Mysty McPartland (19 page)

Chapter Twenty

Tarrel gratefully admitted
he was relieved when the gates were opened and moved his horse slowly through them. His gazed searched for his wife and he felt the heavy weight of disappointment when she was nowhere to be seen.

Kevin approached
the young, furious man as soon as his feet touched the ground. “A word with ye, Tarrel, before I take ye to my daughter.”

Even knowing that
he didn’t have any choice, he grimaced and followed the older man until they were well away from the many ears.

“I dinna
ken what has happened between ye and my girl, she told me little when she arrived. But never the less I can see that she is nay herself. Gone is her sweet smile, vanished is the brightness that always surrounded her. What have ye done to her, man, I gave ye a treasure and what did ye do to it? Now if ye take her from here again ye best give me ye word of honor that ye will restore my daughter to the woman she was before ye married her.”

He
didn’t cower under the dark, threatening glare that Tarrel gave him. His daughter’s happiness was far too important. “Tis only because Dalla wanted the gates opened that ye are here now. Be warned, son, if ye take her I will come in one month’s time and if I dinna find my daughter happy I will take her from ye and nothing will stop me.” He left him with that threat hanging in the air between them and headed inside, wanting to comfort his daughter before she was once again taken from him.

It took a mighty effort not to strike his father
-in-law, but slowly the older man’s words seeped passed his anger and as her father left, he stood thoughtful as he watched the older man enter the keep. Could he make Dalla happy again, could he bring back the angel that he and everyone else missed so much?

It would be a mighty task an
d one he wasn’t sure that he would be capable of accomplishing. But he could never give her up, he had tasted heaven in her arms and just having her near bought him great joy. Nay, he shook his head, he could never give her up and someway, somehow he would bring back life to his angel.

Seeing his daughter standing by the fire in the hall, Kevin hurried to her side and took her small hands in his large ones. “Are ye sure that ye want to do this, lass?”

A tremulous smile on her lips she gazed
up at her father, Dalla squeezed his hands. “Aye, Papa, Tarrel it seems willna give me up and I willna see harm come to those I love. Mayhap when we return to his home we can find some way to live in harmony.”

However, she didn’t think so, not now, not after witnessing his betrayal. If he had not taken another woman to his bed there might have been some hope to a happy future for them, but not now. Turning away from her father so that he would not see the anguish in her eyes, she tried to calm the hurt that started once again filling her heart.

She didn’t know if she could even b
ear his touch again, things didn’t bode well for a joyful life together, not anymore. The love she once felt for Tarrel was now shattered beyond repair, there might have been a chance at one time but not now, and especially if he intended to keep on taking other women into his bed.

She shuddered at the thought and, wondered how she would cope with such a horrid and disgusting
situation. She would be shamed to her very soul to have to live like that. Her chin lifted in the air; if that was what he intended to do they would never share a bed again. She would still do her wifely duties but she was going to demand that she be given a cottage to live in. She had no intentions of staying under the same roof as him and his many lovers.

****

Quickly seeing to his men and telling them to rest until tomorrow when they would be returning home, Tarrel entered the keep. His saw his wife and her father standing by the fire, talking quietly. While he was unnoticed, he took time to study her, aye, her father was right and so was he. The woman he married no longer existed.

It would take a
n immense effort to find that woman again, but he was determined he would. He won her tender smiles and soft caresses once and he intended to do so again. He just hoped that he could find the tenderness and patience inside of himself to see the task through. With a heavy sigh, he moved down the steps and over to his wife and her father.

“
’Tis a long ride my men and I have had and I would like a bath and something to eat. Now that ye have ye visited with ye father we will leave at first light on the morn.” Through lowered lids he watched her and saw the surprise on her face, she probably expected him to rant and rave at her no doubt and it perplexed her that he wasn’t. It was a good start he was certain and he felt his confidence grow.

“I will see to the arrangements and have a bath and food sent up to the chamber ye occupied before.” Her brow marred by a frown, Dalla was confused by her husband attitude, but then with a slight shrug she turned away.

With a
quirk of his lips, he shook his head. “Nay wife I will be in ye room and I expect ye to join me there also.” Turning on his heels before he smiled outright, he headed up the stairs.
If I keep her baffled and unsure of what I will do next I’m sure I can sneak around her defenses and win her back.

He let a
confident smile touch his lips; his self-assurance over winning his angel back now seemed possible. He would do whatever it took and would wait forever how long it might take. No matter what it what it might require, he was going to have her back and he’d make abundantly sure the rest of her life was nothing but happiness.

Through lowered lashes, she watched him climb the staircase, her hands fisted at her side; Dalla removed her gaze and met her father’s worried one when he spoke to her.

Kevin watched his daughte
r and sighed sadly. “Ye best nay keep ye husband waiting lass, his temper is cooled now but I wouldna press him too hard.”

A frown on her brow, she nodded her head and quickly moved away to see to her husband’s bath and meal. Once she saw to the chore, with heavy footsteps she climbed the stairs. Muddled and worried over his odd behavior, her heart beat erratically in fear and anxiety.

Sh
e didn’t understand his attitude or what he was planning and she knew she best keep up her barricades. She was not looking forward to the private confrontation, because she knew that he would demand answers to why she left him. Finally reaching her chamber she opened the door and hesitantly stepped into the room.

Tarrel
removed his boots and sword and now rested in a chair to wait for his wife, this next meeting would be crucial he knew and he better be very careful of what he said and by God he did not want lose his temper. He turned his head slightly when he heard the door open. With concerned eyes, he watched her slowly walk into the bedchamber, and when she stood in front of him, he took a few minutes to study her.

The emptiness in her eyes worried him immensely. As his gaze slowly travelled over her he frowned. It was the first time he actually noticed just how much weight she had lost. Long hours of work have taken their toll on his wife and no longer did she radiate good health or anything else. She was still beautiful but in a sad and broken way and he knew deep in his heart knew that it was because of him.

He had broken his angel and no matter what it would take he intended to fix her. Most assuredly what was damaged could be restored and by all that was heaven, that was just what he planned to do. Reaching for her hand, he gently grasped her wrist and with a little tug pulled her down on to his knee.

He ignored her surprised g
asp and settling her on his lap; he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a devilish grin. “’Tis a sorry thing when a man has to chase down his wife. If ye wanted to visit ye father so much ye just should have told me.” He ignored her attempts to leave his embrace and nuzzled his face against her neck.

Her sweet scent and th
e silky softness of her skin were overpowering and he could not help the reaction of his body. It has been to long since he held her, smelt her sweetness or touched her silken skin. He longed to be buried inside her again, but he knew that if he tried to make love to her at this moment he just might lose her forever.

Apprehensive after falling onto her husband’s thighs, Dalla struggled to remove herself, but when she felt his hot breath on her neck and then his bristled face against her skin, she tried not to let the leaping flames of desire consume her. Instead, she concentrated on his words and sat stiffly in his arms. “I didna come home to visit my father. I came home to stay. I canna live with ye any more. Nay, I canna live with a man who has betrayed me with another woman.”

Stunned over
her words, his head shot up, he stared at her in utter astonishment, and then he laughed. “I have nay betrayed ye, wife. Nay once have I thought of it or wanted to and as for ye home ‘tis with me, ye home is with me, lass.”

When he stared in
to her surprised eyes, he ignored the pain squeezing his chest. He would only admit silently to himself that it hurt that she no longer considered her home was with him. He felt a twinge of guilt over the wee lie he told, that he considered for only a few minutes taking his ex-lover to bed, it had been only a passing idea and it wasn’t important because he knew he could never have gone through with it.

She was consumed in white hot rage and she struggled to get of his lap, but his arms tightened around her and she was forced to remain where she was. She turned her blazing eyes on him, so he could see how enraged she was. “Ye lie. I saw with my own eyes ye and ye lover a few nights ago in the hall. Ye were all over the woman and then later outside her door in an intimate embrace. Ye blasted tongue was rammed down her throat. I am nay blind, ye lack wit and I am nay a fool. I ken what I saw.”

With the fire burning brightly in her eyes
, he was elated, life was coming back to those dazzling orbs, even if it was anger at least it was something. “Nay, sweet, ye may nay be blind, but ye are wrong. Aye, I admit I liked the woman’s attention after having nothing but cold treatment from ye. And as for the embrace it was but a simple kiss and nothing more. I give ye my oath I slept alone in our bed wanting my wife back in that very bed with me. ‘Tis the truth that I speak and I ken that ye ken it to.”

A frowned marred her brow, she didn’t know what to believe, his eyes spoke the truth, his words rang with sincerity, but after all that has happened between them, could she believe him?

He read
the uncertainty in her gaze, he sighed, his hand came up and his finger stroked down her cheek tenderly. “’Tis the truth, sweet. On my honor as laird I’m telling ye the truth, but tell me is it ye love for this man Robert that took ye away from me?” It was easy to read the answer to his question in her eyes and the tension eased out of him. Her eyes were bright with surprise.

Astonished by her husband
’s question, she could only shake her head to clear it. “Nay, my love for Robert is nay more. It wasna because of him that I left ye and ye ken it. I thought ye betrayed me and our life together was nay a happy one.”

“It
pleases me to hear ye say ye nay longer love that man and, aye, I admit our life together was strained but ‘tis weak ye are to think that we can never make it better.” He spoke softly, he saw hope flaring in her eyes, but too quickly she covered them with her lashes. Despite this, the glimmer he saw still in her eyes sent his heart racing and he couldn’t have been happier.

She was saved from answering by the knock on the door and when his arms loosened around her, she jumped to her feet and ran to open it.

With a satisfied
smile, he watched her, things were going better than he thought they would, but still he would take it slow. Too much was at stake to rush her.

Quickly
letting in the servants, she stepped out of the way and bowed her head in confusion. Her husband was making her doubt everything and his attitude made it only worse. She needed time alone to consider everything he said to her and to work out his strange behavior.

Chapter Twenty One

Her nerves frayed to breaking point, Dalla gripped her hands in the folds of her gown and kept taking little peeks at her husband from beneath her lashes. Damn Tarrel, what game was he playing with her. She wanted to run from the room when his bath arrived, but he asked her in front of the servants to help him wash his back. Her face burned with embarrassment when she saw the knowing expressions on the servant’s faces and without being humiliated further he gave her no choice but to remain.