Conran stopped in the hall and turned sharply on him. “I thought ye said ye’d support me either way?”
“Aye,” he agreed. “And I would have. As yer brother I’ll support ye in anything ye do. And that would have included beating the shite out o’ ye until ye saw yer duty in this situation,” Aulay assured him.
“Ye could try,” Conran said grimly, and turned to head for his own room.
“Brother?”
“What?” He turned back with a scowl.
“The first time is always tricky,” Aulay commented, “but it sounds like ’twas particularly difficult for Evina.”
“Aye,” Conran said on a sigh. “Thinking her experienced, I acted more quickly than I would have had I realized otherwise.”
Aulay nodded. “I suggest ye do some wooing then, and show her that there is pleasure to be found in the marriage bed.”
When Conran arched his eyebrows at the suggestion, Aulay shrugged.
“This is a good deal for you. Ye’d have a home and people o’ yer own,” he pointed out. Smiling faintly, he then added, “Besides, I like Evina. I think she’d be good for ye.”
“Ye like her?” he asked with surprise. “Ye hardly ken her.”
“I ken her actions and she’s shown spunk,” Aulay said with a shrug, and then asked, “Did ye ken she is usually the one who trains the men at practice and gives them their orders?”
“Aye,” Conran admitted. “I did ken that.”
“And she took two men and came to fetch ye herself for her father,” Aulay pointed out. “She did no’ send someone else to do her dirty work. And I gather she knocked ye out to save her cousin?” When Conran nodded, he smiled. “She reminds me o’ Saidh, and I’m thinking ye could use a Saidh in yer life. With Evina for wife, ye’d ne’er need worry about the running of the castle when ye have to rush off to help one o’ our brothers as ye’re wont to do. She can handle matters in yer stead.”
Conran blinked in surprise as he realized he was right.
“However,” Aulay said now, “Evina does no’ have brothers to make her do the right thing here. And I suspect her father will no’ be able to force her. He might order it, but I would no’ put it past the lass to run away rather than marry ye.”
Conran stiffened at the suggestion.
“I’m thinking wooing and bedding her well and often are the only way ye’ll be getting her before a priest. Understand?”
“Aye,” Conran said, and he did. He had to erase her memory of the first time with several good memories. It didn’t really sound a hardship. The first time may have been disappointing, but the situation had been unusual. The next time he’d find his pleasure, but not until he’d ensured she found hers several times first. It was a challenge, but now that he was thinking of it, one Conran was rather looking forward to. He could still feel her body closing warm and tight around him as he’d plunged into her. It had felt damned good. So much so that it had taken him a moment to recognize what the brief resistance he’d met had been. Evina’s scream of pain had helped him identify it, and then the whole situation had gone downhill fast, but the warm, wet glove of her body encasing his cock was something he would not mind experiencing again.
“By me guess ye have perhaps two weeks to do it,” Aulay commented, reclaiming his attention.
“Two weeks?” he asked with surprise.
“I should think ‘twill take that long for Saidh and Greer, and all of our brothers and their mates, to get here for the wedding,” he explained. “Edith and Murine will need to find wet nurses. Their bairns are far too young for travel.”
“Aye,” Conran murmured thoughtfully, and then pointed out, “It’s going to be hard to woo Evina while she’s stuck in bed though. She was badly wounded and should no’ be up and around.”
“I guess ye’ll have to entertain her in bed, then,” Aulay said with amusement. “I’d suggest strip chess.”
Conran blinked. “Strip chess?”
“Aye, me Jetta particularly likes that one. Every time ye take one o’ her chess pieces, ye get a piece of clothing too, and ’tis the same for her with yer pieces.”
Conran’s eyebrows flew up at the explanation. It was hard to imagine Aulay’s sweet wife, Jetta, playing such a game.
“Come to see me if ye need any other ideas. I have many o’ them,” Aulay said with a grin. Murmuring, “Good luck,