‘That is Jasper’s wife,’ said Joan icily. It did not escape her notice that Joan did not use her name. To her, she was a wife, servant, bearer of children, not a real person.
The man strode over. His brown eyes were warm and round, and he was handsome, in a groomed kind of way. But something about the man set her teeth on edge.
‘I am Alec Carstairs, soon to claim Maeve as my wife,’ he said.
‘Claim? You make her sound like a piece of land,’ said Rowenna.
‘Hold your tongue, chit,’ said Joan.
Alec laughed, and his smile did not falter. ‘Well, what a beauty you are.’ He picked up a strand of her hair. ‘Remarkable. So fine. No wonder Jasper set off in pursuit, eh?’ he said over his shoulder to Joan.
‘The lass needs a firm hand and a lesson in discipline for wandering without her husband’s leave. Go inside,’ she spat at Rowenna.
Rowenna stood her ground to confound Joan and smiled sweetly at Alec Carstairs.
He laughed again. ‘Let the young lass have her head, I say. That is what I will do when Maeve and I are joined. I will not be a tyrant of a husband. What do you say to that, Rowenna?’
‘I am sure Maeve will appreciate your kindness. Like every young lass, she hopes for a gentle husband who will protect and cherish her.’
Joan snorted. ‘Do not suppose you know what my daughter wants.’ She came to stand beside them. ‘Rowenna was broughtup roughly and has none of the manners and grace of my daughters, as you can see. It is nothing a good whipping won’t cure.’
‘Ah, but she makes up for it with that fire in her belly, and I am sure Jasper has many ways to keep her obedient,’ said Carstairs, taking Rowenna’s hand in both of his. His gaze roamed over Rowenna, making her flesh creep, and she stepped back to free herself of his small, plump hands. Had those same hands been thrust down Maeve’s bodice, pinching her tender parts?
‘If you have finished flirting with my wife, you should take your leave, Alec. There is a storm brewing.’
Jasper stood at the door, leaning casually on the wall. But inside, he would be raging at another man’s hands being on her. She dearly hoped he would not blame her for Alec Carstairs’ over-familiarity.
Alec glanced up at the grey clouds looming overhead. ‘Aye, I’d best go, or else I will get a drenching.’ He nodded a farewell, mounted his horse and smiled back at her. ‘It truly was a pleasure to meet you, Rowenna. And you are a lucky man, Jasper, to have caught such a beauty.’
‘Well, I didn’t give her much choice in the matter.’
Alec laughed again and hurried away, and Joan strode inside with a sour look at the two of them.
Rowenna watched until Carstairs and his men had ridden out of the gates. Jasper came to stand beside her, waves of jealousy radiating off him. She wanted to take his hand and rub her thumb over the rough palm. She wanted to have his arms around her, holding her close. But he was remote again, so she could not touch him.
‘You should not marry Maeve to that man,’ said Rowenna. ‘He will not make her happy.’
‘Why not? You seemed to enjoy him fondling you.’
‘I did not enjoy anything about him, so stay your jealousy. I feel that Alec Carstairs says one thing and does another.’
‘You just met him. How could you possibly know that?’
‘Because he reminds me of my brother, Bran. He presents one face to the world and another behind closed doors. If he says he will not be a tyrant, he will. If he says he will make Maeve happy, he won’t.’
‘You sound like Criedne, with all her doom-laded foretelling.’
‘Good, for folk say that she speaks a lot of sense if only you would listen. And so do I, Jasper. You are selling your sister into purgatory, forcing her to wed a man she does not want.’
‘Like you were, you mean?’
‘Aye, but if it was purgatory to begin with, it doesn’t have to be now. Yet you continue to treat me like an object you own, with no mind of my own and no desires beyond giving you what you want. Until that changes, I will be unhappy, and you will be an unloved fool.’
Jasper’s anguished look as she left him standing made her heart clench.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Three days later, Rowenna desperately needed to escape Kransmuir, for the whole place was in uproar due to Maeve’s wedding plans. Joan had taken control of everything and as Rowenna was not included, she took refuge with Osla, though the wet nurse was never much comfort. Osla tutted over the fact that Rowenna was excluded.
