mimicry had been done at Maire's
expense. "Damned wretched fellow. Nearly as foul-tempered as my
brother. All I had wanted was to follow Gerard de Barry to West Meath to join
the hunt for Irish rebels—what a delightful outing it could have been, too. But
Duncan wouldn't hear of it. Said I'd caused him enough trouble already, among
other things, roared at me, shouted, blustered, and was gone."
A vexed wave of Adele's white, bejeweled hand sent
servants rushing to wait upon the high table. Maire's plate was heaped with
food and her goblet filled with golden wine in only a few moments' time. Yet
her stomach flip-flopped at the glistening meat and varied side dishes; a
simple bowl of Clement's beef broth would have been far preferable in coaxing
her appetite.
It didn't help, either, that Adele again gripped her
arm cruelly after taking a long sip of wine, the stunning blonde's eyes grown
icy cold.
"I want you gone from here. Do you understand?
Gone!"
Maire was so startled she couldn't speak, although
Adele rushed on before she had a chance to while the noisy din of the hall rang
around them.
"You're the one who's causing the trouble here,
not me. Duncan's taken too much of an interest in you—he's wasting his time
over you! Riding back to that place where we came upon your wretched clansmen,
dragging poor FitzHugh and three other knights of mine with him. And for what?
I told him that the bodies would be gone. That I'd seen a man riding into the
trees just before my crossbowmen were close enough to . . ."
Adele didn't finish, but lifted her goblet once more to
drink while Maire could only stare, aghast.
Adele had seen Niall riding away? He had come that
close to falling victim, as had Fiach and the others?
"I even suggested that Duncan should take you back
to that meadow and leave you there with plenty of food and water," Adele
continued of a sudden, her tone growing more agitated though she kept her voice
low. "Surely your clansmen might return again if they came once before,
and they would find you and this whole mess would be settled! But my dear
brother wouldn't hear of it. Called me callous not to think of the wolves that
might find you first—so you see? Until you remember more than your Christian
name, it might be days, even weeks, and after what I heard Flanna screeching
about Duncan kissing you—"
"He . . . he kissed me?" Her fingers flying
to her lips, Maire stared incredulously at Adele, who appeared so galled that
two bright spots of color dotted her alabaster cheeks.
"After he carried you back to his rooms, so Flanna
claimed, and my brother didn't deny it. She had run down the stairs, then gone
back and saw him—God's blood, what does that matter? For a man saying he wants
you returned safely to your family to kiss you while you sleep? Stupid girl,
that tells me much if not you! I wish I'd never brought you here!"
Adele's voice having sunk to a hiss, Maire could barely
hear the woman's next words for how clamorous the hall had grown, many of the
knights seated on the dais clearly becoming drunk.
"Duncan is growing ever more consumed by your
plight, and I'll not have it! Until you're gone, I've no hope that he'll take
time to consider a bride, and he needs no mistress as fair as you, I see that
now. And with Flanna sent away, he'll have no vent for his lust—oh, yes, I see
that concerns you, good! Perhaps the thought of my brother giving you more than
a kiss might jar your memory, yes?"
Maire had paled, she knew it. Try as she might, she
could not forget the sensation of Duncan's hand cupping her breast, her flesh
tingling even now as Adele speculatively studied her face.
"An accursed virgin, too, I would swear it, which
is all the more reason to be rid of you. Impudent mistresses are one thing with
which to contend, and a ghost entirely another, but a chieftain's daughter
whose clan might not rest until she's made a baron's bride in retribution if
her chastity has been lost . . . ah, no."
Maire
expense. "Damned wretched fellow. Nearly as foul-tempered as my
brother. All I had wanted was to follow Gerard de Barry to West Meath to join
the hunt for Irish rebels—what a delightful outing it could have been, too. But
Duncan wouldn't hear of it. Said I'd caused him enough trouble already, among
other things, roared at me, shouted, blustered, and was gone."
A vexed wave of Adele's white, bejeweled hand sent
servants rushing to wait upon the high table. Maire's plate was heaped with
food and her goblet filled with golden wine in only a few moments' time. Yet
her stomach flip-flopped at the glistening meat and varied side dishes; a
simple bowl of Clement's beef broth would have been far preferable in coaxing
her appetite.
It didn't help, either, that Adele again gripped her
arm cruelly after taking a long sip of wine, the stunning blonde's eyes grown
icy cold.
"I want you gone from here. Do you understand?
Gone!"
Maire was so startled she couldn't speak, although
Adele rushed on before she had a chance to while the noisy din of the hall rang
around them.
"You're the one who's causing the trouble here,
not me. Duncan's taken too much of an interest in you—he's wasting his time
over you! Riding back to that place where we came upon your wretched clansmen,
dragging poor FitzHugh and three other knights of mine with him. And for what?
I told him that the bodies would be gone. That I'd seen a man riding into the
trees just before my crossbowmen were close enough to . . ."
Adele didn't finish, but lifted her goblet once more to
drink while Maire could only stare, aghast.
Adele had seen Niall riding away? He had come that
close to falling victim, as had Fiach and the others?
"I even suggested that Duncan should take you back
to that meadow and leave you there with plenty of food and water," Adele
continued of a sudden, her tone growing more agitated though she kept her voice
low. "Surely your clansmen might return again if they came once before,
and they would find you and this whole mess would be settled! But my dear
brother wouldn't hear of it. Called me callous not to think of the wolves that
might find you first—so you see? Until you remember more than your Christian
name, it might be days, even weeks, and after what I heard Flanna screeching
about Duncan kissing you—"
"He . . . he kissed me?" Her fingers flying
to her lips, Maire stared incredulously at Adele, who appeared so galled that
two bright spots of color dotted her alabaster cheeks.
"After he carried you back to his rooms, so Flanna
claimed, and my brother didn't deny it. She had run down the stairs, then gone
back and saw him—God's blood, what does that matter? For a man saying he wants
you returned safely to your family to kiss you while you sleep? Stupid girl,
that tells me much if not you! I wish I'd never brought you here!"
Adele's voice having sunk to a hiss, Maire could barely
hear the woman's next words for how clamorous the hall had grown, many of the
knights seated on the dais clearly becoming drunk.
"Duncan is growing ever more consumed by your
plight, and I'll not have it! Until you're gone, I've no hope that he'll take
time to consider a bride, and he needs no mistress as fair as you, I see that
now. And with Flanna sent away, he'll have no vent for his lust—oh, yes, I see
that concerns you, good! Perhaps the thought of my brother giving you more than
a kiss might jar your memory, yes?"
Maire had paled, she knew it. Try as she might, she
could not forget the sensation of Duncan's hand cupping her breast, her flesh
tingling even now as Adele speculatively studied her face.
"An accursed virgin, too, I would swear it, which
is all the more reason to be rid of you. Impudent mistresses are one thing with
which to contend, and a ghost entirely another, but a chieftain's daughter
whose clan might not rest until she's made a baron's bride in retribution if
her chastity has been lost . . . ah, no."
Maire
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