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Coldness iced his heart. She deserved none of his pity. A means to an end, she was. Nothing more. Despite his resolve, guilty thoughts pricked at him for treating a woman like this.
She is a Norman, his brain reminded him. He could not lose sight of that.
Leaning forward, he increased the speed of his mount. Her posture remained rigid, not accepting any of his body’s warmth. He should be thankful that she didn’t weep or cling to him. And yet it was a first for him, to have a woman shrink away.
As each mile passed, the silence continued. Finally, he reached the outskirts of a forest. Near the edge stood the abandoned hut he’d seen on his journey earlier. The last of the sunlight rimmed the landscape, unfurling the night. He slowed Bel and eased up on the reins, letting the stallion walk towards the shelter.
When they arrived, he dismounted and helped her down. Isabel stared at the thatched wattle-and-daub hut, frowning. ‘I can see why it was abandoned.’
The roof needed fresh thatching and one section of the wall sagged, as though the hut might collapse. Patrick let Bel wander over to a small ditch filled with water. Then he opened the door for Isabel.
‘Go inside while I tend to my horse,’ he ordered. He removed the saddle and rubbed down the stallion. When he’d finished, he entered the hut and was thankful to find a small pile of dry firewood inside. He used some of the fallen thatch to make a pile of tinder. With flint and steel, he sparked a flame. Isabel hung back, watching him.
‘I thought you had left me,’ she murmured.
‘Is that not what you wanted?’
‘I had no wish to be deserted in the middle of nowhere,’ she said. She shivered again, nearing the small blaze he’d kindled in the hearth. ‘I was frightened,’ she admitted.
‘Wolves?’
Her lips pursed and she shook her head. ‘Thieves. Someone might have come, and I couldn’t have defended myself.’
There was a grain of truth in it. She was right. He had been negligent in protecting her, but he made no apology.
‘Are you hungry?’
At her nod, he continued, ‘I’ll start cooking the meat. In the meantime, there’s a flask of mead tied to the saddle. Go and fetch it.’
Isabel stepped outside, and Patrick tended the fire until he had a strong flame burning. He didn’t worry she would try to escape. They were miles from anywhere, and the darkness would prevent her from fleeing.
With his knife, he finished skinning the hares and spitted them. He set the hares above the fire and Isabel returned with the mead. Suddenly she shrieked and dropped the flask. It struck the earth, but did not shatter. Patrick drew his sword, but no one stood at the door. A large rat raced past her, darting around.
When the rodent charged, Isabel grabbed a heavy branch from the pile of firewood and swung it, battering the floor and screeching when the animal neared her skirts.
The rat skittered away from the fire, and Patrick ducked when her club nearly missed his head.
‘What in the name of Lug is going on?’ he demanded. ‘The animal is on the ground.’
‘Get it out of here!’ she wailed. Her horrified expression, coupled with the wild swinging of the branch, forced him to act. Patrick opened the door and kicked the rodent outside.
Isabel stood on a wooden bench, still wielding the branch. She held her hand to her heart, her mouth tight with fear. This was more than the disgust he’d seen on the faces of most women. She’d been terrified.
‘You’ve seen rats before,’ he remarked.
Though Isabel nodded, her fear didn’t diminish. ‘I hate them. And mice. And anything that nibbles.’
He couldn’t resist the urge to tease her. ‘They’re probably living in the thatch.’
A whimper sounded from her lips. ‘Please, God, no.’
He moved closer and disarmed her, tossing the branch onto the hearth. Standing before her, he saw her shudder. Her veil had come loose from the thin gold circlet, and she clutched the crimson kirtle. Though she raised her eyes to his, the fear in them was so great, he felt badly for his teasing.
He studied her, the warm brown eyes and the pale cheeks. She smelled like a mixture of honeysuckle and rose, every inch a lady. Though she tried to keep her courage, her fear of something else was stronger. It was the fear of a woman who had never lain with a man before.
Soaked as she was, the silk outlined every curve. His imagination conjured up wicked thoughts, of sliding the silk from her shoulder and tasting the warm woman’s flesh.
He could not weaken. He’d not touch her, though it had been many moons since he’d known the pleasures of a woman’s body.
Instead he changed the subject. ‘That bench is going to collapse.’ Isabel grimaced, her eyes watching the floor as though she expected an army of rats to invade the cottage.
At her hesitation, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the opposite side of the hut. Her body was cold against his, and he set her down upon a table. Isabel tucked her knees up, shivering. Patrick returned to the hearth and turned the roasting hares over. ‘Why do they bother you so much?’
She covered her face in her knees. ‘My sisters. Patrice and Melisande played a trick on me when I was small. They put mice in my hair while I was sleeping.’ She shuddered again. ‘I’ve never forgotten the feeling of them climbing on my face, getting tangled in my hair.’
‘Are they your younger sisters?’ he asked.
‘Older.’ She raised her gaze to his. ‘I’m not a wealthy heiress, in case you thought to claim land.’
‘I have no need of land. And your father and I came to a different agreement during the betrothal.’
An agreement where Thornwyck intended his grandsons to be future kings of Eíreann. Patrick tossed another limb on to the fire. There would be no children, his own form of revenge. Though Thornwyck could take his tribe prisoner, capturing Laochre and forcing an alliance, at least this was something the Baron could not control.
His wife had stopped shivering at last. She removed her veil and finger-combed her long golden hair to dry. It glowed in the firelight, a vibrant contrast to her crimson silk kirtle.
She rotated to warm another part of her body. When she caught him watching her, she frowned. Patrick turned away and checked on the hares again. After a time, the tantalising aroma of the roasting meat filled the air. The meat dripped with juices, and he cut off a piece with his knife, offering it to her along with a hard loaf of bread. She tore off a piece of bread and handed it back. Nibbling at the hare, she murmured, ‘Thank you.’
‘I was not intending to starve you,’ he said. ‘No thanks is needed.’
‘Not just for the food—’ her face flushed red ‘—also for not bedding me after the ceremony.’ She moved her gaze away, staring at the roasting meat.
Patrick crossed the room and stood before her. She needed to understand her role in this union. Resting his hands upon the table, he trapped her in place. His hands dug into the wood and he hid none of the frustrated anger, nor the vehemence he felt.
‘You needn’t worry that I will bed you now. Or at all, for that matter.’
She blanched, but he held his ground. The marriage was part of a surrender agreement, not a true alliance. She would never be a queen, nor would she bear sons of his blood.
It was best she got used to it now.
Isabel groaned, as rays of sunlight speared her eyes. She tried to uncurl her body from where she’d slept upon the table. Her husband had not protested her choice, and she’d covered her hair with her veil. Even so, she’d had trouble falling asleep for fear of rats.
Such a strange wedding night. She didn’t know what to think of Patrick MacEgan, nor their future together. Her husband stood at the doorway, his back to her. Isabel stifled her surprise. His tunic hung near the dying fire and he was bare from the waist up. His bronzed skin glowed in the sun while rippled muscles revealed his strength.
She held her breath as he stretched. Toothless and ageing he wasn’t. But he’d laid her apprehensions to rest last night. He’d already said he had no intention of bedding her. She should be overwhelmed with relief.
Instead, it made her suspicious. And uneasy about their arrangement. Why would he keep her a virgin? And for how long would he leave her alone? Her father had threatened them both if she was not carrying an heir by the time he arrived in Erin. Edwin de Godred would not hesitate to humiliate her.
Isabel swung down from the table, eyeing the floor for any sign of rodents. Her limbs felt stiff and aching. And, sweet saints, there was more riding this day. Her backside chafed from the journey yesterday.
Patrick turned around. ‘Good. You’re awake. Break your fast and we’ll go.’ He picked up his tunic and donned it, heading back outside.
Isabel spied the fallen length of cloth on the floor and wrapped it around her shoulders. A brat, he’d called it. At least it kept her warm in the morning chill. She ate the piece of bread he’d left for her, then ventured outside.
The rising sun glimmered through the forest, while the wet grass shone. ‘Aren’t queens supposed to travel in a litter?’ she grumbled.
‘You aren’t a queen.’
‘But I thought—’
‘You are a bride, but not a queen. You will not rule over my tribe.’
There was anger in his voice, a dark threat that made her tremble. What did he expect from her? As his wife and lady, she had responsibilities to fulfil. She frowned as he lifted her atop his stallion. ‘Then why bother taking me to Erin?’
‘Because the Normans need evidence that I’ve kept my word. Only then will they obey your father’s orders to free my people.’
She did not bother to converse during the remainder of the journey. A flare of annoyance sparked. He did not want her to play any part in their lives. What did he expect her to do? Sit in a corner and spin until she rotted?
Her feelings flamed with silent rage. Aye, she was a Norman, but she had done nothing wrong. She had no choice in this marriage, but she refused to be treated like the enemy.
Last night she’d stayed awake for hours, trying to decide what to do. Though she could behave like a child and try to flee, it would do no good. Either Patrick or her father would bring her back again.
No longer could she return to her home or her people. Whether she willed it or not, as a married woman she had no choice but to remain with Patrick MacEgan.
Her husband claimed Edwin would execute his people if she did not come to Ireland. He’d said there were children threatened.
The very thought numbed her heart. Cruel deeds happened in battle. She’d seen it for herself once, and, even now, she shuddered at the memory of a burning village.
Though her escorts had kept her far away from the carnage, she’d never forgotten the screams of the victims. A young boy, hardly more than three years of age, had stood beside a dead woman, sobbing for his mother. No one had come for him.
She wished she had ordered her escorts to stop. She should have taken the boy with her, even though she had only been fifteen herself. Likely he had died with no one to care for him.
It was possible that Patrick’s people had suffered the same fate as the villagers. She didn’t want to believe it. But what if it were true? How could she live with herself if she let others die because of her own selfish fears?
No, until she fully understood what had happened to his people, she could not leave. She’d accompany her husband to Erin, and learn the truth.
Isabel expelled a breath, gathering her wits. Surely once Patrick saw her skills at running a household, he would allow her to be useful. Somehow, some way, she would find a way to heal the breach between them and make a place for herself.
Her future depended on it.
The coastline loomed before them, shadowed by the sunset. The last vestiges of daylight disappeared beneath the clouded horizon, and Patrick saw his brothers’ horses grazing a short distance away. Relief filled him to know they were safe.
He slowed the stallion’s gait. The waves surged against the sand, spraying foam into the salty air. Their ship waited on the strand for the morning tide, a vessel large enough for their horses and the four of them. Without the help of his brothers, he could not sail it.
Patrick reined his horse near the caves and dismounted. Isabel’s eyelids drooped, her body struggling to remain upright. He lifted her down, and her knees buckled before she regained her footing.
‘I don’t think I ever want to ride a horse again,’ she murmured. He let her lean against him as they moved towards the caves. After several minutes of walking, he spied the golden cast of firelight against the cavern.
Lug, but he looked forward to a good night’s rest. Only amongst his brothers could he relax. Each would give his life for the other.
‘Come.’ He led her to the mouth of the cave. Isabel stumbled across some of the rocks, and he caught her. Though her body had a delicate softness, her strength of will rivalled his own.
His brother Trahern stooped near the entrance, his head nearly touching the stone ceiling. ‘So this fine cailín is your new wife?’
Isabel steadied herself. ‘I am.’
‘I am Trahern MacEgan,’ he introduced himself. ‘And it’s curious I am—why you didn’t run away from my brother? If I had to wed him, I would have done anything to escape.’
She tucked a lock of escaping hair behind her veil and offered a sheepish smile. ‘How do you know I did not try?’
‘More’s the pity you didn’t succeed.’ Trahern released a laugh. ‘Come and eat with us, sister. Bevan here is scowling because he lost our wager. He thought you’d run.’
The scar across Bevan’s cheek whitened. He offered no kiss of welcome, and Patrick did not press for the courtesy. He’d rather his brother hold his silence.
He led her towards the fire. Isabel huddled close to the flames, shivering to get warm. Her hand moved to her backside, and she closed her eyes as if to suppress the pain.
‘There will be no more riding,’ Patrick reassured her. In truth, he was glad of it himself, though he did not relish the voyage at dawn. He hated being powerless and at the mercy of the wind.
‘I am glad of it.’ Isabel let the brat slide from her shoulders. A damp tendril of hair curled across her shoulders, down to a slender waist. She met his gaze with a forthright stare of her own.
He tore his gaze away. She might be a beautiful woman, but he had no right to look. The vow he’d made, to leave her untouched, strangled anything his traitorous body wanted.
Trahern coughed. Patrick recognised the silent message and moved away from Isabel. His brother opened a pouch, offering a loaf of bread, then passed a horn of ale. Isabel accepted a portion of bread and quenched her thirst. He noticed the exhaustion haunting her face. Her brown eyes were strained, her skin appearing far too pale.
While he satisfied his own hunger, he watched her surreptitiously. She had removed her veil, turning aside from them. Tangled locks of golden hair rested against her neck, and she began rebraiding it. He had never seen a woman perform the task before, since he had no sisters. It seemed almost intimate, watching her weave the strands with slender fingers. She sat beside the cavern wall with her knees drawn up. Almost like a child.
But the silhouette of her woman’s body could not be denied. The rain had moulded the dress to her skin, and puckered nipples stood out, making him wonder what it would be like to touch her.
She was forbidden. It was the only explanation of why she kindled any form of desire. He moved to the entrance of the cave, breathing deeply. The night air smelled of salt, and the last of the sun disappeared beneath the waves.
‘What will become of me when we reach Erin?’ Isabel asked finally.
‘I will grant you your freedom, as I vowed.’ If he kept her exiled upon Ennisleigh, she could move about as she pleased upon the island, doing harm to none. And he would not have to see her each day, nor be tempted by her.
‘I wish to know my responsibilities.’
‘You need not trouble yourself.’
‘Because I will never be a queen, isn’t that right?’ Bleak weariness settled in her eyes, and Isabel turned away from him.
Never had she felt more alone. She had not been allowed to bring a maid with her, nor any of her belongings. Desolation rose within her, an icy cloak of loneliness.
A piece of wood cracked in the fire, sending sparks into the air. Flickering shadows cast darkness across Patrick’s face. His brothers sat against the opposite wall, their heads lowered in muted conversation.
‘What about the estate? I do have experience running a castle household. Or shall I handle the accounts? I am not familiar with your lands, but perhaps—’ She broke off her rush of babbling when Patrick drew nearer.
With a roughened palm, he lifted her chin until she was forced to look at him. In the erratic fire glow, a subtle intimacy cloaked the cave.
‘You are responsible for nothing.’ The smooth baritone of his voice and the nearness of him made Isabel tremble. Beneath the thin fabric of her kirtle, her breasts tightened. She couldn’t breathe, her mind racing with clouded thoughts of escape.
