Highland Master by Hannah Howell Page B

it would be hard to try to explain what she thought the woman was doing. And if Arianna did not see how she was letting the lies of her first marriage affect her judgment of her new husband, it would be difficult to get her to believe it. Yet, Triona was sure that was exactly what Arianna was doing.
    “Weel, aye, but his wife was still alive,” Arianna grumbled and then blushed. “Aye, I ken what ye are saying. And ye may weel be right. It was the lie, but, even more important, it was a lie about a first wife. I can see now that that may have been part of what made me so blindingly angry.”
    “It may have also made ye see it as far more humiliating than it was. Mayhap made you think those who care for ye see ye as a blind fool, when they ne’er did.”
    “Oh, be quiet.” Arianna laughed and dried her face. “Aye, it was a bad memory as much as anything. The MacFingals are probably wondering if I have gone mad, running off as I did. They certainly wouldnae have seen anything truly wrong with Brian forgetting about his first wife or simply nay thinking it worth mentioning.”
    “I will admit that I think the mon deserves some scolding simply because he forgot his first wife and she deserves some sort of place in his memory, nay matter how brief or rare it might be. On the other hand, it does tell ye that e’en though he ran off with a woman meant to be his brother’s bride, something we women would see as romantic and passionate and all, he didnae truly love her, did he. A part of me would find that verra acceptable.”
    “And now that ye mention it, I can see that, and, aye, a part of me finds that verra acceptable indeed. Poor Mavis. Forgotten and ne’er truly loved, either. Verra sad. But, as for that fool of a husband now stomping about your keep, I willnae let him just come and take me home. He needs to suffer just a wee bit, I think.”
    Triona nodded. “He does indeed.”
    “And I will keep in mind that I am making him pay for things Claud did. Brian isnae anything like Claud. I do ken that my Brian loves me, but he needs to ken that that means I shouldnae find out about things like a first wife from others. He should tell me such things.”
    “Weel, he will be staying until ye forgive him, so I had best go and sort out places for him and his men to sleep.” She stood up and brushed down her skirts. “It might help to nay call him a dimwitted, rutting bastard whose brains are all in his braes, too.” She laughed along with Arianna.
     
     
    “Thank ye for watching out for her,” Brian said to Brett as they stood on the walls of Banuilt and looked out over the land. “I was stunned to find her gone. She has been so afeared of losing this bairn, I just didnae believe she could ride away like that.”
    “Forgetting a first wife can leave the second wife feeling a wee bit uncertain,” said Brett.
    “And that lass of yours has it right. My Arianna has already been cursed by one mon who lied about having a wife. I should have thought of that, should have remembered that, for it was a sore hurt on her pride that took a long time to heal. It explains how out of reason angry she is.”
    “I am nay sure I would tell your wife that she is being out of reason angry. Lassies dinnae usually appreciate that.”
    “I am nay a complete idiot.”
    “I have to say, it surprised me that ye could forget a first wife.”
    “It was five years ago and lasted but weeks. And I didnae love her. Lusted after her and lusted after all she could give me if I wed her. I could see that Gregor didnae want her, so I took my chance. Didnae work, and I swore I wouldnae try to gain land or coin that way again. I was done with that game. So, I fixed my poor wee mind on trading, and that was near all I thought on until I met Arianna. And what I have with her, weel, let us just say that Mavis wasnae e’en a shadow in the back of my mind when I looked at Arianna. Mavis deserved better, but there is the sad truth of it.”
    “And