If Baile was referring to the sparks between them, Mazey was absolutely sure she wouldn’t say anything to Malmuira. She would be crazy to hint at it. She walked out looking for Siusan and praying none of this came up while Malmuira was in the keep.
Malmuira didn’t returnbefore Siusan went to bed which made bedtime very difficult. She cried and whined, so excited to see her sister, she was very sure she wouldn’t be able to sleep.
“Ah want to see her. Can ah just stay up a little bit more? Maze! Maze! Ah can’t sleep. Ah’m not tired.” She pulled at Mazey’s sleeve and cried, wiping her tears on the hem of her night dress.
Mazey was firm, but tried to be kind. It was a constant battle to balance the two. When she was too kind and not firm enough, Siusan tended to find ways to take advantage of Mazey. When she was too firm, Siusan would be sad most of the day and wouldn’t act like her normal excited self. “Siusan, we don’t know if she will be in tonight. The best thing will be to just go to sleep and see if she is here in the morning. Now ye need to sleep.”
“But can ah just stay up a wee bit more? Ah wanna.” Big tears streamed down her cheeks.
The tears made Mazey’s resolve shake, but she knew she needed the sleep. “How bout this, wee’un. When Malmuira gets here, ah’ll wake ye. What do ye think?”
Siusan stopped whining and considered the proposal. “Aye, ah’ll sleep then. But ye have to wake me for Mally.”
Mazey kissed Siusan’s head, smoothed her hair on the pillow and walked away with a smile. That sweet girl was the cutest bairn she’d ever seen. Siusan didn’t make another sound, so she left and headed to bed herself. It wasn’t very late, but she was tired nonetheless. Baile hadn’t been able to visit with them before bed, and so Mazey entertained Siusan all day without break.
She plopped down on her bed without even pulling her clothes off and fell fast asleep. Her mind wandered through strange dreams.
The door openedand Mazey awoke, alarmed. It was still dark out, but the moon puddled in the open window. A floor board creaked and movement in the room alerted her to someone unknown. Baile appeared before her, his hands streaked with ink from work and his hair tousled. Soothed, she relaxed. Wait. Why is he here in the dark?
She sat up quickly. “What’re ye doing here so late?” Mazey asked incredulously.
The handsome man said nothing, but climbed onto the bed. His muscled chest was bare and enticing in the outlines from the moon. He took her in his arms and laid her back on the bed with ease. His tongue ran over her lips, then he sucked in her bottom lip. He tore at her skirts until they moved above her hips, then lifted his kilt and thrust his hard shaft deep inside of her. She cried out in surprise and pleasure. What made him change his mind? She grabbed at his back, urging him on. Over and over he rocked until she felt him climax. Instead of cuddling with her or pleasuring her, he propped himself up on one arm, kissed her gently on the lips and stood.
He fixed his kilt and left without another word. When stood, she realized she wasn’t actually in bed at all. She was back at the beach. Baile was handing her something small. She thought it was a shell, but to her horror it was a baby—the size of her hand, too tiny to live. She cried out and fell to her knees, cradling the bairn that didn’t survive.
Mazey woke with a start.Her brow dripped in a cold sweat. The chill night air sent her into shivers. She climbed under the blanket and wrapped the fabric tight around her shoulders. The dream seemed so real. Perhaps she should talk to Cohlm. He had to have some herbs she could take to stop the dreams. This was the third night in a row strange dreams plagued her. Every night this week Baile haunted her sleeping world. The dreams were enticing—kissing, family time, sex, trips together. Everything she hoped for in a husband. She often wanted to return to the dream after waking. The rest of the night was peaceful, but the dream about Baile stuck with her throughout the next day.
Malmuira arrived,and it was all Siusan could talk about. They spent most of their time together. Malmuira’s maid didn’t accompany them back to Clan Buchanon, so Mazey volunteered to help her. Malmuira was the closest thing she had to a friend.
“Tell me all about yer marriage and yer travels.” Mazey enjoyed a seat by the window that afforded her a view of the garden.
Writing in a book distracted Malmuira. “Not much to tell, really. Oidche is all right. His family treats me well.”
That was vague.Mazey tried again. “Are ye getting to know each other? Does he even want to get to know ye?”
“Mazey, ye realize ah just married him to bring peace to the clans right? There wasn’t any other reason.” Malmuira fidgeted with a thread on her sleeve.
“Aye, ah know, but ah hoped he would be a good man and ye would fall in love.”
“That’s just a tale we heard as little girls. There isn’t love. Not really.” The edge in her voice denoted bitterness.
Mazey frowned at her friend. “Ye know that’s not true.”
Mal looked up, her eyebrows pulled together. Mazey usually wasn’t one to argue, but she couldn’t let her get away with this line of thinking.
“Yer faither and maither were very much in love. Ye told me yerself.”
Her lips pursed together, and she nodded. “They were. Ah don’t think real love happens often.” She left the room without another word. Mazey spent time with Siusan giving Malmuira the space she needed.
The talks and trades were in full swing. Representatives from each clan taking part stayed in the keep. It took every minute of attention to keep Siusan away from the activity. She found things to do with the girl that kept her mind busy. Malmuira was busy, much to Siusan’s dismay, she found little time to spend with her sister and friend. Things took a turn for the worst when they found Oidche injured by the loch. For a while nobody was sure what would happen to the warrior. Malmuira seemed distraught and distracted with worry. Mazey tried to stay away during that time, giving Malmuira space to cope with things. She needed to figure out her feelings.
Mazey told no one what Mal confided in her when she arrived. It wasn’t anyone’s business she hadn’t slept with her husband yet. She wasn’t sure if he wanted her. Mazey didn’t want to tell her what to do, but when Oidche looked at his wife, there was love in his eyes.
Mazey sat in the study with Siusan. She always told her a short story before bed. This time Baile could join them.
“Faither! Mazy is telling me a story. Ah’m practicing real good on my letters. And Mally is busy. Okie is still sick.”
Baile chuckled, probably at her nickname for Malmuira’s beloved. “Okie will be fine,” he replied putting his arms out.
