‘My betrothal was my father’s arrangement, no choice of mine. I never even met Donald, and there’s been no word from him. What if he goes back on the marriage contract because he has found another?’
‘That is unlikely, given your fortune.’
Briony scowled. ‘What you mean is, he will want to get his hands on it, no matter what,’ she said. ‘God help me. Is that all I am in this life? I may as well have a bag of gold strapped to my back.’
Lowri tried to be kind. ‘You are much more than that. You are young and beautiful, that is why Donald will come for you.’
Briony smiled at that. The lass seemed to glow every time she got a compliment, and wither if she went without one for too long.
Lowri took her hand. ‘Briony, I do pity your situation. But you must rally and look to the future. Your father must have trusted Donald, to give him your hand in marriage. He will keep you safe. You will have a home and security.’
‘But not love.’
Lowri shrugged. ‘That can grow, in time, I suppose.’
‘Like you and Cullen,’ said Briony with a slow smile.
There was no guile in it, yet Lowri was struck by a flash of worry, as she always was when the lass mentioned Cullen. For some reason, she hated his name in Briony’s mouth. It felt insolent. Cullen belonged to her, every part of him. And though Briony was smiling, Lowri felt a pinch of spite behind her eyes. She let go of the lass’s hand and was overwhelmed by an urge to slap her.
Briony sighed. ‘It is the waiting, I hate. Not knowing my fate.’
‘Sending word to Cork, via a ship, takes time,’ said Lowri wearily. ‘And the weather has been harsh along the coast, so they might have made slow progress.’
‘So I still don’t know if Donald has got word of my plight, and if he will come and claim me.’
‘No, but while you wait, you can pass the time more quickly by keeping busy,’ said Lowri, in no mood for Briony’s excuses. ‘I will go and fetch water, and you can get the fire going.’
Lowri left the cottage to be greeted by a beautiful, misty morning and the sight of Cullen saddling his horse in the yard. Lowri did not announce herself. Instead, she studied him. The sun was in his hair, burnishing it with red gold streaks. It was longer, curling over his collar, but she was loath to let him cut it because it felt so good when she ran her fingers through it. The spring breeze folded his shirt to his body, outlining thick ropes of muscle along his shoulders and arms, and his hand roamed down the horse’s flank to steady it, for it was skittish, eager to be off and running. Lowri felt the same restlessness as she watched his fingers move up and down the beast’s shiny pelt. She took a long, calm breath, enjoying the uneasy peace which had settled between her and Cullen since making love in the meadow, where she had almost declared love for him.
Almost.
She marvelled at how gentle such a big man could be. Those long, deft fingers had been all over her body, and she had given every part of herself to this man. But now, Lowri felt giddy around Cullen, and there was always a moment of awkwardness when they first laid eyes on each other, as if each of them stood on the brink of a chasm and could not take the leap into it. Lowri wondered if the weight of her infatuation was too crushing, that she had too much to lose by succumbing to it. If Cullen ever spurned her, it would break her heart in two.
Cullen spotted her and smiled. He rushed over and drew her in for a heated kiss. ‘I must away to Larne, but I’ll be back by nightfall.’
‘Do you have to go and leave me with Briony?’
‘Aye, for I saw a ship come around the headland, from the north, so it may bear news of her betrothed. Where is the lass?’
‘Idling in bed.’
He laughed. ‘She was brought up gently, saved from the rigours of work, not like you, left to run wild.’
Lowri slipped her hand down between his legs in the hopes of making him stay for a tumble. ‘I thought you liked me wild,’ she breathed against his mouth.
He laughed again. ‘I could stay, if you want, but this might be a chance to get rid of our guest, or do you want me to keep sleeping in the stables with the animals?’
‘No. Go and find out if there is word from Cork.’
Cullen mounted his horse and galloped away, and Lowri bit her lip and went off to rouse Briony. But the lass was not in the cottage, nor was the fire lit. Lowri cursed. Briony had begun to slope off for hours to avoid chores, and then she would suddenlyreappear, all innocence, and say with a bright smile, ‘I just needed some air.’
Well, not today. Lowri rushed outside and started down the path to the sea. Far ahead, she spotted Briony walking quickly. She almost called out, but something stopped her, for Briony was not idling along. She was walking purposefully. Where was the lass going?
When she had almost reached the sea, Briony disappeared into a patch of woodland. Lowri followed. It was shady, quiet and deserted, and a little forbidding in the bosom of the trees. Why would a gently-raised lady like Briony hazard coming here? Perhaps she wanted solitude, or could she be meeting someone?
Oh, it could not be. Cullen had just ridden out. But he had said he was going to Larne on Briony’s account. Lowri stopped dead, heart thumping. She could not be that much of a fool, could she?
Voices floated on the breeze, and dread tightened Lowri’s throat. One voice was Briony’s, light and high like a lark’s song, and the other was deep, dark and male. The hairs stood up on Lowri’s neck, and she crept closer. The ground fell away into a little hollow, and there stood Briony, holding up her dainty hand. A man bowed extravagantly and kissed it. He was tall, broad, and handsome. And he was a blackguard of the first order.
