“On my guard from whom?”
“I see a darkness,” Betty continued, her eyes glassy and grey in the firelight. “In yer future, there is a shadow, a great wave ready to break.” She nodded as though it made sense.
However, another knock on the door interrupted her prophecy, and Iona bustled in, looking apologetically over at Leah as though Betty were an irritating relative who was disturbing her.
“Honestly, Betts,” Iona chided, coming over and taking the woman’s arm, “ye promised ye would leave her be.”
She looked up at Leah, who gave her a gentle smile, but her mind was racing with what Betty had said. A great wave? It reminded her of the images she had seen when she felt faint, the wide ocean waiting to drag her down to its depths.
“Please pay her nay mind—she is overexcited from the weddin’,” Iona said stiffly.
“The lass needs to ken what she is up against,” Betty insisted.
Iona shook her head. “Enough of this. She is married now and has her Laird to care for her. We arenae goin’ to fill her mind with any more wild stories.”
With that, she half-dragged Betty out of the room, turning as she reached the door.
“I wish ye every happiness, Lady MacWatt. We both do.”
As the door closed behind them, Leah and Katie exchanged a glance.
“Well, what on earth was that about?” Katie asked in bewilderment. “Am I to believe you are getting on a ship? What dark wave does she speak of? Who is she?”
“She is a healer,” Leah replied, feeling exhausted and overwhelmed by the activities of the day and all that her mind had had to process in such a few short hours. “But I believe she is a seer, sometimes speaking of the future. Magnus pays her no mind and does not believe her stories, but I have heard of stranger things being true.”
Katie rolled her eyes and came over to Leah, fixing her with her familiar, patient stare. “I do not believe her. There is nothing in your future except finishing and publishing your book, living in your castle, and rescuing a great number of stray animals on the island.”
Leah chuckled as Katie let her go and stood back, studying her.
“And where is your groom?” she asked suspiciously.
“I believe he will be waiting for me in the dining hall,” Leah admitted. “We must discuss the terms of our marriage.”
“What terms? Are you negotiating visitation rights to each other's castles?”
Leah laughed. “You are impossible. Neither of us wished for this marriage to take place. Not really. Given the hasty nature of our union, it is sensible to discuss what each of us expects from the other.”
“Very well. But just remember to keep your hands off him wherever you can.”
Leah looked up at her friend in shocked amazement, and Katie chuckled.
“Honestly, I told you I have observed how you look at him, Leah. I am not a fool to think you do not wish foreverythingthis marriage may offer.”
Leah scowled at her friend as she collected her shawl and gave her a brief kiss goodnight before departing.
Leah stared into the fire for a few minutes, contemplating Betty’s words and feeling an uneasiness she could not shake settle within her.
Something about what she said rings true.Ever since Gibson’s arrival, I have felt a darkness in my future, too.
CHAPTER 18
Magnus was sittingat the dining table with a quill and inkpot in front of him when Leah finally joined him.
She looked a little more melancholy than she had at the wedding, and he wondered if she was having second thoughts. He hoped not, given the time they had spent together in her room. It had been quite a surprise to find such a vixen beneath her very prim and proper facade.
He stood up as she entered, gratified to see that she, too, had written a list of requirements. After the wedding, they discussed what they might need from their marriage and came to the conclusion that it was best to agree on things from the beginning.
It had seemed a little cynical in Magnus’s mind, given the impure thoughts he had been having about his wife, but he was determined to allow her her freedoms, whatever they may be.
