'Not for long,' she threatened.
He didn't like hearing that. He looked as if he was going to grab her, so she quickly backed away and put her hand out in a puny attempt to ward him off. 'You stay where you are,' she demanded. 'When you touch me, you know I can't think, and I need to think clearly now so I can figure out what to do.'
Ramsey handed the priest yet another drink.
Father Laggan's head was reeling from the Buchanan's trickery and the heavy wine. Believing it was his duty to look out for the poor lass, he mopped the sweat from his forehead with the cowl of his robe and stepped forward to take charge.
'
Gillian was mortified. 'Should you be asking me such a personal question in front of a crowd?'
'I've got to know,' the priest whispered loudly. 'Lord, it's hot in here,' he added, his voice slurred. He then wiped the back of his neck with his hood as he repeated his question. 'Was it consummated?'
Gillian answered in a bare whisper. 'No.'
'Then it's possible that I can undo this tangled mess.'
'You'll do no such thing,' Brodick commanded.
The priest squinted up at the Buchanan laird and tried to bring the giant into focus. 'Good God Almighty, there's two of them.' Shaking his head in an effort to clear it, he said, 'You used deception to catch this sweet lass.'
Brodick didn't deny the allegation but merely shrugged. Father Laggan turned to Gillian to console her in her darkest hour. 'You've got to stay away from him, lass, until I can figure out how to straighten this out. Do you understand what I'm telling you? You can't let him touch you if you're truly wanting out of this union. You've just got to stay away from him, lass. I can't stress that enough,' he added as he patted her hand. 'Once he's… and you've been… well, you see, don't you, I can't have it undone. Do you understand what I'm telling you?'
'Yes, Father, I understand.'
'All right, then. Now you sleep on the problem, and tomorrow we'll put our heads together and decide what's to be done. I've never encountered a situation like this before, and it shocks me, yes it does, but I shouldn't be shocked at all because it's the Buchanans you see, and their laird's the worst of the lot. They're all heathens,' he added with a nod. 'Tricking a man of the cloth. Wait until my superiors hear about this. Why, I'm certain they'll figure out a way to remove the blessing from this union. I just may petition the pope to excommunicate every last one of them.'
'Oh, Father, please don't do that. I don't want the Buchanans to get into trouble with the Church.'
Brodick heard every word of the exchange and was highly amused by the priest's fervent speech. Leaning toward Ramsey, he asked, 'Where is it?'
His friend understood what he wanted to know and in a low whisper answered him.
Gillian's wrath was now directed at Dylan. Poking him in the chest, she demanded, 'Why didn't you tell me?'
'You didn't ask me, Lady Buchanan.'
'I'm not your Lady Buchanan,' she cried out, so rattled her words tripped over each other.
'Don't you want to belong to us, milady?' Robert asked.
'I don't want to belong to anyone.'
'Then why did you marry our laird?' Liam asked.
'I didn't know I was marrying him.'
'We knew,' Aaron cheerfully announced. 'We want to keep you, milady,' Stephen interjected. 'You love our laird. We all heard you say so.'
'Aye, we heard you,' Robert agreed. 'And you belong to us, milady.'
Perhaps it was because they were all pressing in on her looking so earnest and worried that she couldn't hold on to her anger any longer. She did love Brodick, and she did want to be married to him. Now and forever. Dear God, they'd all made her daft.
Father Laggan sagged onto the bench and braced one hand on his knee. 'You'd best bolt your door tonight,' he suggested. 'Do you understand what I'm telling you? You've got to stay away from him.'
'Gillian?'
'Yes, Brodick?'
'I want a word in private with you. Now.'
She wasn't given time to think about it. Clasping her hand, he marched out of the hall dragging her along with him.
As soon as the doors closed behind them, a resounding cheer went up. Bridgid was thoroughly perplexed. What in heaven's name was there to cheer about?
Father Laggan had also watched the couple leave. Shaking his head he cried out, 'Didn't the lass hear a word I said? Good Lord Almighty.'
Ramsey suggested a toast then. Bridgid thought he was crazy. Hadn't he been listening to the conversation? 'Laird, I believe you should wait until Laird Brodick and Gillian come back before you give a toast. As to that, why would you toast them? Didn't you hear what Father Laggan said? Tomorrow he's going to… Why are you smiling?'
'Ah, Bridgid, I forgot how innocent and naive you are,' Ramsey said.
'I'm not so naive.'
'Are you waiting for Gillian to come back?' When she nodded, he laughed. 'But you're not naive?'
'No, I'm not,' she insisted.
'Then you understand.'
'Understand what?'
He laughed again. 'They aren't coming back.'
The priest continued to shake his head. 'Good Lord Almighty. He's got her now.'
Chapter Twenty-Four
He swept her off her feet and carried her into the night. She put her arms around his neck and patiently waited for him to tell her where he was taking her. In truth, she had already come to terms with the inevitable. She loved this man with all her heart, and at the moment that was all that mattered.
She traced a line down the side of his face with her fingertip to get his attention. 'Brodick?'
'You will not argue with me,' he commanded. 'You're sleeping with me tonight and every night for the rest of our lives. Understand me?'
She didn't protest or scream, which surprised him.
A moment passed in silence and then she said, 'I have just one question for you.'
He warily glanced down at her. 'What is it?'
'What am I going to tell our children?'
He came to an abrupt stop. 'What?'
'You heard me. What am I going to tell our children? I refuse to tell them I married their father while I was riding a horse, but then you'll probably expect me to give birth on a horse too, won't you?'
His eyes were filled with tenderness when he replied to her outrageous question. 'I think we should concentrate on making my son before we worry about what we're going to tell him.'
She kissed the side of his neck. 'Then I'm in trouble.'
'Why? 'he asked.
'I can't concentrate when I'm around you, but I'll do my best.'
He laughed. 'That's all a man could want.'
'You aren't always going to get your way.'
'Sure I am.'
'Marriage is about compromise.'
'No, it isn't.'
She bit his earlobe. 'Nothing's changed, you know. I'm still going back to England to finish what I've started.'
'Everything's changed, sweetheart…'
