He checked on his horse, tied up on a low railing beside the driveway. I asked, “Do you want to go to the beach?”

“Aye, I would like tae.”

We walked the block and a half in the heat and sunset light of 7:45 pm in July in Florida. We were both totally quiet. I chewed my lip.

Magnus's face was clouded over. He seemed very upset. I stole glances and tried to calm my nerves.

His boots thudded on the boardwalk to the beach. I walked a half step ahead, so we weren't directly side by side, bumping elbows. The whole time felt a lot like being called to the principal's office. I was trying to get my story straight. I didn't mean to sign a contract with your mom forcing you to marry me, it just kind of happened.

We got to the end of the walkway and the steps to the sand.

“Wait, Mistress Kaitlyn.” He leaned against the railing. “Might I speak tae ye here?”

“Of course.” I was having trouble meeting his eyes. A very warm breeze rose and whipped some of my hair across my face, I tucked it behind my ear. He didn't speak, but I could feel his eyes on me, watching me, intently.

It was too much pressure, I blurted out, “I'm so sorry Magnus, about today. I'm sorry I got in the middle of this with Lady Mairead, I didn't know what to do. I didn't plan it, I promise, I just — I'll go back to you not seeing me, I can do that, can we just forget this happened?”

“Kaitlyn...” He didn't finish and seemed to not know what he wanted to say.

I stared down dumbly at my hands.

“Kaitlyn,” he said again simply. “Tis nae…” He shook his head and shifted his feet. Then he took a deep breath. “Lady Mairead and I hae a strong disagreement about which of us ought tae return tae Scotland. We left something there, something verra valuable, and she wants tae retrieve it. I believe I am better suited tae the task. We hae been arguing about it for weeks and now she has involved ye, Kaitlyn. I'm deeply sorry for that.”

He was saying my name, without the 'mistress.' It threw me for a second, and I didn't know what to do. “Oh. It's okay, I mean, you made yourself very clear the other night; you don't want anything to do with me. I just felt terrible all day about this and so worried about — what I'm saying is you can un-involve me.”

“Nae, I canna.” He shuffled his boot on the sandy boards. “I thought I could. I planned I could away tae Scotland without seeing ye. I told myself I would see ye if I returned someday. But now...” He shook his head. “I hae been overturned.”

“That's what I mean, Magnus, consider me gone. I can't even believe this was — look, Lady Mairead took me by surprise, in retrospect I should have refused to sign it. I'm sorry I put this pressure on you and—” I turned to walk back to Hayley's.

Magnus said, “Kaitlyn, please, stop.”

I turned to him. “Let's just consider the matter closed. It's giving me a stomachache, and I feel really really foolish about it. I just — I can't figure out what's wrong with me that I do this…”

“Ye do what?”

“I don't know, like get my hopes up. Not that I hoped to marry you, that's not it, but just hoped someday someone might want to, um marry me — it's stupid and doesn't involve you, not really.”

Magnus nodded and stared out at the ocean. “I was verra upset when Lady Mairead told me about your meeting. I was furious she involved ye. Our argument this day has been long ranging. But she has shewed me your signature and I — I canna — she is a formidable adversary — she knew what would make it impossible for me tae leave.”

“What would?”

“You, Kaitlyn.” He leaned on one side of the walkway. His eyes met mine across the space.

“But you didn't want to see me anymore.” I leaned on the railing across from him.

“Tis nae that I dinna want tae see ye, tis that I canna. Because I am a dead man, Kaitlyn. There is nae altering that fact. And when I look at ye I want tae live.”

“Oh.”

He took another deep breath and finished, “Without ye I can do what I need tae do; go tae Scotland, retrieve what we lost, and I will die there. Tis the natural order of it.”

“Don't say that Magnus.”

“What, that Lady Mairead wants tae save my life. That she has dragged ye in on it? You will save me Kaitlyn? You winna allow me tae die?” His eyes were intense.

“I won't. I signed it because I didn't want you to die.”

He nodded. “Aye.” He stared off at the ocean again for a long while.

Then he said, his voice low and rumbling, “Ye mean tae marry me tae keep me alive?”

“I mean, I signed the paper, but I told Lady Mairead I needed to speak to you first. If you don't want to, we can not.”

“She means tae hold ye tae it, Kaitlyn. I mean tae.”

This was all very irritating and round about.

“You mean to . . . what, hold me to it?”

“Aye.”

“This isn't how it works — we can choose to get married or not. Lady Mairead gave me a lot of reasons, but we can probably figure something else out. We don't need to—”

“We do.”

“But you barely know me.”

“I know ye. Tis enough.”

I huffed.

“I hae spoken tae the priest, we will see him two days on.”

“Oh, so soon?”

“I will still need tae return tae Scotland even though we are married. Lady Mairead means tae go soon; I will go before she has a chance. I must. It will be good for ye though; ye would keep the estate if I daena return.”

“Good for me? No it wouldn't be, Magnus. Don't be so dark and dramatic. If it's this dangerous you shouldn't go. Nothing is worth that.” I huffed. “And I'm not in it for the money. I mean, I just want that to be—that's not why. I just want to help, and I couldn't think of any reason not to.”

“I can think of a thousand reasons, but I still want tae marry ye, Kaitlyn.”

I looked up at him.

“This isn't how this is normally done.”

“Explain it tae me.”

“We're supposed to have loved each other for a long time. We're supposed to plan a big wedding, invite too many people. You're supposed to make a grand gesture, declare your undying love. Plus there is supposed to be a ring.”

“I hae made an appalling mess of it, but I would wish my meaning tae be clear — I will marry ye, Kaitlyn, and I will become better as time goes on.”

I arched my brow. “I'm supposed to just trust you that you'll get better in time?”

“You will be there ta guide me, Rionnag, I will follow you.”

“What does ru-nak mean?”

“Star.”

“That's better.”

“You hae become mo reul-iuiel, my North Star.”

“That's a lot better.”

“I will give ye a ring when we marry, two days on.”

“We're really going to do this?”

He nodded slowly, watching my eyes. “And when ye art my wife, twill be verra hard tae leave ye. Mairead is verra wise in this. For you are sollier, 'bright', the sun, 'ghrian', Mo Ghradh.

“What does 'mo gra' mean?”

“I'll tell ye one day.”

“See, that's not the way to teach people things, you have to tell them when they ask, no judgement.”

“'Mo ghradh' means my own love.”

“Oh. That's a lot, lot better.”

We stood there awkwardly, because this was the moment for him to sweep me into his arms, but he didn't seem to intend to.

He straightened. “We are decided?”

I said “Yes,” and we walked back to Hayley's house.