“I suspected,” Lena replied, kicking at the dirt in frustration. “And they should blame me.”
“Och, nay,” Marsaili rebutted. “If that clot-heid would have released ye when ye asked him to, what occurred after would nae have.”
“Aye, but if I had more control over the panic assaulting me, then I’d nae have responded as I did.”
Marsaili eyed her, her gaze drifting to Lena’s neck. “Were ye besieged by more fear last night after ye went to the bedchamber with yer husband?” Marsaili had spit the wordhusband, and Lena knew why. As she was contemplating just what to tell her sister, Marsaili raised a fist in the air and shook it. “I will kill him for hurting ye.”
“He did nae hurt me!” Lena hastened to assure Marsaili, though it was only half-true.
“He did nae do that?” Marsaili pointed to the slight bruising on Lena’s neck.
Lena’s hand fluttered to her throat. “Aye, he did, but—Sit down!” she demanded when Marsaili popped up, face red and contorted.
“Nay! I’m going to tell Broch!”
“Marsaili, nay!” Lena gasped and grabbed her sister just as she started away. She jerked Marsaili backward, and they both went tumbling to the ground. Lena wrapped her arms around Marsaili, who was struggling to stand, and held her tight. “He was having a terrible dream, and I came into his room. He did nae mean to hurt me!” Lena practically bellowed.
Marsaili immediately stilled. “His room?” She turned her head to look at Lena. “He is nae sleeping in the same bedchamber as ye?”
Lena released Marsaili, and they both sat up. “Nay,” she replied, brushing the leaves that clung to her sleeves from the material. “He is nae. He refused when I asked him to do so.”
Marsaili gave Lena a sympathetic look. “Because of the nightmares?”
“Aye, ’tis what he says. His yelling woke me, so I went into his room after I knocked and he did nae answer. I think he was only barely awake, and he mistook me for whomever was in his dreams.”
“That must have scairt ye half to death!” Marsaili exclaimed.
“Aye,” Lena agreed. “But the surprising thing is, once he released me and I was certain he was awake, I was nae fearful of him at all. I ken in my heart he would nae ever purposely hurt me.”
“Certainly,” Marsaili said, eyeing Lena’s neck once more with a look of concern. “But he kinnae control what he does in his sleep. Dunnae that instill fear in yer heart?”
“It does, but only because I want him to sleep next to me and I fash what will become of us if he kinnae.”
Marsaili gaped at her. “I wish I could meet a man that makes me feel as Alex has clearly made ye feel. Alas, it will nae ever be so with my loss of innocence.”
“I came to Alex far from innocent, and he did nae care,” Lena responded, a sense of awe filling her at how certain she was of this.
“Yer tale is verra different from mine,” Marsaili replied grimly. “Everyone kens ye were married against yer will and yer innocence stolen.” Her cheeks reddened. “I’m sorry if that sounded uncaring.”
“Nay, ’tis fine.” And it was. It still angered her that it had happened, but it was the past and that was where she wished to keep it. She gave Marsaili a pointed look. “If a man truly loves ye, I believe he will ken.”
“Ye’re a dreamer now,” Marsaili said with a laugh.
Lena considered her sister’s words. “I am!” she said with a laugh of her own. “Alex has made me that way. And now I’m dreaming that I can coax my stubborn husband into revealing what haunts him so I can aid him as he’s aided me.”
“Ye love him!” Marsaili accused, shock in her voice.
“I care for him greatly,” Lena countered, her belly tightening and warmth filling her chest.
“I pray to God above he dunnae break yer heart as mine was broken.”
“Tell me of the letter,” Lena urged.
“Ye will hate me,” Marsaili said.
“Nay,” Lena assured her. “I will nae ever hate ye.”
Tears slipped down Marsaili’s cheeks, but she quickly brushed them away. “My da wrote me that he had lied to me when I gave birth. They took my bairn and told me he was dead, but he lived. He says he did it for me, but I ken well he did it with a mind to still use me in marriage. It would have been just like him and my stepmother to marry me to an important ally and force me to be deceptive about my innocence.”
