a hateful man. You heard him. He despises me. He despises us all. Why, he’d as soon wed Pugsley as me!”
Dougal gently caught her wrists. “I have no choice, lass. Perhaps someday you’ll understand.”
She turned away from him. “I shall never understand.”
He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Aye, my princess, there will come a day when you shall.”
Sabrina pulled away from him and ran to Elizabeth. “Please, Mama, surely you can soften his heart. He would do anything for you.”
Elizabeth cupped her daughter’s cheek in her palm. “I’ve already tried, darling. His mind is set.”
Sabrina slowly turned, her eyes overflowing with mute entreaty. She walked toward him—the man who had carried her on his shoulders through the village,who had tickled her cheek with his beard until she squealed with laughter, who had devoted his life to granting her smallest wish—and dropped to her knees at his feet. Dougal wondered if the others could hear the crack of his heart breaking.
She bowed her head. A solitary tear splashed on his buckled shoe. “If you do this thing, you’ll have your peace, Papa. But you’ll doom me to a life of battle.”
Sabrina was the only one who didn’t see his hand reach toward the softness of her hair, then veer away. He yearned to make her understand, to tell her of the hopes and dreams he’d cherished in his heart for years, but he knew that some truths were better discovered in their own time. “I am as bound by the laws of the court as any other man. I swore to abide by them, and as my daughter ’tis your duty to do the same.” His voice softened. “Go now and prepare to make your vows.”
She rose and walked to the door. As she faced him, a current as palpable as lightning flashed between their eyes of identical color. “How will I ever forgive you for this?”
Even after she was gone, her helpless question hung like a torn thread in the air. Enid broke into fresh sobs, flung her apron over her face, and fled the solar, trailing vegetables in her wake. The maids politely withdrew. Dougal sank against the windowsill, rubbing his aching temples.
Elizabeth’s eyes blazed a cold fire. “How dare you speak of duty to that child? ’Twas your idea to wed her to that heathen, and no one else’s. Tell me—have you nursed this plot in your cunning brain since they were but children? How will she survive life with a man who detests her?”
“Morgan does not detest her,” he said wearily. “You know it as well as I.”
“But does he know it? And will he destroy her before he discovers it? Sabrina is like the rarest rose—sweet-natured, gentle, docile. We’ve never taught her to fight for herself.”
A wistful smile touched his lips. “She was doing an able job of it this morning.”
Elizabeth swept up her scraps of leather. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to prepare your lamb for the sacrifice. You swore you wouldn’t shed the blood of your sons, but you seem only too eager to shed the blood of your daughter.” She wrenched his betrothal ring from her finger and hurled it at him. “Give that to your precious Morgan as well.
’Tis your duty.
”
The door slammed behind her, rattling a miniature family portrait from the wall.
Dougal toyed with the ring, stroking the beveled planes of the glowing ruby. “Ah, Morgan, if my wee princess is half as docile as her mama, ’twill take far more than a ring to bind her.”
Sabrina and Enid lifted their tear-streaked faces to find Elizabeth standing in the doorway of her daughter’s bedchamber.
She nodded to Enid. “ ’Tis best you go now, dear. I must speak to your cousin alone.”
Still gripping her bowl of wilting vegetables, Enid stepped outside the door, only to have it slammed behind her. It seemed an eternity before her aunt emerged to stalk off down the corridor without another word for her.
Enid crept back into the room. Sabrina sat on the edge of the bed, eyes glazed and mouth ajar. She had
Dougal gently caught her wrists. “I have no choice, lass. Perhaps someday you’ll understand.”
She turned away from him. “I shall never understand.”
He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Aye, my princess, there will come a day when you shall.”
Sabrina pulled away from him and ran to Elizabeth. “Please, Mama, surely you can soften his heart. He would do anything for you.”
Elizabeth cupped her daughter’s cheek in her palm. “I’ve already tried, darling. His mind is set.”
Sabrina slowly turned, her eyes overflowing with mute entreaty. She walked toward him—the man who had carried her on his shoulders through the village,who had tickled her cheek with his beard until she squealed with laughter, who had devoted his life to granting her smallest wish—and dropped to her knees at his feet. Dougal wondered if the others could hear the crack of his heart breaking.
She bowed her head. A solitary tear splashed on his buckled shoe. “If you do this thing, you’ll have your peace, Papa. But you’ll doom me to a life of battle.”
Sabrina was the only one who didn’t see his hand reach toward the softness of her hair, then veer away. He yearned to make her understand, to tell her of the hopes and dreams he’d cherished in his heart for years, but he knew that some truths were better discovered in their own time. “I am as bound by the laws of the court as any other man. I swore to abide by them, and as my daughter ’tis your duty to do the same.” His voice softened. “Go now and prepare to make your vows.”
She rose and walked to the door. As she faced him, a current as palpable as lightning flashed between their eyes of identical color. “How will I ever forgive you for this?”
Even after she was gone, her helpless question hung like a torn thread in the air. Enid broke into fresh sobs, flung her apron over her face, and fled the solar, trailing vegetables in her wake. The maids politely withdrew. Dougal sank against the windowsill, rubbing his aching temples.
Elizabeth’s eyes blazed a cold fire. “How dare you speak of duty to that child? ’Twas your idea to wed her to that heathen, and no one else’s. Tell me—have you nursed this plot in your cunning brain since they were but children? How will she survive life with a man who detests her?”
“Morgan does not detest her,” he said wearily. “You know it as well as I.”
“But does he know it? And will he destroy her before he discovers it? Sabrina is like the rarest rose—sweet-natured, gentle, docile. We’ve never taught her to fight for herself.”
A wistful smile touched his lips. “She was doing an able job of it this morning.”
Elizabeth swept up her scraps of leather. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to prepare your lamb for the sacrifice. You swore you wouldn’t shed the blood of your sons, but you seem only too eager to shed the blood of your daughter.” She wrenched his betrothal ring from her finger and hurled it at him. “Give that to your precious Morgan as well.
’Tis your duty.
”
The door slammed behind her, rattling a miniature family portrait from the wall.
Dougal toyed with the ring, stroking the beveled planes of the glowing ruby. “Ah, Morgan, if my wee princess is half as docile as her mama, ’twill take far more than a ring to bind her.”
Sabrina and Enid lifted their tear-streaked faces to find Elizabeth standing in the doorway of her daughter’s bedchamber.
She nodded to Enid. “ ’Tis best you go now, dear. I must speak to your cousin alone.”
Still gripping her bowl of wilting vegetables, Enid stepped outside the door, only to have it slammed behind her. It seemed an eternity before her aunt emerged to stalk off down the corridor without another word for her.
Enid crept back into the room. Sabrina sat on the edge of the bed, eyes glazed and mouth ajar. She had
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