It didn’t really matter. All that mattered was that it was a cruel thing to say, something he had known would hurt her. Perhaps he had meant for her to hear it or perhaps he couldn’t care less. Regardless of his original goal, though, he was now looking at Elayne with the kind of irritation he reserved for the times he thought she was being ridiculous.
It doesnae matter. His words cannae hurt me.
Only his actions can.
Dunn didn’t know how he managed to get through the dinner without attacking anyone. It had been a close thing, the urge always simmering there, just under the surface. He knew he couldn’t give in to it, though, not if he wanted to survive that night.
It didn’t help that Elayne had decided to insult Laird McCoy and her father like that, though Dunn couldn’t deny he had found it amusing; impressive even. For someone who seemed to be soshy all the time, Elayne could certainly bite. On the other hand, it had been rather foolish of her to antagonize them, though he couldn’t say he blamed her. How could he? He had been perfectly happy to antagonize them as well.
He was glad for Blaine’s presence in the room. The more he learned about the man, the more he came to see him as a potential ally or at least as someone in that castle who was sane enough to want to do the right thing, even if Laird Macgillivray had no such intentions.
But how much power does Blaine have? He is the Captain, but everyone will listen tae the laird before they listen tae him.
It was only when he entered Elayne’s chambers that he allowed himself to relax a little, even though he couldn’t get the events of the dinner out of his mind. In fact, there was a lot more than that plaguing him, most of all his decision to agree to this plan. Whatever he managed to get out of it, it surely wouldn’t be enough to justify all the fury and humiliation he would have to endure while he stayed there, not to mention the danger he was in. He had half a mind to put an end to all this, to tell Elayne that he was terribly sorry to disappoint her, but that he couldn’t do it anymore. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that he had witnessed first-hand the cruelty of which Elayne had spoken. He had seen now how her father treated her, how Laird McCoy treated her. If they acted like this in front of polite company, then he didn’t want to know what they would do to her behind closed doors, where no one would see; where no one could defend her.
Elayne followed close behind, closing the door firmly. Once that barrier was between her and the rest of the world, she let out a heavy sigh and dabbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, though Dunn could see no tears.
She hadn’t shed a single one during the whole dinner, no matter how much Laird McCoy had tried to embarrass her, though Dunn didn’t know if it was a sign of strength or stubbornness.
“Elayne, dae ye have a close friend here?” he asked, walking over to the bed to sit on the edge of the mattress. “Anyone to whom ye feel comfortable speakin’.”
Elayne blinked in confusion. “Aye. Isobel is a good friend. Why are ye askin’?”
For their plan to work, everyone had to believe that they were truly married and after what had happened earlier that night at dinner, Dunn knew there was only one way to put everyone’s suspicions to rest.
“Ye must talk tae her about us,” he said. “Ye heard Laird McCoy tonight. He was askin’ all these questions an’ I’m sure ye saw fer yerself that he wasnae convinced. We will have tae spread rumors.”
“Rumors?” Elayne asked, still unable to comprehend. “About us?”
“Aye,” said Dunn. “Ye must confide tae yer friend about our couplings.”
“Couplings!” Elayne’s voice neared a shout, and she glanced over her shoulder as though she expected someone to be there. “Couplings?” she repeated, this time in a much lower tone.
“I understand it’s embarrassin’,” Dunn said. It was rather embarrassing for him, too, though he was used to such talk. The idea of a whole castle discussing his abilities in bed was far from appealing, but some things needed sacrifices. He could do this if it meant keeping his head. “But it’s the only way. Ye have tae make up some stories about us an’ speak tae yer friend when there are servants around. Ye ken how rumors spread. If ye dae this, nae one will be able tae claim we havenae consummated the marriage. Nae one will believe them if they have heard the details directly from ye.”
Not for the first time that night, Elayne’s cheeks turned a bright red in the candlelight. She looked uncertain, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve and wringing her fingers.
“But… I dinnae ken about such things,” she said. “How am I supposed tae speak about it if I have never done it? I havenae even kissed anyone but ye!”
I was her first an’ only kiss?
It was difficult to believe that someone as pretty as Elayne had never been kissed, even sheltered as she had always been as the daughter of a laird. Dunn let out a sigh, running a handthrough his hair. That would certainly be an issue, he thought. Elayne was so innocent that she seemed to have no idea of what happened between a man and a woman.
That’s alright. I will teach her.
If there was one thing he knew, it was his way around a woman’s body. He had slept with many women, and so he could tell Elayne all about what the two of them could have done in bed had she truly been his wife.
“Alright,” he said decisively, slapping his hands on his thighs as he stood and approached her. “I will tell ye what ye can say tae yer friend.”
Elayne sputtered, her lips seemingly incapable of making anything other than incoherent sounds as she took a few steps back, putting some distance between them. Dunn hadn’t thought it possible, but now her cheeks were burning an even brighter red, the way her eyes widened as she looked at him almost comical.
“What dae ye mean?” she asked in alarm. “We cannae discuss such things. It’s nae proper!”
“Calm yerself, lass,” Dunn said with a roll of his eyes, though he had to admit he was rather amused by Elayne’s reaction. “Ye must learn these things. Ye are supposed tae be a wedded woman now. I wouldnae speak tae ye about such things under other circumstances, but I doubt Laird McCoy will end hisinterrogation here. If he continues tae suspect us, we will both be in terrible trouble, an’ I would very much like tae avoid that.”
It took a few moments for Elayne to let her guard down, perhaps convincing herself that Dunn was right. It would be an uncomfortable conversation for him, too. It was one thing, talking about his sexual exploits with his friends, and an entirely different thing talking about them with a woman, especially a woman like Elayne. If she had been more experienced on such matters, perhaps Dunn wouldn’t have had such an issue bringing up the subject, but now he found himself unable to speak, hesitating even when he knew it was necessary to explain these things to her.
Elayne took a deep breath and slowly came to sit on the bed, close to the pillows. When she was settled, she looked up at Dunn, nodding.
