“Leave now and do not let me see your face ever again,” Bhric ordered with a stinging sharpness.
“You cannot mean that. He is a friend of mine,” Tavia argued.
“It upsets you that you will not see him again?” Bhric asked with an accusatory tone.
“Of course, it does. He is a good friend, and it would pain me never to see him again,” she said, hoping he would understand. The questioning look in his eyes made her realize he did not trust her word. Worried for Kevin’s safety, she turned to him. “You should go now.”
“A wise decision, wife,” Bhric said.
“I am sorry,” Kevin said.
“Go and be safe,” she said, and felt him slip the ribbons into her hand and smiled. She hid them in the folds of her cloak until she had a chance to tuck them away and keep them out of her husband’s sight, then turned to him.
He grabbed her arm roughly. “You tricked me once before, wife. I will not have you trick me again.”
“I tell you the truth, husband. Kevin is nothing more than a friend to me.”
“A friend you hug,” he accused. “And kiss as well?”
Tavia shook her head, sad that he should even ask that. “Your lips are the only ones that have ever touched mine.”
“How can I be sure when you have deceived me not once but twice already?”
His accusation stung, but he was right. She had deceived him about consummating their marriage and about her limp.
All she could say was, “I do not lie about this.”
“We shall see and know now if you deceived me again, the consequences will be harsh,” he said and hurried to lift her onto her horse.
She was shocked to even consider what her husband had insinuated that she and Kevin had been intimate, but she saw it in his accusing glare. The thought pained her and the only solace she had was that she knew the truth while he would need to learn it for himself.
CHAPTER 7
Tavia looked with curious eyes on her new home as they entered the village on the morning of the third day of travel. It was far larger than she had expected. She had been surprised by the many crofts they had passed on the outskirts of the village and all well-kept. Even with snow on the ground and the flurries of snowflakes that now fell, people were busy outside tending to chores or talking in small groups. Children ran about laughing in delight, pups running along eager to play.
Tavia noticed that many of the people were dressed differently than her and it was then she realized that the majority of those there were Northmen and women. Were there no people left from the Clan MacShane?
She was already missing the only home she had ever known and the sudden realization that she was with strangers in her own homeland made her glad that Hertha and Hume had come with her. At least she would not feel entirely alone, something she had felt yesterday when her husband ignored her after the incident with Kevin. The day and night spent with him before then had given her a shred of hope that things might go well between them. It no longer seemed that way.
Her present problem, though, was not her husband, it was her leg which had grown stiff and sore from endless riding. Her husband had avoided her after the incident with Kevin, so she had spent the day on her horse alone. However, she had been glad that he had joined her by the campfire that night, once again wrapping himself around her to share the heat of their bodies and the fire, though he had not spoken a word to her.
While she found no fault in hugging Kevin, she could see how it might look to her husband, who did not know of her innocent relationship with him. She should have thought better of her actions, but she had been so pleased to see him.
Her leg cramped and she winced. She had found through trial and error that if she did not overdo walking or riding that her leg would not trouble her, leaving her limp far from pronounced and leaving her to suffer little to no pain. Thankfully, Hertha had helped Auda attend her, and the woman knew what to do to help her when the leg gave her trouble.
Her musings faded as her eyes caught sight of the keep not far ahead. It loomed large almost like a bird of prey ready to sweep down and devour the village. The Clan MacShane was a powerful clan, Lord Donald had been a respected and influential man. When he had grown ill much began to change and he had wisely sent for his daughter and grandson. Bhric had managed to keep Clan MacShane powerful. The clans in the area had soon learned that Bhric was not a man to trifle with or make an enemy of and it seemed that Tavia had done both.
Tavia’s stomach churned as she rode toward the keep. Bhric’s men turned Hertha, Hume, and the two bairns in a different direction. She had spent time with Hertha and Hume while traveling here and was grateful for their company and grateful that their presence gave her a small sense of home and had eased her growing apprehension. Now that they were no longer with her, the weight of her true situation grew heavy… she was on her own.
She followed along with the warriors, Bhric in the lead. They came to a slow stop and Bhric dismounted as did his warriors. Tavia wished she could dismount without assistance but that was not possible and so she waited. Her husband approached her and, without meeting her eyes or saying a word, he reached up, his hands finding their way beneath her cloak to grab at her waist and lifted her off the horse and placed her on her feet.
With an abrupt snap of his hand, a woman hurried down the keep steps.
“Marta will see to your care,” he said and walked away.
Tavia fought the pain nagging at her leg. She had been astride the horse too long and was suffering the consequences. She smiled as pleasantly as she could, but the woman did not return her smile. Instead, she stared at Tavia oddly. She was a good head taller than Tavia, her plain face pinched taut with dislike or annoyance, she could not be sure. Wrinkles, many of them, and gray hair braided tightly defined her advanced age.
“I will show you to your quarters,” Marta said and preceded up the stairs.