The somber tone of Ben’s reply gave Kenzie pause. Had his marriage been an unhappy one? She thought not, but maybe she was wrong. Kenzie understood what it was like to be a child of an unhappy marriage, and it was certainly worse if you were stuck in an unhappy union and unable to get out.
Ben sipped from his wine, his eyes no longer as clear and bright as they usually were. The party had been going on for some hours now, and it seemed as if he was enjoying himself a little too much now that he was almost back to full health.
“I understand you were married. Will you tell me a little about her? Only if you wish to, of course.” For weeks, Kenzie had wanted to know who Ben had married. What had this mysterious Aline been like? Was she nice? Beautiful? Tall or short? And how had she managed to get this big, hulking Scot to succumb to vows?
Ben’s attention didn’t waver from the dancing couples before them. He was quiet for so long that Kenzie wondered if he was going to answer, when he said, “What’s to say, other than the lass married me under false pretenses, and I ruined her life.”
Kenzie coughed, stunned. Not entirely, anyway. “She bore you a child. I’m sure Aline didn’t think that you ruined her life.” And to Kenzie, now that she’d come to know Ben a little, she couldn’t find much not to like. He was strong, loyal, cared for those around him…
“When ye friend Abby came back, Aedan was engaged to Aline. I tricked the lass into running away with me. To marry me under the pretense that I loved her and that she’d be happier and better off at Castle Ross.”
“Did you come to love her?” Kenzie asked, unsure why his answer was important to her. Couples married all the time under the guise of affection, and although it may not be present when the vows were first spoken, it didn’t mean that they weren’t present at all during the union. Love could grow, blossom out of the most unstable foundation.
“Aye, I cared for her a great deal and she, too, me. And then she died.”
“I’m sure…I’m certain she wouldn’t hold a grudge toward you for her death. You cannot think that she does.”
“Aye, ’tis exactly what I think, and it’s something that I have to live with each and every day.”
Ben walked off, leaving her to watch the dancing couples alone. He headed toward the stairs at the opposite end of the hall. She sighed, feeling for the man. Maybe her asking about his past had been wrong. Aline’s death and speaking of their time together was still too raw for the laird to face, which was understandable. His wife hadn’t been gone a year.
The night wore on and Kenzie left the celebration to continue without her. Some guests lay strewn across the floor beside the hall fires, while others drank at tables and laughed about numerous tales and adventures. Bidding Gwen and Braxton good night, Kenzie headed upstairs.
The sound of giggling coming from the first-floor landing made her pause. She continued on slowly, hoping she wasn’t about to walk in on a couple enjoying the dark solitude the floor granted and came face-to-face with Ben. He sat in a window alcove, the silver light of the moon kissing his bare chest while the maid she’d seen earlier at the church petted and giggled into his neck.
Kenzie stopped short, and she shut her mouth with a snap, hoping like hell that what her eyes were seeing wasn’t actually happening. And to think she’d been sorry for the man. She shook her head. What an idiot she was.
They finally noticed her presence. The smug glance from the giggling maid made Kenzie’s blood boil. “Apologies for interrupting. I’ll just continue on and leave you to it, shall I.” She threw Ben a scathing glance and received one in return. How dare he be annoyed with her! She wasn’t the one who had recently been almost-crying about a dead wife and now found it appropriate to fornicate with a maid in a window.
Making it to her room, Kenzie slammed her door, a pathetic, youthful reaction that she regretted immediately. The last thing Kenzie wanted Ben to think was that she cared what he did. Who he slept with. Who he kissed. As far as she was concerned, he could do whatever he wanted. After all, he only had