Chapter Seven
Glancing over her shoulder to make sure neither Ronald nor Lord Fraser was watching, Islaen hurried to a secluded corner. With a relieved sigh she sat down upon the chest there. It was not as out of sight of the others in the hall as she would have liked but she prayed it was enough of a hiding place to give her some respite from the two men who seemed so determined to pursue her. She was growing very tired of their constant fawning and rather bold attentions, attentions not at all curbed by her marriage.
Searching the hall for some sight of her husband, she scowled when she finally espied him. It was not only Ronald and Lord Fraser who ignored the sanctified boundaries of marriage. As far as she was concerned too many women did too. Lady Constance never failed to corner Iain whenever they came to the hall or any other place the woman could find him. She was not the only one either, Islaen thought crossly, just the most persistent.
"Her husband will soon arrive."
Islaen jumped, then frowned at Alexander as he sat down beside her. “Ye startled me. Her husband is coming here?"
"Aye and our fair whore will become as demure as a nun."
"Does it really fool the mon? ‘Tis sure he must hear talk of how she behaves when he isnae about."
"He hears but seems to care little as long as she behaves when he is near. He acts no better when out of her sight."
"Is that why ye now avoid her, because her husband soon comes?"
"Aye, the mon sore hates me. He would challenge me but isnae as good with a sword as he thinks. I have no wish to kill a mon simply because his wife is a whore. Ye need not fear that Iain will e'er pay her invites heed. He doesnae like her."
"I hadnae realized that that mattered,” she drawled and Alexander grinned.
"With most men, nay, not much. Iain prefers to at least like the woman. In that he was e'er a bit different from his brothers."
"Aye? I ken little of his kin."
"Weel, Tavis, ere he found Storm, just cared that they were somewhat clean and nay too hard to look upon."
"Most important,” she murmured sarcastically and he laughed softly.
"Now, Sholto is a rogue. Mayhaps e'en more so than Tavis was. He can charm most any lass and I am sure the men in France, where he has gone to fight, would as lief he came home."
"And the men here hope he stays there."
Alexander laughed and nodded. “Aye, most like. They all want what Tavis has found, though, lass."
"A Sassanach lass?” she said pertly and met his grin with one of her own then grew serious. “Ye are sure of that?"
"Verra. Each has said as much at least once. Sholto still searches. Ah, but Iain, now he has had the dream scarred by that bitch Catalina."
"Many a woman has died upon her childbed."
"True. Sad but true. But did they curse and accuse their man with every birth pain and with their dying breath?"
"Is that what she did?"
"Aye. His guilt was added to because he didnae love her though he was willing to try. She ne'er was. She loved another, treated Iain's every touch or soft word as if it were poison, a torment she had to bear out of duty to her family. She e'en made Tavis feel guilty for t'was his romp with another MacBroth lass whom he cast aside that brought about the wedding. Katerine MacBroth was and still is a whore but they had hoped Tavis would wed her. Iain's wedding Catalina soothed those disappointed hopes and strengthened an old alliance. I think Iain paid a high cost, though, mayhaps too high."
"Ye would think such things would show people that arranging or forcing marriages is not right. It only brings grief."
"Is that how ye feel about yours?"
"Nay but there are some odd twists to this arranged mating. I ken I willnae surprise ye by saying I wanted Iain.” She blushed slightly when he grinned. “It wasnae me he objected to but taking any lass as wife. Weel, I feel certain ye ken all of that."
"Aye, ye have a rough road ahead of ye, lass,” he said quietly and, seeing the direction of her gaze, added, “but ‘tis not other women ye need fash yourself o'er. None of the MacLagans are saints, ‘tis true, but they dinnae take their vows lightly."
Islaen tried very hard to remember that assurance. The fact that Iain was never absent from their bed, not even when, to her extreme disappontment, she had her woman's time, was also reassuring. Most nights they even retired to their chambers at the same time. There was also the fact that he was never really out of her sight. Nevertheless, she found it a trial to watch how the women flirted with him. She was heartily relieved when her father told her of the plans to leave for home.
"T'will be soon?"
