“No, but I don’t know how to be a better wife to him.”
Jenny patted her arm. “Oh, surely that’s not true. Has he pleased you in bed, then?”
Nairna glanced around and saw that both Marguerite and Laren had found excuses to move closer. Both of them were leaning in, eavesdropping. “Bram has pleased me a little,” she admitted, “but I worry that he’ll be disappointed when I can’t bear him a child.”
“Nonsense. You were married to an old man with old seed. This young, virile husband of yours will plant a babe in your womb soon enough. And you’ll enjoy the ploughing, see if you don’t.”
Knowing that Laren and Marguerite were hearing every word was enough to make Nairna’s cheeks flame hotter. She wanted to have a strong marriage with Bram, one where he would look at her the way he used to when they’d first been betrothed. And perhaps grow to love her.
“But how can I please him?” she asked. “I don’t know what I should do.”
The older woman reached out and touched her cheek. “Sweeting, if you’re wanting to satisfy your husband in bed, there’s nothing easier.”
Now that the other women made no effort to hide their prying, Nairna supposed there was no point in trying to whisper.
“Nairna, you simply don’t know the power you hold, as a woman.” Jenny’s wrinkled face split into a wide smile. “There’s not a man alive who would turn down a naked woman who asked him to make love with her.” The old woman patted her hand again, adding, “You’ll bring him to his knees.”
Marguerite and Laren leaned in, their faces fully interested, though neither would admit it.
Jenny sent them a conspiratorial smile. “And there’s a great deal more I can tell you.”
Nairna worked alongside the other women, giving orders for the trestle tables and benches to be set out for the clansmen. When she’d finished, she spied Bram walking inside the keep.
Her husband didn’t smile, but there was an intensity in his expression that made her nervous—as if she were about to become his conquest. Her hands started shaking, and when he drew nearer, all the physical memories of last night came flooding back.
She remembered the feeling of his firm body moving atop hers, the carnal sensation of him filling her. And when she thought of Jenny’s advice, her imagination spun off more ways of spending this night with Bram.
The hair around her husband’s face was wet, his tunic damp as though he’d stopped to wash. The reddish scar around his throat was matched by the two bands around his wrists. Beside him trotted the homeliest excuse for a dog that she’d ever seen.
“Here,” Bram said, pointing to the dog. “He’s not much to look at, but he seems friendly enough.”
“A dog?” Nairna studied the animal, unsure of whether the animal was a gift or an apology, from Bram’s guarded expression.
The animal glanced up at Bram, as though asking permission. When Bram gave a nod, the dog walked forward and sat down, cocking his head to study her. Then he nudged her knees. Nairna bent down and rubbed his ears. The dog rolled onto his stomach, raising his feet into the air as if begging for affection.
“Do you want him?” Bram asked.
When the animal started licking at her fingers, something warmed inside her heart. She’d never had a dog that belonged entirely to her. Her brothers, yes. And though there had been many dogs in Ballaloch, never had she held any connection with them. As she rubbed at the dog’s belly, the animal arched with delight.
“Ross warned me that he’s old. You might want a younger dog who won’t die in a few years.”
Nairna shook her head. There was a calmness in the dog’s eyes, as if he would follow her anywhere she asked him to. “I’ll keep him.”
“You’re certain?”
She nodded, and when he started to walk away Nairna stopped him. “Bram, he’s a sweet dog. Thank you.”
He gave her a slight nod, and she felt her heart softening. “If it’s all right with you,” she said, “I’ve already arranged for our meal in the grain hut.”
She wanted to talk to him about Laren’s glass, without Alex knowing about it. But Bram stopped in place, staring at her over his shoulder. The heated look in his eyes suggested a very different reason of why they ought to be alone.
Nairna dropped her gaze to the floor, her cheeks burning. “Or if you’d rather eat with Alex and the others, that’s fine. It’s no matter to me.”
“I’d rather be with you,” he said quietly.
“All right. I’ll meet you there with the food.”
After Bram had gone, she went to see Laren about the bundle of food and wine she’d arranged earlier. The dog trotted along behind her, clearly interested in the contents of the bundle from the way he sniffed at it.
