Love Letters from Largs: Brodie and Celestina (Highlander Clan Grant Series Book 3) by Keira Montclair Read Free Book Online

of the thick waves that cascaded down her back. He recalled the depth of her blue eyes with their long lashes and her flawless skin. Every male in the room was totally captivated by her presence and, along with the rest of them, he couldn’t pull his gaze away.
    H er lovely smile appeared to be fooling everyone—everyone except him. He scrutinized the older man she was with, who was busy playing his part for the king. He was certainly pleased to have Celestina on his arm, that much was obvious, but there was an unmistakable coldness in his eyes, even from this distance.
    Then she turned, and her gaze caught his. She smiled, her beauty effervescent, but her eyes betrayed a desperation he had never seen. How could he blame her? He could tell her betrothed was the sort of man who would crush her spirit instead of treating her as she deserved, as a flower ready to bloom. Standing on the other side of her was the man who had spoken to him at the door of the tower home, presumably her father. So she was being transferred from one cruel man to another…no wonder she’d considered ending her plight in such a manner.
    Alex strode up and clasped him on the shoulder. “’Tis the lass, aye?”
    “Aye,” Brodie answered with a belabored sigh. “’Tis the one. Her father is with her, and that must be her betrothed.”
    “She looks happy enough now, Brodie. Mayhap you were wrong about her intentions earlier in the day. You should try to forget her. Her betrothed is a good looking man, and no’ as ancient as I expected.”
    “Happy? Do you call that happy?” Brodie stared at his brother. “Look in to her eyes, Alex. They are the saddest eyes I have ever seen.”
    “Och, ” he said after a moment, “mayhap you are right. She does no’ look happy after all. ‘Tis a forced smile.”
    The men surrounding her wouldn’t stop him from finding a way to talk to her; not her betrothed, not the baron, not even the King of the Scots. He didn’t care what it would take. He had to speak to her again. He just had to.
    The Boyd strolled up to Alex’s side and spoke across him. “So was the king correct, Brodie? Was it young Celestina who caught your eye?”
    Brodie nodded in her direction. “Aye.”
    “Och, you have good taste. She is a rare beauty.”
    “So I walk away? I just forget her and allow her to be manipulated by two cruel men? The lass deserves better.”
    Boyd smiled , resting a reassuring hand on Brodie’s shoulder, gently restraining him. “I am sure the young lass would be much happier with a rugged young Highlander like you than the man her king has chosen for her, but ‘tis politics, lad. Let’s hope the rumors about Fredrik Ivarsson are not all true, aye? I do no’ believe he killed his first wife. He seems quite keen on his intended at the moment.”
    “What? The man killed his first wife?” Brodie’s loud voice made his brother jump, but fortunately the room was noisy at the moment. No one else reacted. “Is this true?” Brodie stared at the small group, ignoring the pointed gaze of his king who appeared to have noticed his interest. Powerless to fight the pull of the blonde beauty, his mind churned with possibilities.
    “Lad, there are other ways to fight,” Boyd said, his voice soft. It was the first thing he’d said that held Brodie’s interest.
    Turning to him, he said, “How so?”
    “We’re about to go to war with Norway. Mayhap ‘tis best for you to await the chaos that comes with war.”
    Brodie nodded in agreement but didn’t voice his thoughts. Now he had an even stronger sense of purpose, if possible. If she married Ivarsson, her life could be at stake.
    Looking back at the lass and her betrothed’s sneer, he didn’t know if he could wait.
    ***
    Ivarsson and the lass’s father left her in the company of a priest and made their way out of the great hall, moving away from the merriment and the king’s eye. Brodie noticed the king’s attention strayed to other areas, so decided to