She stared at it, the dark blue gem appearing to wink at her from the way the hearth’s light reflected off it. There was no denying that the necklace was lovely, but she much preferred the simplicity of the metal ring Quinn had made for her. It had been forged with love.
Gently, she lifted the necklace. It held no warmth, no love. Once placed around the neck, it would feel more like a shackle than anything else. With reluctance, Heather prepared to fulfill her end of the bargain she had made with her husband, not looking forward to the time the sapphire necklace went around her neck.
CHAPTER 12
Rhys sat at the dais table with Pitt enjoying the wine as warriors filed in and began filling the many tables. Soon talk, accented with bouts of laughter, circled the room and shouts of joy rang out when platters heaped high with various foods were placed on each table.
“This small feast will be good for the men,” Pitt said, glancing around the room slowly.
“And which lassie catches your fancy tonight?” Rhys asked.
Pitt shook his head. “I forget you see what others do not.”
“You forget I have grown to know you well. You are rarely without a female companion for the night, though perhaps it is time for you to find a wife.”
“I am not ready to be shackled to one woman.”
“Well, you certainly have your pick, since most of the servant lasses have difficulty keeping their eyes off you, all except one that is.”
Pitt’s glance drifted to Nessa, speaking with one of the servants.
“Pretty as Nessa is, she is not what I favor in a woman. I prefer a lusty, confident woman. Nessa barely looks me in the eye when I speak with her. Ihave no use for shy women.” Pitt turned a grin on him. “But if I remember correctly neither do you.”
Rhys cast a glance over his men, having noticed that all sound had ceased, and Pitt joined him in looking to see why. His wife had entered the room, turning the men speechless.
Pitt’s mouth dropped open at the sight of her and when he realized it hung open like a gaping hole, he quickly snapped it shut.
Rhys drank in every inch of his wife. She approached the table with a gentle grace and a beauty that could not be denied. Her long blond hair was swept up with several strands falling down the back of her neck and a few wisps around her face. The soft blue dress she wore dipped low on her chest and that was where Rhys’ eyes stopped. He stood and walked to the front of the dais to meet her.
“Thank you for the generous gifts, my lord,” Heather said when she came to a stop in front of him.
Talk and laughter resumed as Rhys gave her a brief nod and offered his arm to her, then escorted her back up on the dais to sit between him and Pitt.
“Your beauty outshines the sapphire, my lady,” Pitt said.
Heather smiled. “How gallant of you to say, Pitt.” She turned to her husband. “I was rather astonished to see it laying there upon the dress. It is far too generous of you, my lord.”
Heather was not sure if his eyes were enthralled with the sapphire or her full breasts, since the gem rested just above the valley between her breasts.
Rhys turned away to pour her a goblet of wine. “I wished for you to have proper garments befitting my wife.”
“The dress is most proper, but the necklace is not necessary,” she said, accepting the goblet from him. “It belongs more on one of nobility than on me.”
“Not if I deem otherwise,” Rhys said.
“Wherever did you come by such a lovely garment and such a stunning jewel?” she asked.
“In my travels,” he said. “Come now you must eat and enjoy the evening.”
It was a more pleasant evening than Heather had imagined. Pitt was quite the storyteller, though she wondered if some of his tales were more truths. Many of the warriors raised repeated toasts to the lord and his lady and a few warriors broke into song.
Later in the evening, Rhys ordered her to remain at the dais while he spoke with Pitt privately for a few moments. He told her they would retire when he returned, and her stomach fluttered. She knew this time would come and she could not help but grow more nervous as she watched him leave the room.
Rhys turned an angry voice on Pitt as soon as the door to his solar closed. “That bastard gainedaccess to the castle. His message is clear. He lets me know he is here and that he plans to take what I took from him. He gave that sapphire necklace to his wife the day they wed. I want you to find out how he gained access to the keep.”
“There are sentries everywhere. He could not have gotten past them.”
Rhys shook his head as if suddenly realizing something. “He did not get past them. He had someone else leave the message.”
