Page 14 of The Cursed Highland Bride

“I am Katarina. It is a pleasure tae meet ye.”

A look of confusion crossed Adamina’s face. “I thought yer name was Katherine.”

Katarina tried not to show that she had made a mistake once more. Fortunately, Dunn stepped in. “It is what her maither called her. It is the same name.”

Adamina’s smile returned, and she hooked her arm through Katarina’s. “I am determined for us tae be friends.”

Katarina attempted a smile amid her overwhelming emotions. The hall was crowded with people gathered for the evening meal, and she was a woman alone in a sea of strangers. Adamina led her into the middle of the hall, and Dunn moved to speak with an older woman sitting by the large fireplace opposite them. “Is that yer grandmaither?”

“Aye, it is, but she is nae pleased about yer marriage tae my brother if I have tae be honest. As ye may ken, yer grandfaither is responsible for her husband’s death.”

Katarina wished that she could deny the claim, but alas, she could not. To all of these people, she was the enemy, and what hurt her most was that they didn’t seem bad or evil at all. “I am sorry.”

“Ye are nae the one who did it. We are nae our grandfaithers or our faithers, yet we carry the burdens they leave us.”

“Nae, we are nae.” Katarina looked around the hall and saw another group of blonde-haired women at a neighboring table. “More sisters?” she asked, smiling.

“Nae.” Adamina shook her head and hesitated for a second before continuing. “They are… they are my brother’s lovers.”

Katarina snorted in disbelief. There were so many of them. “Tor is…” She could not quite think of a word to describe her new brother-in-law’s proclivities.

“They are nae Tor’s—well, at least nae entirely.”

Katarina’s eyes widened. “Do ye have a brother I have nae met?”

“I dinnae,” Adamina shook her head in sympathy, yet she could not stop a smile of amusement overtaking her full lips.

“They are Dunn’s women?”

“They are,” Adamina confirmed. “I am sorry, but ye deserve tae ken the truth from the beginning. They will nae attempt tae hide it from ye anyway.” She took Katarina by the hand and drew her closer. “Grandmaither has already threatened tae use them tae make ye leave my brother.”

“I understand.” Katarina hid her true thoughts on the matter behind as stoic a face as she could manage. “I thank ye for yer kindness.”

Who is this man that I am wed to? She knew many men in the world were not required to remain untouched until marriage, but she never imagined that one man could keep so many women without a sense of conscience for his actions. “How many bairns does he have with these women?”

Adamina shook her head. “Dunn does nae have any bairns. I dinnae ken how, but he is careful.”

“Perhaps he is incapable,” Katarina thought out loud. She immediately regretted it as Adamina’s eyes widened in shock. The last thing that she wanted to do was alienate the only kind person she had met within the walls of her new home. She would need allies.

“Dinnae let him hear ye say such a thing.”

“Do ye fear yer brother?”

Adamina shook her head. “I dinnae, but I ken that many others do.”

“They call him the Viking beast o’ Orkney.”

“Aye, I have heard it said, but that is nae who he is.”

Katarina wanted to ask who her brother was, but she restrained herself. She could not let her anger at her situation ruin any chance that she had to find some peace with her new life. She would do whatever it took to keep her sisters safe, even if that meant sharing her bed with a man who considered women merely as tools to satiate his lust.

“Prepare yerself. Grandmaither is looking this way,” Adamina warned, squeezing her arm.

“Should I speak with her?” Katarina hoped that the answer would be no. She was not certain that she could hold up the pretense under the older woman’s scrutiny. Her gaze held a fierceness that was unnerving.

“I would nae do so unless Dunn tells ye tae. It will nae be a pleasant exchange. Let us find ye a clean dress, for ye look as if ye have been walking through a battlefield.”

Sighing in relief that she would not need to face her husband’s materfamilias, Katarina followed Adamina to the stairs at the far end of the hall. “We were attacked on the way tae the boat.”