Chapter Eight
It was one of the hardest things she had ever done but Islaen did not ask Iain about Mary. She decided the best way to handle the matter was to trust Iain and, in truth, she did.
Mary, however, she did not trust one little bit. The woman would push until Iain fell. She was already doing it. Islaen wished she knew how far the woman intended to go. Depending on how ruthless one was, a wife was not an insurmountable obstacle. Islaen had the feeling that Lady Mary could be very ruthless indeed.
Taking a long drink of wine, Islaen fought to keep her temper just as she had for the three nights since Lady Mary had arrived. She sat next to her husband but could have been miles away for all the notice he took. Mary had managed to usurp Lady Constance's seat, and thus practically all of Iain's attention. He seemed quite willing to give it too, she thought crossly. She told herself firmly that attention was all he was giving the woman and she ought to be grateful for that instead of sulking.
"Och, Iain, we are sorely neglecting your wee wife."
Islaen wondered how big a scandal would be raised if she poured her wine over Mary's elegantly coiffed head and sweetly said, “Iain's wee wife is doing fine, thank ye."
Iain looked at his wife thinking her voice just a little too sweet and was surprised at how flat and hard her eyes were. He knew he was neglecting her, lavishing far too much attention upon Mary, yet he could not seem to help himself. Neither the growing withdrawl of Islaen nor the increasingly belligerent glances of her brothers was enough to stop him. Mary was from a happier time, a time before his life had soured. He knew he could never really go back, yet he could not resist the urge to try to recapture a part of it.
"Aye, ye have Alexander, dinnae ye,” Lady Mary purred, then drew Iain into a discussion of a mutual acquaintance.
Frowning slightly, Islaen looked at Alexander and saw that he held the same suspicions she did about why Mary had said what she had. “Do ye really think that she would try that game?"
"Aye, the conniving slut."
"Is she?"
"She is and she was. Aye and most like ever will be a slut. Iain ne'er saw it."
"And ye ne'er told him."
"Nay, I had already been through that with Tavis. Odd, her name was Mary too."
"Near half the woman in the country are named Mary."
"Och, weel, to be direct, and pardon an I offend, Mary did keep her maidenhead intact but t'was all that was untouched. To Iain, all was virgin. He didnae see it and she didnae let him. She kenned more tricks than the finest courtesan,” he muttered and took a deep drink of wine.
Although she blushed over his direct talk Islaen was also curious. She also felt sure that Alexander was a little less than sober and that that roughened his tongue. There was the slightest flush to his lovely skin and a shine to his beautiful eyes.
"Did Tavis hate ye then?"
"Nay, but until he found Storm our relationship suffered. It took a lot of healing and the lass wasnae really worth it. O’ course, he still bridles like a dog protecting its bitch whene'er I talk to Storm."
"Tried to steal her once, did ye?"
"Aye, I did, but before she was his wife. I seem fated to lust after MacLagan women."
The implication of his words and the way he looked at her made Islaen blush. That such a man would want her was quite flattering. Then she had to smile. He looked remarkably like a sulky little boy.
"There is a lass out there for ye, Alexander MacDubh."
"Weel, she is hiding herself verra weel. I mark two and thirty years next week."
"Wheesht, so verra old ye are. Bent with age."
"Ye are a wretched wee lass."
"I ken it. Ye will find a lass. Of course, ye will most like not see it at first and ye being such a bonnie rogue, it willnae go too smoothly at first, I am thinking."
"A bonnie rogue, am I?"
"Aye and the poor lass will fash herself woefully o'er it, I am certain."
"Poor wee lass. Weel, I will have to console her a lot."
