Deathan.
As she passed him by there at the rear of the hall, she cried out to him. Her heart did and her spirit.Save me. Please save me.
The look on his face showed him as shocked as she. He had not seen this coming. Neither of them had.
Curse King Kenneth MacAlpin and all that belonged to him down through eternity.
What was she to do? Oh, what?
She’d believed all this while that the worst that could happen would be an order to carry through with the marriage to Rohr. Unbearable, yes. But at least she’d live here, where she could see Deathan every day. Mayhap talk with him. Survive on whatever crumbs they might share.
Or she would journey home, and he would follow. Yes, she’d believed in that promise.
This…This!To be snatched away from him. Given like a prize heifer to a stranger, a widower. As if her heart did not matter in the least.
She was not a woman to weep and moan. She might scream, yes, but only in anger.
She managed to keep a grasp on her dignity till she reached her chamber. Orle was there waiting and swung round to gaze at her in alarm when she entered.
Darlei cast herself onto the bed and sobbed. Sobbed and sobbed.
Two days. In two days, she must leave her heart behind.
*
No one seemedto notice that Deathan remained in the back of the hall after King Caerdoc left, gone to take his rest. Da, mightily displeased, lit into Rohr as Deathan had rarely seen him do.
Rohr, the lucky bastard. Once more, things had worked out for him as they always seemed to do. Off the hook he was, and at liberty to wed the woman he loved. What was a tongue lashing in the face of that?
Though, aye, Da did tear into Rohr without reserve.
“Look wha’ ye ha’ done, ye fool o’ a lad! Cast us into disgrace. Disgrace wi’ the king! Did ye no’ understand that choosing ye to wed wi’ a Caledonian princess and help unite the country meant we were held in the highest favor? No more.”
“I did not know,” Rohr said. “When I started seeing Caragh, I did not know I would be held in high favor by the king. Or chosen to marry some savage lass from the dark lands—some woman I do no’ want.”
I want her, Deathan thought, and could have hollered it with his anger and frustration.
“And for ye to get yer bairn in yon lass’s belly beforehand—I did no’ need the king to know that is how I run my house.”
“Does it matter? I always meant to wed wi’ Caragh. I did before all this happened. At least the succession will be seen to.”
“If ye got her a son,” Da said scathingly. “I doubt ye can do e’en that right. Look at ye. Coming here before our guests half dressed and reeking o’ ale! I am fair ashamed o’ ye.”
That seemed to penetrate Rohr’s indignation. He sobered abruptly.
“I do no’ doubt King Caerdoc believes his daughter has had a narrow escape.”
“I am sorry, Da. But I did no’ ken—”
“Neither did ye conduct yersel’ as I would expect from my son. We shall ha’ to do our best to mak’ it up to the Caledonians before they leave.”
“Aye, Da.”
“And wha’ am I to tell yer mother? Sore eager has she been for this wedding. Now I maun tell her ye are in disgrace.”
Rohr bent his head, but Deathan, watching, did not quite believe in his remorse. He’d got what he wanted after all.
Yet again.
