him to go through with it.
“That’s it? That’s all you have? You’re worried he might be pissed, or angered, or whatever the fuck you want to call it, if I don’t marry his daughter? ThatmaybeI should do it so I can convince him to return to Bruce’s side somaybehis son can fight for him to win some battle?”
They had to be kidding.
