“I would not wager on that,” Cree called out and followed the two men up.
Fia dropped to the pallet, relieved the men were gone. She had not known what to expect when the large man appeared. She knew her fate rested here, and she knew her fate involved a man. She feared the large man might have been him. He was not kind, and she rested her hand to her chest, her heart pounding against it, grateful he was not the man.
She lowered herself to the pallet and wrapped a blanket around her, chilled, and prayed whatever fate she would face, it would be with the strength and courage her grandmother had faced hers.
CHAPTER 19
“What do you mean it was your decision to clean the dungeon?” Newlin demanded of his daughter.
“It was a disgusting place,” Tavia said and shuddered. “I could not fathom it. It had to be done and so I made sure it was cleaned.” She shook her head when her da gave a quick glance at Lady Dawn. “Lady Dawn had no part in this. This was entirely my decision.” She caught Torin shaking his head. “Are you going to hurry and run now, Lord Torin, and send a report of my abysmal behavior to my husband?”
“Tavia, apologize to Lord Torin!” her da scolded.
“He deserves no apology and I deserve no rebuke. I made a decision and I make no apology for it,” Tavia said with a defiant lift of her chin.
Torin’s face grew taut in annoyance, and he struck back. “Your da made a decision as well. Flora and I will wed.”
All color drained from Tavia’s face, and she stumbled back a step, then turned a horrified glare on her da. “Tell me you did not do this, Da.”
“Flora’s life is here in the Highlands now. What better way for her to grow accustomed to it than with a husband and a family of her own,” Newlin said, as if making sense of his decision.
“How could you, Da, after all Flora has been through?” Tavia said.
“It is for the best,” her da argued.
“My marriage was a necessity, but marrying Flora off when she has barely spent time with us is cruel, Da.”
“I do what is good for her and you will say nothing to her about this until I inform her of it,” Newlin ordered.
“On that, Da, you are wrong,” Tavia said and fled the room.
Dawn gestured to her husband, and he nodded.
“We leave you both to talk,” Cree said to Newlin’s relief, and Beast, having woken with a start by the raised voices had gone and taken a protective stance by Dawn, followed them out the door.
Dawn hugged her husband’s arm after they stepped outside, Beast running to dive into the snowdrifts and Dermid following a distance behind them.
“This problem grows more complicated by the day. I long for the quiet and peace of our clan. We will be here a week tomorrow and I will not spend another week here. Tomorrow you will linger by the kitchen and see if the young lass appears to you again. I will have warriors ready to capture her—gently,” Cree said when his wife’s eyes widened with concern. “At the moment, she is our only chance of possibly seeing this mystery solved.”
Dawn nodded eagerly and let him know she had thought the same. She had more to tell him, but not now. All she wanted was to enjoy a walk with her husband in the snow. He had to feel the same for he fell as silent as she did.
They continued walking in silence when Dawn suddenly spotted Lord Torin walking through the village a pleased smile on his face.
Seeing him made her heart ache for Flora. The news that the couple would wed had shocked her, though she had noticed Torin’s interest in the woman and had hoped it would go no further. She had not thought that Newlin would be so callous as to marry his niece off so quickly after her arrival here. She barely had time to get over her parents’ deaths and adapt to her new home. Now she was being sent away again and with a stranger. There was no chance Flora would agree with the arrangement and yet there was no way she could stop it. Her uncle was her guardian and could wed her to whoever he chose.
“I can feel your upset,” Cree said after taking a few steps. “It is seeing Lord Torin smug and pleased with securing a marriage to Flora that bothers you, is it not?”
Dawn nodded, then shook her head.
“You think Newlin is wrong in marrying Flora to Torin?” he asked, catching a glance at the bairns who rushed to join Beast in play.
Dawn shrugged, then brought them to a stop to gesture with both hands, annoyance having her hands flying fast.