“If there were time, I would take you to our bed and keep you there the rest of the day and night.”
She smiled. “And I would happily remain there with you.”
He reluctantly pulled away from her and carefully lowered her dress and lifted her off the table to place her gently on her feet before he turned away from her. “I need to wash and be ready for Kellmara.”
At that moment she had a profound dislike for the man. Why did he have to arrive at the keep now? And what did he want from her? She tried to tell herself that it did not matter. She was Torr’s wife and nothing could change that. Then why was she so disturbed by his arrival?
“Do not worry,” Torr said, watching her pace in front of the door. “All will be well.”
She prayed his words were true.
The sudden toll of the bell letting everyone know the approaching troop had reached the rise startled them both as did the pounding on the door.
“Your presence is requested at the keep immediately,” a voice shouted.
“We will be right there,” Torr called out and turned to Wintra. “Let us go get this over so that we may return here and enjoy the night together.”
“I will be counting the minutes until we are alone,” she said eagerly and took hold of his hand.
They left the cottage and she hurried along with Torr into the Great Hall to join her brother and Dawn at the dais to greet the man who had journeyed here in regards to her. Her stomach roiled with worry, and she wished this day was over and that she was in bed with her husband making love. She chased the thought away. She had to keep her mind clear and focused. She had to know what the Earl of Kellmara wanted with her.
“You are to remain seated until I summon you,” Torr said to Wintra and she scowled. He could not help but grin. “You are almost as good as your brother with that scowl, though if you show it too often you will be cursed with a bevy of wrinkles.”
She poked him in the ribs, her finger hitting nothing but hard muscle. “Then do not make me scowl.”
“That’s right, it is your fault my sister scowls. She never scowled before,” Cree said with a levity that few got to see.
“My brother is right,” Wintra said seeing for the first time in many years the brother who had once teased and made her laugh.
“Right or not, I am your husband now and you will obey me,” Torr said with a smile, but all who heard knew that it was a reminder that Wintra was his and no one answered for her but him. “Cree and I shall wait in front of the dais to greet the Earl of Kellmara.”
Cree nodded letting Torr know he understood, though his scowl let him know that he was appeasing Torr.
The doors to the Great Hall swung open and six warriors, thick in size, entered, their swords hanging heavily at their sides. They scanned the room quickly, then one snapped his hand at a warrior standing guard by the door and a moment later a man walked in.
He was tall with pure white hair that just brushed his shoulders and though age showed on his face, it did so with grace. He was a handsome man with striking blue eyes. His stance was firm and confident, his body more that of a young warrior, muscled and firm, than an aging, seasoned one. And from his intense expression, he was a man who had no intentions of being denied.
“Thank you for receiving me into your home, Earl of Carrick.”
“What brings you here, Kellmara?” Cree asked, getting right to the point.
“I have come to take Wintra—my daughter—home where she belongs.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Wintra was shocked by the Earl of Kellmara’s remark, though was even more shocked by Cree’s reply.
“So you are the bastard who raped my mother?” Cree said, taking a threatening step toward the man.
Kellmara warriors advanced on their laird ready to protect him, but Kellmara was quick to stop them with a simple raise of his hand. He then took a step toward Cree and in a clear and firm voice said, “I did not rape Colleen. I loved her.”
“My mother came home beaten and bruised one day—”
“I only recently found out about that incident and believe me the man responsible has suffered the consequences. I was sent away by my father and thought to return in a few short days with plans of wedding your mother. It was years before I was allowed to return home and by then,” —he paused a moment—“I discovered Colleen had died. It wasn’t until recently I learned that Colleen had a daughter who would be ten and nine years now. That would make her my daughter and I intend to claim her.”