“I daenae think we did anythin’ last night.”
A smile drifted over Iona’s lips as she tilted her head. With an arched eyebrow, Iona nodded. The look in her mother’s eyes made Elena want to cry.
“I ken,” she answered. “Gabriel spoke wit’ yer uncle this mornin’.”
Panic shot through her. “What did he say? What did Gabriel tell Darragh?”
“Nothin’ really,” Iona answered, stealing Elena’s hands and patting them tenderly. “It’s more of what he dinnae say that caught my attention.”
“And where is he now? Where is Gabriel?”
“He’s gone wit’ yer uncle and the rest of the men folk out huntin’. Suppose it is the men’s way of bondin’ now they are family.”
“I don’t understand,” Elena said as guilt and shame wrapped around her neck squeezing the words.
“About what?” Iona asked as she stared at Elena lovingly. “Why Gabriel dinnae touch ye?”
Elena swallowed hard. The moisture in her mouth vanished, making it difficult for even her tongue to move.
“Ye’ll find some men are kinder than others. The fact that Gabriel dinnae do anythin’ ye dinnae want him to do proves to me he’s one of the good ones.”
“But he tormented me as a child. Do ye nae remember?”
“Aye, but ye did the same to him,” Iona said with a hearty laugh. “Suppose Gabriel ken what he wanted at that age. And it’s clear he’ll nae do anythin’ to harm ye.”
“What of the contract though? I thought only the union will make it bindin’.”
“True, but nay one need to ken about what went on in here last night. Or in yer case what dinnae happen. Ye’ll find most folks pay nay heed to what happens in the bedchamber between a man and wife after the nuptials are completed.”
“But I’m curious, if nothin’ happened then why have ye slept the day away?”
Elena grabbed her head as the throbbing started up again. She pursed her lips and smiled bashfully.
“Aye,” Iona said, turning and grabbing the small cup of tea on the tray. “Here, willow bark will help wit’ yer head. And I suppose ye stayin’ in here all day does make sense if ye were to have, well, ye ken. Adds plausibility to yer marriage and such.”
Elena sipped the hot tea, allowing its healing properties to ease her aches and pains. As she looked at her mother, she couldn’t help but wonder about Iona’s own happiness.
“Was faither kind to ye? On yer weddin’ night?” Elena asked, setting the tea aside.
Iona cupped her hand to Elena’s face and nodded. “Yer faither was very kind to me. He allowed me to make the choice of when and where. It was never forced on me. I cannae say the same thin’ about Darragh’s wife, Rebecca, though. I recall Darragh was quite rough wit’ her. She stayed in bed for three whole days after. Only when she emerged on the fourth day did we see the markings on her arms and chest.”
Suddenly Elena’s rage toward Darragh was rekindled. Although she always loved her uncle and thought he looked out for her, it was clear why he thought she should be married. He was a man of tradition, after all, and a wife’s place was silent behind the husband.
“Ye shouldnae fear Gabriel, now that I see ye wit’ my own eyes, I can tell he’s very much like the way yer faither was to me. He’ll care for ye and protect ye. Even if that means protectin’ yer virtue and body.”
“Ye make it sound like Gabriel is a saint,” Elena said with a hint of resentfulness. She didn’t want her family to like him. She wanted them to remember all the times he picked on her. The moments he got her in trouble, not what he was like now.
“People change, dear,” Iona said. “And I’m nae sayin’ Gabriel is a saint, Lord only kens the matters of a man’s heart. But I think if ye let go of yer anger, and hatred for him, ye’ll find yerself pleasantly surprised by him.”
Elena picked up a piece of the bread and nodded. She knew there were many things she would have to relearn. For one, she wasn’t entirely certain how a wife should be. All she ken was from what she saw in her youth before her father passed. But even that memory seemed a bit tainted and obscure.
“Now,” Iona said with a cheerful tone. “Best get dressed. Yer sisters are waitin’ for ye in the hall. They all want to ken how yer night went.”
“And what am I to tell them? That Gabriel dinnae want me?”
“Oh, dear, tis nae that he dinnae or doesnae want ye. It’s that he respects ye. If he dinnae, he’d nae have kept his distance from ye,” Iona said, glancing at the divan with the blanket casually tossed over the side.
“As for yer sisters, ye ken they only want yer happiness. Ye tell them what ye want to. They’ll understand, just as I do.”