Seeing that her words had drastically dimmed her brothers’ ferocity, Alexander gently urged, “Go to your chambers, lass."
After a close look at her brothers’ faces, Islaen did as Alexander suggested. She felt a need to hide away for at least a while. Islaen just wished she could go somewhere besides the chambers she shared with Iain.
As soon as Islaen had left, Alexander looked at her brothers. They were an impressive array of tall, strong and handsome young men, even more impressive when one recalled that there were four more like them at home. Iain would be well matched in a fight with any one of them. Alexander knew it would not only be Iain's blood that could flow, however, if they came to sword point. He was fond of Islaen, more fond than he knew he should be, and wanted to spare her the pain that would surely come if her brothers fought Iain.
"Ye cannae take up sword against the mon,” he said quietly.
"Ye defend him because the mon is your friend,” Malcolm growled.
"Aye, and because Islaen is my friend."
"I am nay sure I want ye sniffing about our sister,” Nathan said coldly.
Alexander shrugged. “I care little. She will continue to hold my friendship no matter how ye snarl about it. Islaen does me the honour of liking me. Few women have."
Duncan snorted in disgust. “They all like ye and far too much."
"Nay, they like my face and form but pay little heed to what lies beneath. That is not the question in debate now, howsomever. Islaen has made it clear exactly why ye cannae take up sword aginst Iain. She loves the fool. She also loves all of ye. No matter how the battle fared the one whose hurt ye are so eager to avenge would be hurt e'en more. There is no sense to that."
"He is right for all I hate to admit it,” Robert said quietly.
"So we let the dog pay naught for his crime against our only sister?” hissed Nathan.
"Weel, I didnae say that,” Alexander drawled. “A good beating might put some sense into his head. Aye, and I might just join ye."
"Are ye sure ye are his friend?” Robert asked with a faint smile.
"Aye, but that doesnae mean I need approve of what he does. Nay, especially not when he turns his back on a good fine lass who loves him and trots after a whore. Mayhaps a good thrashing when the time is right will make him see that he reaches for dross and turns his back upon what is truly of value."
Iain tore his mouth from Mary's very eager one and stared at her. Her hands moved over him, undoing his laces with a speed and nimbleness that startled him. There was a greediness to her actions that almost repulsed him. It certainly did nothing to rouse his passion. He finally admitted that he did not want to be there. The freedom to enjoy her skill was not there. “I am no wencher,” he heard himself say to Islaen, yet here he was doing just that.
He pulled out of her hold and began to redo his loosened clothing.
He knew Mary could stir him, that he could have an enjoyable tussle with the woman if he could but forget Islaen. That was what he now knew he could not do. Islaen and the promises he had made to her stood between him and the woman who now stared at him with a mixture of astonishment and growing anger.
"What are you doing?” Mary squeaked as she watched Iain straighten his clothes.
"Leaving. I ne'er should have come here. I am a wedded mon."
"Ye would desert me for that child ye were forced to wed?"
"I made promises to her. I willnae break them. She has done naught to deserve that.” His eyes widened when she started to scream at him.
"Do ye ken what ye toss aside? I have refused better men than ye my favors. Can ye no see what we could have together? Combine our power and riches and we would be nearly kings! Can that udderless child give ye that? Ye are a fool, Iain."
For a moment Iain said nothing, simply looked at her. The eyes he had thought so lovely were hard. Suddenly he knew he was seeing the Mary that had always been there. The one he had held and spoken of love to four years ago had never existed. Mary was a woman using any means, including her body, to gain power and coin. Four years ago Lord Cameron had had more than he so she had married him. Now she looked to him to satisfy her greed.
"Nay, not for leaving. I was a fool to think I could regain what had never been.” He started towards the door.
A little desperate, she grabbed him by the arm. “What of the love we shared? How can ye turn away from this chance to regain all we lost?"
"We lost nothing.” He somewhat roughly loosened her grip and opened the door. “I begin to see that old Cameron actually saved me from making a great mistake. I but pray that I havenae just committed a greater one."
Upon reaching her chambers, Islaen washed up, undressed and donned her night rail. Snuffing all the candles save the one on Iain's side of the bed, she crawled beneath the heavy covers. Bed had always been a nice place to huddle when she had felt sad or hurt but it did not work now. She was all too aware of how often and how passionately she had shared the same bed with Iain. There was a strong urge to go to the pair, to confront them, but she fought it. Pride helped. She had no wish to appear the fool before him and especially before Lady Mary.
The sound of the door opening abruptly stopped her tears. She could not believe Iain would come to her bed directly from Mary's, yet it was clear that he had returned even though she did not look at him. When he reached out and touched her after silently getting into bed, she felt herself pull away although she did not really move. She could not stomach the idea of his touching her with those hands that had so recently caressed Mary.
Iain felt her skin recoil beneath his touch and felt pained. He had known that she had discovered he had gone to Mary's chambers from the moment he had stepped into the room. Despite her obvious efforts to hide it she had been weeping. A little wryly he decided he could not have felt much worse had he actually bedded the woman. Feeling the way his usually welcoming Islaen retreated from his touch gave him the urge to get down upon his hands and knees and beg forgiveness. Here was the proof of what he had already suspected, that no matter how much he wanted to keep a distance between them, he could not abide actually hurting her.
