Pledged to a Highlander (Highland Promise Trilogy 1)

“You have a sharp, intelligent mind just like our mother,” Demelza said.

“My mother is dead as is my father,” Oria shouted. “I will never acknowledge you and especially the Beast as family.” She shook her head. How could she face her husband with such news? How could she even accept it herself?

The sudden urge to flee gripped her. She didn’t want to run, didn’t want to seem a coward, but at the moment she didn’t think she could be rationale. She had to get away from everything and everyone. Her feet paid her thoughts heed and she turned and ran out of the keep. She heard Wren’s voice call out for her to stop, but she ignored her. Once outside, she ran to her horse, mounted, and took off. She needed to ride, just ride, not worry, not fear, not think. She simply wanted to feel free of—everything.

The wind stung her cheeks and tore at her braid, the strands that fell free whipping around her face, she rode so hard. Tears stung at her eyes, but she wouldn’t let them fall. She wouldn’t let herself feel. She was tired of the pain, the endless hurt, and suffering. The lies, secrets, promises had done her so much damage that she didn’t know if she’d ever recover from them.

She didn’t realize anyone had followed her until her husband was there beside her. The pain, the hurt, the fear of what this news might bring tore at something inside her and she burst into tears.

Royden thought his heart would break when he saw the pain that devoured his wife’s face, but when she exploded in tears, his heart completely shattered. He didn’t waste a minute. He judged the distance and when the time was right, he jumped, landing perfectly behind her and took the reins from her to slow the horse to a stop. Not comfortable with being out in an open field, he guided the horse to a tree near the edge of the woods, his horse following.

He dismounted, his feet barely touching the ground when he reached up and lifted her off the horse. Her arms immediately went around him and when her feet touched the ground, she buried her face against his chest.

Royden locked her tight against him. She said something that he couldn’t understand, her voice muffled by his shirt. “What did you say, Oria?”

She turned her face away from his shirt, but didn’t look up at him. “Don’t hate me. Please don’t hate me.”

“I could never hate you, Oria,” he said, keeping a tight hold on her, the quiver that ran through her running along him, and her tears and words shattering his heart even more.

Oria didn’t want to leave her husband’s arms, didn’t want to face the truth, didn’t want to believe that her whole life had been a lie. She laid no blame on her parents. They hadn’t known she had been abducted. They had seen a wee bairn in need and had taken her and given her all the love they had to give. She couldn’t imagine, and she didn’t want to, the heartache her true parents must have suffered at losing her. But she simply could not accept a new family, not now, and not one who had caused the man she loved such harm and such suffering.

“I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I love you and nothing will ever change that,” Royden assured her.

His words eased, a bit, the ache in her heart. As long as she had Royden’s love nothing else mattered to her. She had always trusted his word and now more than ever, she had to trust that he loved her enough for their love to survive this news.

Oria felt like a fool for crying. She wiped at the tears that had fallen before looking up at her husband.

“No matter what, I love you,” he whispered.

Tears threatened again, hearing him reassure her, letting her know that nothing could come between them, and she trusted him that it was true.

She plunged ahead needing to be done with it. “My da told Henry a family secret. It seems I’m not who I thought I was.” She stopped, took a heavy breath and forced the words from her mouth that she still couldn’t believe. “I’m Demelza and the Beast’s sister.” She felt the shock of her words tense his body, but he didn’t let go of her, didn’t shove her away. She hurried to explain all Old Henry had told her, adding what she had surmised herself, and the little Demelza had told her as well.

Some of what she told him stabbed at her heart and she finished the only way she could—with an apology. “I’m so sorry, Royden. This is all my fault. You suffered horrendously because of me.”

“That’s nonsense,” he said without hesitation while pushing the loose strands of hair tenderly off her face. “You weren’t what drove the Beast to do what he did. His plan all along was to take back his land. You accidentally fell into his plan and he altered it some because of you. You’re not at fault. You did nothing wrong. Your parents did nothing wrong. They took a wee bairn and gave her a loving home. I just wish your da had confided in me and that he had had enough confidence in our love to know that it would have made no difference to me. I would have married you regardless. I can, however, understand how the other clans may have felt and what they may have done. So in that regard, I’m glad he didn’t tell anyone. Your da did the best he could to protect you, even having you wed Burnell.”