"Nay for verra long. Either one of ye could probably get the marriage annulled with ease. Jolene may not ken it now, but once back in England she would find out quick enough."
"Possibly. Barbara said much the same.” Sigimor really hated to think of how easily Jolene could be shed of him if she chose to be. “I am surprised that Barbara would have any knowledge of such things, though. Yet, I cannae shake the feeling that there is more here than Barbara's need for a husband and her thinking me fool enough to step into her snare."
"Women like Barbara are verra vain. And, so many men have tumbled into her trap for so long, she probably cannae believe ye willnae do the same. She has fooled so many, ‘tisnae surprising if she thinks we are all idiots."
"As I once was. Aye, there may be some justification for her thinking she can win this game."
"Ye havenae exactly explained what she once was to you,” Somerled said. “I cannae recall ye mentioning her."
"That was when ye were off wandering the country trying to find out ways we might fill our coffers. Which ye did, thank ye verra much."
"My pleasure. Now, tell us all about Barbara. If we ken what she was, we might better understand why she thinks she has any chance at all of winning you as a husband."
Sigimor took a deep breath and very succinctly told them of what had happened between him and Barbara. He was pleasantly surprised to find that he was no longer so embarrassed by it all. It helped that he saw no pity or scorn in their faces, only a fleeting sympathy for the young fool he had been and anger. Sigimor suspected that both men probably had a similar tale which they kept to themselves.
"She may think she but needs to make a few amends for the past and ye will fall right back into her grasp,” Somerled said. “I suspect she excuses the times ye turned her away after that as simply ye living up to your reputation as a mon who will have naught to do with married women."
"Ah, I hadnae considered that. Tis also evident that she doesnae expect me to hold to my wedding vows."
"The woman has probably kenned too many men who dinnae."
"True, true.” Sigimor finished his drink and stood up. “This is getting me nowhere. I just cannae shake the feeling that there is something here I cannae see, something more than the obvious, but I simply cannae think what it would be."
"We will keep close to Donald as ye asked us to. We will also start looking for Harold in the morning.” Somerled frowned. “Ye really believe he will come here, that he willnae give up the hunt and scurry home?"
Sigimor nodded. “Aye, I do. The mon's mind has settled on revenge now, I am sure of it. He has a need to punish Jolene for all he has suffered. Oh, he still toys with the idea of tightening his grasp on all he has stolen by wedding her and then silencing her, but there is much more to this hunt now. Much more. In truth, he should have stayed at Drumwich, held fast to it, and planned ways to catch her or thwart her when or if she returned to try and cause trouble for him. I think he kens he has made a serious mistake, but he blames her for it. I suspect he now grows desperate, and that makes him verra dangerous indeed."
"Weel, now we can hunt him,” said Liam.
It was a pleasant thought and Sigimor held to it as he made his way to his bedchamber. He gave a soft sigh of relief when he found the door unbarred. Telling himself he had nothing to feel guilty about, he stepped boldly into the room and shut the door behind him. When he saw Jolene sitting on the thick sheepskin rug before the fireplace, brushing her hair, he relaxed a little. She might be angry, but she had not locked him out or gone to sleep elsewhere. Sigimor decided to see that as a good sign, as an indication that she was willing to hear what he had to say.
Jolene tensed as Sigimor walked over and sat down facing her. She did not look at him, but kept right on brushing her hair. From the moment she had left him with Barbara, she had gone over and over what she had seen in that room. He had not looked willing to be in the woman's arms, of that much she was certain. The problem was, a little voice in her head kept whispering that he had not looked willingthen, but what about later? What about the next time? It was also hard to ignore the fact that he had taken a long time to come to her. How much of that had been spent with Lady Barbara?
When she finally looked at him, she caught him watching her brush her hair with a very familiar gleam in his eyes and she scowled at him. “Do not give me that look."
"What look?” he asked.
"That warm look. This is not a good time to be giving me warm looks, not after I saw—"
He held up his hand, pleased when she immediately fell silent. “Not when ye saw me in another woman's arms? I didnae want to be there, lass, and I think ye ken it."
"Are you trying to make me feel guilty for being angry?"
"Och, nay. If I had caught ye in a like situation with another mon, we would still be picking up pieces of him. Nay, ye can be angry, if only because I was idiot enough to get within ten feet of the woman, now or ten years ago. I got trapped into carrying her to her room and then she wouldnae let go of me. Stronger than I would have guessed her to be. Clung like a leech. I was puzzling o'er how to detach her without hurting her when ye walked in."
"You were about to kiss her, reluctant or not.” Jolene clutched her brush tightly as she waited for his answer.
"Aye, I was.” He grimaced when she paled. “She was being verra persistent, refused to accept that I could be cold to her. I had the passing thought that, if I let her kiss me, she would see that that coldness was no act.” He removed her brush from her hand and took both of her hands into his. “I was completely unmoved by her, Jolene."
"But, she is so beautiful, all a man would want in face and form."
"She is certainly verra pleasing to the eye. I could see it and ye would think me a liar if I said elsewise. But, I could also see that there was naught but ugliness beneath that fair skin. Selfishness, vanity, greed, and an inability to understand or care how her actions might hurt others. She wants a husband and she thinks I am the same blind fool I was years ago. The woman is so vain, I am nay sure I can convince her otherwise."
"Then why not just send her away?” Jolene asked. “We both know her injuries are not e'en worthy of putting salve on them. I do not believe her tale of having been robbed is true."
"Neither do I, or Liam, or Somerled. I would like nothing more than to toss her out, right now, but I cannae. She has some verra powerful friends and kinsmen, or did. God alone kens what twisted tale she would give them if I threw her out, but I dare not chance it. I need to tread warily here. She isnae worth the trouble she could cause if she starts to cry about insults or abuse at my hands."
Jolene sighed and nodded. He was right. There was no doubt in Jolene's mind that Barbara wanted to cause trouble between her and Sigimor, but she could only succeed if they let her. On the other hand, if one gave her even the smallest reason to go crying to her allies and family, there could be blood spilled. She had to agree that the woman was not worth it.
