A Noble Deception (The Douglas Clan) (22 page)

Her head snapped to him. “
My
guests?”

It was then that
Lachlan came forward, approaching her like one might a wounded starling.

“Moira,” he said
, in a voice that was as rich and sultry as she remembered.

“W
-What is this?”

“It’s for ye,” he told her. “Moira
, I want to beg yer forgiveness.”

“Forgiveness?”

“Aye, forgiveness. I were such a fool to let the annulment pass through. I thought it were what ye wanted, ye see. I thought ye didna want to stay married to me, so I went through wi’ it to make ye happy. I’ve been miserable every day since.

“Now I hear from yer Niall
, and from Alex, that ye love me. Or at least they think ye love me. I hope to heaven it’s true. If it isna, if they’re wrong, just say the word. I’ll let ye leave here now, and I’ll never ask another thing of ye. But I canna do that before ye ken how
I
feel about
ye
.”

Her
cerulean eyes widened, and she looked nervously towards the guests behind him. He took her hands in his and gave them a firm squeeze, commanding her gaze back to him.

“Moira
, I love ye. I love ye like I’ve never loved anyone before. If ye’ll let me, I want to spend the rest of my days bound to ye in matrimony, and loving ye each and every one of them. I ken we didna marry for the right reasons the first time, but if ye’ll have me, I will spend the rest of my life making sure that we
stay
married for the right reasons. Marry me, Moira MacInnes?”

Moira couldn’t breathe; the air was trapped in her chest. She looked to Niall. Then to the anxious faces in the clearing. Then to the priest, who smiled benevolently at her from the head of the gathering.

When her eyes returned to Lachlan, they fixed on his with...
fury
.

“
Ye stupid lout,” she shrieked, and smacked him in the arm with her open palm. Then she shoved angrily against his chest, and smacked him in the other arm. Her hands went wild as she slapped and shoved and hit, accompanied by a tirade of livid accusations which echoed through the hills in an unending stream.

“I canna believe ye’ve dragged me here. I’m dirty, I smell like my animals. What were ye thinking? Ye’re just as daft as Niall. Look at me, I’m nay fit for a wedding. I’m utterly mortified. How could ye do this to me?”

The audience watched, horrified, as she abused Lachlan mindlessly. For his part, all Lachlan could do was shield himself from the worst of her blows.

But the horror of the audience turned
to astonishment as Moira’s angry tirade somehow transformed into a passionate embrace. It wasn’t entirely clear to anyone how it happened. One minute she was berating him shamelessly, and then next she was kissing him with a fury of a different kind.

Just as astonished,
Lachlan pulled away, and searched her face. Her eyes shimmered with tears, and a smile which she could not control spread across her lips.

“Marry me,” he repeated.
“Please say ye’ll marry me.”

She
emitted a sound somewhere between a sob and a giggle. “I’ll no’ forgive ye for this, ye ken.”

“I’d be sorely disappointed
if ye did.
Marry
me!”

Moira was dizzy as she
gazed into his smoky eyes. Even though her vision was swimming, and the world had grown hazy around her, there was one thing which she could see with undeniable clarity: he loved her.

He
loved
her. He had all along.

Hesitantly, she nodded
. “Yes.”

Overjoyed, Lachlan swept her into his arms and twirled her around. Behind them, a rousing cheer lifted into the summer sky as he brought her back down and kissed her again, tenderly this time. A kiss to seal a promise.

That day, a wedding took place. No honoured priest from the fancy abbey at Inverness was in attendance. Instead, officiating was the local priest from the local kirk—a simple and honest man for a simple and honest wedding. The vows were exchanged in the purity of nature, rather than the grand arches of a great hall. And though the highest-ranking of Scotland’s nobles were not there to witness, those who were looked on with true happiness and admiration for the bride and her groom.

The ghosts of Kildrummond lords
long past smiled down as they watched over their beloved land.

And perhaps
... just perhaps... one Kildrummond lord in particular smiled the widest. With his Lilian at his side, to share in the joy of his daughter’s happiness.

It was all he’d wanted for her, after all.

Don’t miss the second instalment of the Douglas Clan series:

A Noble Treason

Stirling, Scotland, 1456. The traitorous Earl of Douglas has fled to England, leaving his clansmen to die in his place on the battlefield of Arkinholm. Two Douglas lords have been captured, and await execution: the earl’s brother, Lord Ormonde, and his distant kinsman Edward Douglas, Earl of Albermarle.

Eleanor Douglas, eldest daughter of Lord Albermarle, is a noblewoman by birth, but a rebel at heart. When her family
, stripped of their titles and thrown from their lands, flee to England, she does not follow.

Sir Dougall
MacFadyen is captain of the guard in the Highland realm of Kildrummond. His master, Lachlan Ramsay, presides over a branch of the Douglas line that is close kin to Lord Albermarle. Suspecting that Eleanor has remained in Scotland to find a way to free her father, Lachlan sends Dougall across the land in search of her.

W
hen he finds her, will Dougall be able to sway Eleanor from her course? Or will Eleanor’s conviction sway him? Her intentions may be noble, but if she fails in her mission, Eleanor could lose her head a traitor to the Crown—and Dougall along with her.

A Note from
Veronica

My Dear Friends,

Your readership means the world to me. I want to thank you for coming with me on this journey of the Black Douglas clan.

Though this novel is a product of my imagination, it is based on actual historical events. William Douglas, the e
ighth Earl of Douglas, was murdered in 1452 by King James the Second of Scotland (also known as Fiery Face for the prominent birthmark on his cheek). At that time, the Douglas clan enjoyed a powerful alliance with the earls of Clan MacDonald and Clan Lindsay, and when the king demanded that William Douglas put an end to the triad, the earl refused. As a result, King James flew into a rage and stabbed William twenty-six times, then threw his body from a window at Stirling Castle.

Three years later William’s successor, his brother James
Douglas, waged war on the king, which culminated in the Battle of Arkinholm on July 1
st
, 1455. When he realized that his allies abandoned him, James Douglas fled to England before the battle commenced, leaving his brothers to carry on the campaign. They failed. Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray, was killed. John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie, escaped and fled, and Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormonde, was captured, tried and executed. This marked the beginning of the end for the Black Douglases.

Within
recorded history, there are always untold stories that never made it to the books. Though Lachlan and Moira’s story is a work of fiction, there is no telling what countless, ordinary stories were played out on the sidelines of these milestone events. I like to think that, by breathing life into these fictional characters, I am, in some small measure, breathing life back into those whose tales were not put to parchment.

Though I may
be a die-hard history fan, I do so enjoy living in this modern era of social media. It means I get to interact with you directly and instantaneously, and hear firsthand what you think of my stories. I pay attention to everything you have to say, and endeavour to learn from your insight—you are the experts, after all, the ones who make or break a book’s success.

I would love to hear from you, whether it’s to tell me what you thought of A Noble Deception
(or anything else I’ve written), or just to say hi. You can connect with me in the following ways:

My website

veronicabale.blogspot.ca

My Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/pages/Veronica-Bale/137790549696979

My Goodreads page

www.goodreads.com/author/show/6518747.Veronica_Bale

My Twitter handle:

www.twitter.com/VeronicaBale1

Until next time, my friends,
hugs to you all. And as always, happy reading!

Cheers,

Veronica