Read Online Marriage By Arrangement by Anne Greene - Free Book Online

harbor wanted men.”
    “Those men are Brody’s close friends. I can’t stand by and let the redcoats find and hang them. Besides, they are badly wounded. They would die if we left them inside that cave.”
    “But—”
    “Of course, it is dangerous. But Aunty Moira, Fiona, and several of the servants are caring for them.”
    “But—”
    Megan thrust a chilled finger against Cailin’s lips. “I am well aware of all the buts! This is something we must do. Papa turns a blind eye, though I am certain he knows the men are hidden inside the broch.”
    “If Papa knows, then—”
    “He does.” Megan gave a saucy smile. “Aunty Moira has taken a fancy to one of them.”
    Cailin’s thoughts scrambled. If Papa and Aunty Moira thought their giving a safe haven to wounded Highlanders acceptable, perhaps Brody and Megan were not so addled as they appeared.
    She gazed across the cloud-shadowed moor to the three-story round building no longer protected by crumbling rock walls, but tucked against a hill, and barely discernible to a gaze not searching for the ancient fortress. Gaping holes punctured the sagging brick walls, giving the impression the building verged on collapse.
    “You condone Fiona nursing wounded men?”
    “She’s nursed her brothers for years, and she’s acquainted with the men. They were all neighbors in the Highlands. And they are her brother’s best friends.”
    “But she’s a young lady.”
    Megan grinned. “Yes, and very mature for her age.” She put a hand on Cailin’s arm. “We should not go to the broch. I think it best that the fewer people who visit the better. There might be an English soldier lurking about, and we don’t want to raise his suspicions.” She turned to face the distant castle. “Let’s go back inside. I just wanted to tell you without any listening ears. One of our English guests might hurry to tell the Duke of Cumberland. Then where would we all land?”
    “Inside the Tower of London.” Cailin shuddered and started walking home. “My family is all insane,” she muttered.
     
    ****
     
    Barely two weeks had passed since Megan told Cailin of the wounded men hiding inside their broch.
    No redcoats had set foot on their land.
    “Come up into the attic with me, Cailin,” Aunty Moira urged, tying an apron over her navy day dress.
    Cailin knotted the bow on her own apron, and followed her Aunt’s clattering footsteps up the wooden stairs.
    “Aunty Moira, why did you lure me into the attic? I know this searching for an old painting of Mums is a pretense.” Cailin dropped to her knees to kneel beside her aunt in front of a dusty chest.
    Aunty unfastened the hinge and lifted the lid.
    Cailin sneezed.
    Aunty put her warm hand over Cailin’s. “I’m in love.”
    Cailin’s mouth dropped. “With one of the English gentry?”
    Aunty’s cheeks were stained a pretty pink, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “His name is Ian MacDonald. He is one of the men Brody rescued, and he is recovering from his wounds inside the broch. I have been nursing him, and we have fallen in love.”
    For a few seconds Cailin couldn’t speak. Then she managed to whisper, “I…I’m so very happy for you.”
    “I knew God gave me His blessing when I caught your bridal bouquet. I had only to wait and see who He brought into my life.” Her face glowed. “Ian is one of the finest men I have ever met.”
    Cailin gathered her wits. “But he has a price on his head.”
    Aunty sighed. “Yes. God does not make life easy for His children.”
    “What will you do?”
    “I would love for you to attend our wedding.”
    How could she throw cold water on her aunt’s beautiful dream? She couldn’t. “But, how will you manage?”
    “Brody is passing as a Lowland Scot. With the right clothes, so can Ian. And your Mums promised to handle your Papa. She said I should move out of my rooms into an apartment on the third floor where Ian and I shall have privacy.”
    Her smile was the happiest