Margaret gasped aloud this time. Even more than the woman’s rudeness in insulting her to her face, Margaret was shocked Finn’s own mother actually believed Finn would take advantage of a woman in such dire straits. How could she know her son so little? He was not that sort at all.
Instead of responding with another jest, Finn’s jocular manner was replaced by a dangerous stillness.
“Oh my,” Margaret said quickly, “I’m afraid ye misunderstand altogether.”
Everyone, including the earl and the countess, turned to look at her as she tried desperately to think of an explanation for her presence that his mother would accept and would not reflect badly on Finn—or make her out to be a prostitute.
“What do I misunderstand?” his mother asked, her black eyes glinting with malice.
“Well…ah…” Margaret swallowed. The woman was a bit frightening. “Finn began meeting me and Ella outside of the abbey church every day to walk us home, which was a great kindness, as the only room I could afford was in a dangerous part of the city.”
She was rather proud of herself for adding that bit about the dangerous part of the city to support Finn’s claim she had been in difficult straits.
“As ye know, Finn is easy to talk to,” she said. “In a short time, we came to know each other quite well.”
“I’m sure ye did,” Finn’s brother said in a snide tone.
Well, that one certainly took after his mother.
Margaret was desperate to bring her meandering tale to an end, and yet she had to come up with an ending that would explain why she was here. She never thought she would regret having so little practice at lying. If only her sister Sybil was here to help her.
“Finn told me he simply must carry me off with him to the Highlands.”
That much was true, but as soon as she said it, she realized how they would interpret it. She rushed on before his brother or mother could make another rude remark.
“As Finn needed to go north and wished to have matters settled between us quickly,” she said, “he suggested the Highland custom of handfasting.”
If she had surprised them before, it was nothing to what she had done now. They all stared at her with their mouths open, including Finn, but it was too late to stop now.
“So that’s what we did,” she said, “right there on the steps of the abbey church.”
“Ye married her?” Finn’s mother asked him. “She’s yourwife?”
The silence stretched out for so long that it was apparent Finn was too stunned to answer.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Margaret said with a bright smile. When Finn still said nothing, she leaned into him with her hand on his chest and looked up with what she hoped passed for adoration.
“Aye,” Finn finally croaked out. “That’s just how it happened.”
He looked as if he’d been hit over the head with a brick, as if marrying her was the worst fate imaginable, which was rather insulting. She had always been good at swallowing her pride and biting back a clever response, knowing it would cause more trouble than it was worth. Why this, of all the slights and insults she had suffered in her life, pushed her over the edge, she could not say.
But it did.
“My darling Finn took an oath and swore by all that is holy that he would never touch another woman.” She felt a sense of satisfaction when his entire family sucked in startled breaths. “Aye, he pledged to me—and these were his verra words—If I ever so much as look at another woman with lust, may God strike me blind!”
Good heavens, what had come over her to make up such a lie? And when had she developed such a wild imagination?
“I’ll wager Finn will be blind inside a week,” Finn’s brother said with a guffaw, while his wife glared at Margaret with daggers in her eyes.
The silence stretched out so long then that Margaret had an urge to confess. Fortunately, Alex’s mother intervened.
“I’m sure you’re weary after your journey,” she said, taking Margaret and Finn firmly by their arms. “I’ll show you two newlyweds upstairs to a guest bedchamber.”
Margaret ventured a glance atFinn’s still-stunned expression and swallowed hard.
“I’ll send servants up with refreshments and hot water for a bath,” his aunt said as she marched them toward the stairs. “No need to rejoin the family until morning. We’ll celebrate thishappynews another day.”
CHAPTER 15