Before she could think on itfurther, he spoke. “Ye’re freezing,” he said, shifting behind her. His armreleased her, and then both hands encircled her as he drew her so close to himthat she could feel the beat of his heart through the thinmaterialof her gown. In the next instant, a heavy fabric was laid over her legs andtucked behind her back and under her chin. She glanced down to see the plaidhe’d been wearing, and her eyes flew open wide as she craned her neck to lookat him.
She gasped as her gaze locked onhis bare legs. He wore nothing but a long léine. “You cannot ride around likethat! You’re naked.”
He grinned. “I assure ye, I’m nae.If ye’d care to see me naked…”
He was trying to provoke her. Sheshook her head. “No.”
He stared at her as if he weretrying to read her thoughts. “Ye ken ye desire me.”
“I don’t know a thing aboutdesire,” she snapped, though she suspected he was right and that the odd feelinghe’d been causing in her was indeed lust.
“It’s nae bad ye desire me. Idesire ye, too.” He said the last as if that fact bothered him, but he spokeagain before she could consider why. “’Tis the truth. It will make beingmarried more pleasant for both of us.”
“Do you want a pleasant marriage?”If he did, at least that was something. Many men just wanted a wife to givethem babies and do their bidding.
He shrugged. “It matters littlewhat I want. We’re to be married by the wishes of our kings, so we will be.”
“It matters to me what you want,”she said. “Idon’t wish for a husband who will treat me poorly.”
“I dunnae treat anyone poorly,” hereplied, his voice gruff. “Simply do as I tell ye, stay out of my way, and wewill live peacefully.”
She ground her teeth. “So you wanta wife without an opinion who will obey your every command?”
“A wife must listen.”
His hard, unbending tone irritatedher. “You want a dog not a wife,” she grumbled.
“Ye’ve strange ideas about awoman’s place, Marion.”
Maybe she did, but her mother usedto tell her stories every night about her sisters who had married for love andhow wonderful their lives were. Marion wanted that. She had longed for a happyfamily for as long as she could remember, and she had known deep within thatthe key to that was love. A husband had to love his wife, or at the very leastbe capable of love, unlike her father. She stilled, fear rising in her chest.She couldn’t even say if Iain was capable of love or not.
“Have you ever been in love?” sheblurted.
He started at her question. “Aye.”The word throbbed with suppressed pain that made Marion instantly curious aboutwhat had happened and completely relieved that he could feel for another withsuch depth. “What happened to the woman you loved?”
“She died,” he replied, the wordscatching in his throat.
Marion bit her lip at how awful itwas to lose someone you loved. She’d never been in love, but she had loved hermother greatly and lost her. “I’m so sorry,” she offered lamely. “How did shedie?” Sometimes it helped to talk of it. At least it had helped her to talk toAngus about the unfairness of her mother’s passing.
“She was sick,” he replied, hisvoice like a blast of cold air. “Dunnae ask me of my wife again. Ken?”
“Your wife?” she gasped, unable tocontrol her reaction. “I didn’t know you’d been married before.”
“There was no reason ye would,” hesaid, his tone still chilly as if her words had opened a wound and he was nowirritated. She struggled to find something to say to put him at ease when heclicked his tongue again and his horse began to move.
In the distance, she could see herfather’s castle, and her thoughts shifted from Iain to Angus. She clutchedIain’s hard thigh before she realized what she was doing. When she felt themuscles tense under her touch, she released him, her cheeks flaming.
“We need a plot to get Angus out ofthe castle,” she said, turning to the subject that most needed to be addressed.
“I already have one,” hereplieddismissively.
She clenched her teeth and inhaleda long steady breath. “I wish to be part of the plot.”
“It’s best ye learn now, Marion,that ye’ll nae always get what ye wish,” Iain said, pulling his horse to astopnext to some large trees where Rory Mac was already helping Neil off the horse.Iain dismounted quickly and assisted Marion down. Once her feet hit the ground,she turned toward him, her temper flaring that he too seemed to think herspoiled and pampered.
“I’ve learned well enough that I’llnot always get what I want, but in this, I must demand.”
Iain shook his head, his jaw set inobvious determination. “I’ve spoken, and that is that.”
