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When they all fell silent then, Murine nodded and then paused as if trying to recall what came next. After a moment, she muttered, "Oh aye," and stuck the carrot down the neckline of her gown to nestle between her breasts.
"Oh, say," Niels said with surprise. "Saidh was giving ye some advanced instruction."
Murine glanced to Niels with confusion, which Jetta thoroughly understood. She was a bit confused by his comment as well. However, while she remained confused, Murine peered down at the carrot between her breasts and quite suddenly seemed to understand, because her cheeks immediately turned a bright crimson and she reached as if to withdraw the carrot.
"Don't," Dougall said, making her pause. "Ignore my idiot brother, wife, and continue with it just as Saidh did."
Smiling gratefully at her husband, Murine nodded and let her hand drop from the carrot. Leaving it tucked snugly between her breasts, she soldiered on, "As I mentioned, Saidh was verra thirsty, and at this point tucked the carrot just there while she poured herself another goblet o' wine."
Murine picked up her empty goblet, pretended to down another glass full and then moved in front of Jetta again, and held up the bread and empty goblet. "Right. This is you, and this is--oh hell." Murine made an exaggerated face of exasperation that suggested she was still mimicking Saidh, and set down the goblet to retrieve the carrot instead, before starting again, "This is you, and this is Aulay. And this is what will happen tonight," she announced, and pushed the larger end of the carrot into the slit in the bread. Although, of course, the carrot was much larger than the slit, and what she was really doing was mashing the bread dough with the carrot head, hammering it over and over again as she repeatedly drove the carrot into the dough and pulled it out.
"Dear God in heaven."
Jetta heard Aulay breathe those horrified words as she gaped at what Murine was doing to the poor bread, and then Murine announced, "But it's much nicer than it looks. He'll kiss ye and such, and ye'll get all excited and want to punch him hard in the face."
"What?" Jetta gasped, her eyes wide.
"That is what Saidh told me," Murine assured her cheerfully as she jammed the carrot into the bread as if the orange vegetable was her fist and the loaf Aulay's face.
Jetta turned to Saidh askance. "Punch him?"
"That's how I feel," Saidh said with a shrug. "That if he does no' end this sweet torture and give me my release soon I will have to punch him."
The men around them were divided in their responses. Saidh's brothers burst out laughing, Uncle Acair rolled his eyes and shook his head, Cam looked startled at the words and Greer just grinned.
"But," Murine continued, "Saidh said that ye'd then feel like an explosion has gone off inside ye, and 'twould be so nice." Murine glanced skyward and released a long, starry-eyed sigh as if pondering the release, but she was obviously still portraying Saidh's conversation with her, because in the blink of an eye the expression was replaced with an inquisitive expression as she turned to Jetta and asked, "Understand?"
Unable to speak at the moment, Jetta nodded weakly.
"Oh, thank God," Murine muttered and tossed her props over her shoulder and then eyed Jetta's wine and asked, "Are ye going to drink that?"
Jetta shook her head.
Murine smiled. "Which was my answer as well, and as I watched, Saidh grabbed it up and chugged it down. It was at that point I thought it might be best all around did Saidh have all sons and no daughters with Greer. For surely, no young lass should have to hear the marriage bed described that way," she finished and then signaled the end of her little show with a curtsy.
"Bravo!" Niels said on a laugh, beginning to clap.
"Aye, fer a minute there, I actually believed ye to be Saidh," Cam said with a grin as he too clapped.
"This is the second time I've seen it and it still amuses me." Jo chuckled.
Beaming, Murine gave another curtsy and then hurried around the table to reclaim her seat.
Biting her lip, Jetta glanced to Saidh then to see how she was taking all of this, but Saidh was sitting and looking completely unperturbed. Catching Jetta's concerned gaze, she shrugged mildly and said, "'Tis what happens."
Her words brought a groan from Aulay that drew Jetta around to see the dismay on his face. Frowning, she shifted her gaze uncertainly toward Dougall.
Her brother-in-law gave her a reassuring smile, and patted Aulay on the back. "Relax, brother. 'Tis fine."
"I do no' see what everyone finds so funny," Saidh said, drawing Jetta's attention away from her husband. "There was nothing wrong with me instruction to Murine. That is exactly what happens."
Jetta bit her lip to hide her amusement and then heard Aulay mutter in response to Dougall, "Aye, ye can say that. Ye'd already bedded Murine when she was given that horrible instruction. But Jetta is still untried and like to stay that way forever after that display."
No one else heard the words. Jetta barely caught them herself, and yet, for a moment, the entire room went silent around her. It took a moment for her to realize that it was her. The room hadn't gone silent at all. She could see people moving and talking, but could hear nothing. There was no clinking of metal, no lighthearted chatter, no laughter. Everything was suddenly silent, which left her mind screaming as it rushed madly about like a mouse loose in a pantry full of food.
She was still untried? Had they never consummated their marriage? Why? Did he not find her attractive enough? Had he not wanted to marry her? Or was it the other way around? Had she refused him her bed? Perhaps, as she had feared, she'd been repulsed by his scar before losing her memories.
Jetta could not imagine that though. He was an attractive man despite the scar. But perhaps she had been understandably shy and reticent on their wedding night and he had taken that as rejection. Perhaps the shipwreck and her head injuries were the chance they'd needed to repair a marriage that had been limping along under misunderstandings and misperceptions. Aye, that seemed possible, and if so, she would grasp that chance with both hands and fix everything, for she had a good man, and was quite sure she could have an amazing marriage if she just worked at it.
That decision seemed to act like a switch, turning the sound back on for Jetta as Murine said, "I love ye, Saidh, and ye ken it. And much to me surprise, while I thought it might be best did ye have lads and no' lassies, now ye've had the triplets, I see how lucky they are."
"Triplets?" Jetta echoed with surprise, briefly distracted from her worries.
"Aye," Murine told her, leaning forward to see her past Saidh and Greer. "Saidh gave birth to triplets just six months ago."
"Oh my God! I am an aunt thrice over?" Jetta gasped, eyes wide. She then frowned as she wondered if she was still an aunt if her marriage had not yet been consummated. Were she and Aulay even legally married without the consummation?
"We all are," Edith said excitedly, reclaiming her attention. "Well, except for Jo, but she is their Godmother."
Jo nodded with a smile. "And we are going to betroth my Bearnard to the eldest girl, little Rhona."
"And then ye'll be family too," Edith said with a grin. "We'll all be related!"
Jetta smiled faintly as the women all grinned at each other, and then commented, "Rhona is a lovely name. What names did ye give the other girls?"
"Sorcha and Ailsa," Saidh said at once.
Jetta's eyes widened incredulously. "You named one after me?"
Aulay froze when Jetta said that. He was not the only one. There was a sudden and complete silence among the people seated around him, and no one at the high table was now moving or speaking. All sat gaping at Jetta with wide eyes, even himself. He sat still, watching her eyes round with realization and then flood with emotion as she turned to stare at him. He saw confusion, heartbreak, fear and grief, and then pain. Eyebrows drawing together in concentration, she stared at him briefly and then stood up, as if wanting to escape the knowledge filling her. But the moment she put weight on her foot, she cried out in pain and then tumbled
sideways over the trestle table bench, her head plummeting toward the Great Hall floor.
"Jetta!" Aulay roared, leaping to his feet, but was not quick enough to catch her before she hit the floor. Cursing himself for failing her, he knelt to gather her into his arms.
"She hit her head again," Alick said with dismay, kneeling across her body from him.
"The crispin cushioned her head when she fell down the stairs. I am sure it did it this time too," Saidh said, joining them.
"Then why has she lost consciousness again?" Aulay asked grimly.
"I do no' ken," Saidh admitted, eyeing Jetta unhappily.
"I'll fetch Rory," Alick said straightening.
"Have him come to my room," Aulay ordered, standing up and carrying Jetta toward the stairs on his brother's heels. He peered down at Jetta as he took the stairs, noting the pallor of her face and the pained wince her brows were forming. He suspected she'd regained her memory, or at least part of it. Something about her expression after she'd said "You named one after me?" had told him she was remembering something, probably who she was, and more important to him, who she wasn't. Aulay was quite sure she now knew he was not her husband, and he was scared to death about what that might mean for him. He'd not got to tell her himself, or to explain. And if Saidh was right, that was a very bad thing.
"Pull back the linen and furs so he can lay her in the bed."
Aulay glanced around at that order from Saidh, somewhat surprised to find that he'd reached the master bedchamber while distracted by his thoughts. Well, they'd reached the master bedchamber, he realized as he noted that his entire family had followed him, from Uncle Acair on down to Jo and Cam Sinclair, who weren't strictly family yet, but would be someday if their son married young Rhona. The only ones missing were Rory, Alick, Conran and Geordie.
Aulay had barely had the thought when Rory rushed into the room with Conran and Alick on his heels.
"Alick said Jetta hit her head. Again," Rory growled, rushing to the bed. "What happened?"
"What happened is she remembered her name was no' Jetta, but Sorcha or Ailsa," Cam announced solemnly.
Rory's eyebrows rose. "Which is it? Sorcha or Ailsa?"
