Dangerous Pride by Eve Cameron Page A

one of the lads to bring him the bucket of water that lay nearby, and after drinking his fill, he passed it to his friend.  A wry looked crossed Lachlan’s handsome features, but he too drank thirstily, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand when he had finished.  “And before you say aught, it was no’ as if you let me win.  I beat you fair – and if you have any honor, you will no’ claim otherwise.”
    Lachlan raised his eyebrow, but eventually nodded his agreement.  “Aye, you beat me, but ‘twas only because I found myself distracted.  You ken better than to think you could best me unless you had some advantage.”
    “Ne’er let it be said yer a gracious loser,” his friend replied, satisfied for the moment that he had been granted a victory, albeit grudgingly.  There were few men who could claim that honor from Lachlan Forbes, and Iain intended to savor the achievement.  Wincing at the pain of his aching muscles, he reclined his long, lean body on the ground, the grass gently cooling his exhausted body.  If he was sore already, he knew there would be hell to pay on the morrow.  It was unlikely he would even be able to drag his battered body from his bed, but still, it was a small price to pay for his victory.  Propping his head on his arms, Iain turned to face his friend, who was peering off into the distance, a distracted, tense expression on his face.  “Could it be that yer thinking about yer forthcoming wedding?  Yer as jumpy as a bairn the night before Christmas, and at yer age, it is no’ a pretty picture.”
    Lachlan smiled, enjoying the fresh air as it filled his lungs and calmed him.  In the distance, he could see the saplings in the fields gently swaying with the force of the breeze.  “If you think I’m anxious to wed yer sister, you do no’ ken me as well as you think.”  Iain raised his head to get a closer look at his friend, surprised at the rueful note in his voice.  “Elizabeth is bonnie enough, but I did no’ plan to be married this young.  I always hoped I’d have a chance to see the world and find my place in it first.”  Absently, Lachlan reached down to grab a fistful of dirt from the ground, sifting it through his fingers as he spoke.  “Aye, Elizabeth is pleasing to look at, but life with her is no’ what I had in mind for myself.”
    “I did no’ realize you weren’t pleased by the match,” Iain replied carefully.  “You’ll tame her tongue soon enough, once yer wed, if that’s what worries you.”
    Lachlan waved off his friend’s concerns with an idle gesture.  “She’s a fine lass, Iain, but I’m no’ sure she and I will suit.  I do no’ ken Elizabeth well, I grant you that, but she does no’ seem to be verra interested in the world around her.” Lachlan snorted, embarrassed by his analysis of his wife-to-be.  “Listen to me – going on like I actually have some say in the matter.  It’s no’ as if I could have my pick of lasses.  What woman wants a man with but one good hand, whose family’s fortunes are all but lost, and whose lands are mortgaged to the hilt?  You must think I’m an idiot.”
    “The lands and the money and yer hand matter no’ at all,  and you well ken it.  Half the lasses in the keep hang on yer every word when you visit Boyne, or any other holding, for that matter.  Nay, if you had the chance to choose a lass for yerself, you would no’ lack for suitable candidates.” Iain spoke with confidence as he reclined on the patch of grass, staring into the bright spring sky.  “With my sister, you will get a lady – be sure of it – but a vainer lass I have yet to meet.  She has no idea of the work it takes to run a keep.  But then, she could no’ really learn those skills from my parents, you ken?”  Lachlan nodded his understanding.  Iain was embarrassed by his cold, distant parents, and did everything within his power to avoid them as much as possible.
    “Is there someone else you fancy,