Mysty McPartland (15 page)

After they brok
e their fast she decided they would go outside and show him around and introduced him to some members of the clan. When midday came they returned to the hall and shared lunch with Tarrel. All through the meal she felt Lisa staring at her and fingers of dread kept walking up and down her spine. It was hard to concentrate on everything being said somehow though she managed to hide her apprehension.

She feared what her cousin was planning and she didn’t know how she could prevent it. Tarrel would only laugh if s
he told him. She knew Lisa was malicious and jealous. The woman would have been infuriated when her husband refused her offer of taking him to bed. Hopefully, nothing would come of it once her father left taking her with him. If she wasn’t here she couldn’t cause any trouble.

Earlier that morning
Lisa had watched the scene between her cousin and her husband with narrowed eyes. It seemed that Laird McCain was possessive of his wife and without Robert being here knew she could no longer use him now to drive a wedge between the pair. Now sharing the noon meal and through narrowed eyes glared at her cousin and plotted.

Perhaps
when she returned to Edinburgh she could find some way to tear these two apart. As she watched the couple she was more determined than ever to tear them apart.
Aye if I could destroy the trust Dalla has for her husband, it would demolish their marriage.

Young Dalla was a virtuous woman when it came to men, marriage and sex. Aye, if she could somehow annihilate those things in her cousin’s marriage, she would have her revenge. But just now she didn’t have a clue of how she could go about it, but in time she was certain she would find the perfect weapon.

             
A venomous, sneer curved her lips when her cousin glanced her way. She knew victory would soon be hers by the wariness settling over Dalla’s face. Stupid little twit, she was no woman for a man like the McCain, oh he might be attracted to her for now, but it would soon wane and he would be looking for a real woman to share his bed and she was going to be that woman.

          The meal drew to an end and when her cousin finally stopped staring at her, Dalla drew in a long, shuttering breath. Fear tickled up her spine and she fought to suppress it. She forced a smile and, with her arm around her father’s, left the hall with her husband at her side. After hugging her father goodbye, she could barely find the politeness to bid Lisa goodbye. She stood on the steps and watched his party ride through the gates. Hopefully, that would be the last she saw of that woman for quite some time.

            
Still her wariness lingered and didn’t leave her even when the riders disappeared. It had settled over her like a black cloud of dread, deep down inside her she knew something terrible was going to happen between herself and her husband. Lisa was going to be the destruction of her marriage she didn’t doubt it for a second, but not knowing how it was going to happen there was little she could do to prevent it.

****

A week had passed by since her father and the other guests left, and Dalla sat in front of the fire and stared into the flames, confused. Her husband had her so muddled that she didn’t know what to think anymore. He now touched her intimately in front of others, he talked to her at each meal and laughed at some of her comments or, should she say, her teasing barbs.

However
, it was alone in their room that things had changed so drastically between them, after love-making he always turned away from her, never held her in his arms after they finished. It hurt her so much that he no longer wanted to experience the closeness that she used to feel after they enjoyed such a wonderful intimate act.

She didn’t know why he suddenly
changed and the only thing she could put it down to was either he didn’t feel anything for her, or that he still thought she loved Robert. Well, she intended to find out one way or the other, she couldn’t live in this confusion much longer and she didn’t want to feel the coldness that separated them when they finished making love.

When she heard the door slam, she twisted in her chair and noticed her husband standing on the step staring at her. She wondered just how long he’d been there and what he had been thinking. By the stern expression on his face it wasn’t anything good and she could well imagine what had him annoyed. Turning away, her mouth twitched with amusement.

Grateful to have a few moments to study his wife without her being aware of it
, Tarrel stood on the steps of the hall admiring her. When she turned to stare at him he let out a sigh. He was about to cross the room when the door opened and, glancing over his shoulder, watched Duncan come inside.

“’Tis glad I am to find ye, Tarrel. Seems a wild boar is terrorizing the village. I hoped that we could go on a hunt and bring the beast down.”
Pleased at seeing his laird, Duncan grinned.

Eyes lighting up with interest, he slapped Duncan’s shoulder. “Aye sounds like a fine plan to me see to my horse and I’ll meet ye outside.” Once his friend disappeared out the door, he turned back to his wife to see her staring up at him.

Heaving out
a heavy breath, he moved down the steps towards her, when he reached her side he stared into the fire. “’Tis odd ye find nay duties to do.”

At the sound of Duncan’s deep voice she turned her head and her eyes drank in the sight of her husband’s powerful form. Lord, the man made her feel such sinful things;
even just looking at him I want to feel his hard length inside of me, his hands on my body and our mouths locked together
.

Forcefully s
haking the wicked thoughts away when she saw him smile, she wondered what Duncan said to make him look so happy. With lowered lashes, she watched Duncan leave and followed Tarrel’s every step towards her and when he reached wasn’t surprised that wouldn’t meet her gaze she tried not to smile knowing the reason why. His question made her sigh and she shrugged her shoulders. “If ye care to look about ye everything has been done that ye wished to be done.”

At h
er peeved tone, he forced himself to look at her. “So ye say but ‘tis sure I am that there be something to keep ye busy.”

Screwing up her nose
, she once again shrugged her shoulders and nearly laughed at the irritation she could see in his eyes. “Well since it annoys ye so much I will find something to keep myself busy.”

H
is hands held behind his back, he turned away from her, exasperated at her sarcasm. “Tell cook to be ready to prepare to cook a boar. My men and I are going hunting.”

Now this wasn’t good news, she thought nervously and biting her lip, she knew that he would be angered over what she would have to tell him, but she knew she could not put it off. Sighing in resignation, she prepared herself for the blast of his displeasure. “Cook will nay be able to prepare the boar for ye. I am afraid I have let him have the rest of the day off to go courting.”

His eyes swung
back to her and he starred at her in disbelief. “Ye what? And what is this nonsense? What is the man thinking and what right do ye have to give ye permission to do such a thing?”

Even prepared for h
is temper, his words infuriated her, she sat stiffly and lifted her chin. “’Tis nay nonsense and the poor, lonely man is in love and as lady here I gave him permission.”

Furiously flexing his fingers behind his back, he forced himself to fight against pulling her out of the chair and shaking her. “We will talk on this further woman. I have men waiting for me, but I warn ye this is nay over yet.” Angrily turning away, he took long, angry strides out of the hall, how dare she take such actions. She had no right to give her permission for anything.

T
he anger boiling up inside of her, she watched as the odious pig stomped away through narrowed eyes. Damn the man and his arrogant attitude. How was she too know he would be upset over her making a decision without conferring to him first. Well, hell, she was mistress here and she has every right to make a decision without asking for his blessing.
Who did he think he was almighty God?
She snorted in derision; oh they were surely going to discuss this alright.

Slowly rising to her feet, she decided she would go to the cottages and see the children, to hell with duties and to hell with her cold, unbending husband. It looks as though whatever might have been happening between herself and that infuriating, thick-head lout was now over and he was back to his cold stern ways.

Well that was fine by her
, she didn’t know if she liked the changes in the man anyway. At least this way she knew what he is thinking and she would once again resort to tactics that would make his life hell.

With that thought in
mind, she pushed her anger aside and smiled broadly.
Aye, I’m going to make his life a living hell, if he thought it had been bad before, he was going to think he was living in a nightmare now.
With a soft laugh, she skipped across the hall and planned to start her torture of her husband as soon as he returned from his hunt.
 
 

****

Tarrel cursed a blue streak, the pain in his thigh was agonizing he clenched his jaw tightly against it as he rode slowly back to his keep. How it happened he didn’t know, all he knew that his mind was on his wife and he hadn’t been concentrating. The boar suddenly came out of nowhere charged and gored him. The wound was deep and long, he would be lucky if infection didn’t set in. Seeing the gates opening, he prayed he would stay conscious until he reached his bedchamber.

With the help of Duncan and Phillip
they lifted him from the horse and aided him up the steps. The sweat bathed his body, and he felt chilled to the bone. But no matter how unbearable it was, he refused to give into his pain. By the time he reached his room and he was placed on the bed, he was fighting against the blackness trying to engulf him.

His fingers curled around the quilt, he gritted his teeth as Duncan, and Phillip stripped the clothes from his body. No matter how much it was hurting him, he would remain awake.
While they worked over him, he knew he’d been right from the beginning. Caring for his wife had weakened him. If he hadn’t been thinking about her this would never have happened.

If he managed to live through this he swore an oath that from this day forth any soft feelings he had towards h
er were going to be destroyed. From now on he would respect her, protect her and nothing else. If she was upset or angry by the changes it was too bad. His decision was made and nothing would change it, not even the sadness he knew would be in her eyes.

For a moment his own pain forgotten at hearing a sound of distress coming from the doorway, he turned his gaze and saw her, the fear and horror were clearly etched on her face and he shifted his gaze away.

“How did this happen? I’ll fetch the things I will need to tend ye wound.”
Over her initial reaction, she quickly raced over to the bed and picked up him hand.

Slowly
shifting his head, he gazed up at her and through his pain, he glared at her. “Nay ye will nay tend me. I dinna trust ye to see to my care after ye have already drugged me once.” He knew instantly he had killed stone dead any growing affection between them with those callous, punishing words.

At the cruel accusation, she paled even more noting the determined chill in his eyes, quickly dropped his hand, and took a hasty step back. She swung her gaze away and saw the anger in Duncan’s and Phillip’s expressions. With a sob of guilt and anguish, she spun around and rushed from the room. It tore at her heart to know that her husband still didn’t trust her, that he never forgot or had forgiven her for rash, childish act.

Even through his agony, watching her, he knew he hurt her feelings with his harsh statement, but he was angry at himself for his lack of attendance and he blamed her for it. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as his men worked on wound. Thankfully, he remained conscious throughout the ordeal, with the help of Duncan he drank a full goblet of whiskey. He grimaced when his friend spoke.

“’Tis it true Tarrel
, did ye wife drug ye?”

A heavy sigh left him and he shrugged. “Aye she did. T’was our wedding night. The little witch probably hoped I would end the marriage.”

“Nay one could blame ye if ye had.” Duncan replied angrily.

“Enough friend ‘tis done with. I am weary.” He closed his eyes and couldn’t help picture the devastation on his wife’s face when he rejected her help. It was the right thing to do, he told himself, yet a wave of guilt rolled through him and he forced himself to ignore it.