Page 97 of Anice’s Bargain

Anice’s throat went tight thinking of her sister’s inability to conceive. Of all the sisters, Marin was guaranteed to be the best mother after so many years of caring for everyone else. The one of them who wanted a child with every piece of herself, and yet Marin had been the one rendered barren. She had a happy life, but such a longing could not be easily quelled. Unable to find her voice, Anice simply nodded.

Marin held out her arms. “May I?”

Anice nodded again and James passed Gavin to Marin with gentle hands. Anice’s elder sister took the baby in her arms and hugged him to her. The raw ache on her face, the hurt of not having a child of her own, nearly shattered Anice’s heart.

Marin stroked a hand over Gavin’s downy blond hair and pressed a kiss to his small forehead. Gavin looked up at her with his wide, curious blue eyes and poked his tongue from between his lips. Marin gave a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. Bran was at her side in a moment, hovering the way a concerned husband does.

Marin smiled up at him in a silent show that everything was all right. She met Anice’s gaze with glossy eyes. “He’s beautiful, Anice. Absolutely perfect.”

“I pray God will give you one of your own soon,” Anice said with heartfelt sincerity.

“We will take all the prayers we can,” Marin said gratefully. “We have not lost hope.”

After nearly five years without a child, most would have. But most were not Marin.

“Prayers, however, are not why we have come to you.” Marin shifted Gavin in her arms, cradling him in the crook of her elbow. “Anice, the king is accusing Father of being a Scottish sympathizer.”

Anice straightened at once. “How is that possible? He has been a loyal supporter, always serving the crown. We would not be safe in such dangerous lands were it not for his unwavering fealty.”

Marin shifted her gaze back to the babe in her arms and smoothed a palm over his fuzzy head. Gavin had gone to sleep, his pale lashes resting against rosy cheeks. This was when Anice liked to kiss him best, when she could bestow a hundred kisses on his small face without him pulling back or opening his drooling smile.

“It’s us,” Marin said in a solemn tone. “We’ve both married Scotsmen.”

“But—” Anice cut short her protest. They hadn’t had a choice in the matter, neither she nor Marin. However, stating what they all knew would serve no good. “There must be some way to prove Father is loyal.”

“There is, per the king’s suggestion.” Marin took a deep breath. “Ella will have to marry the Earl of Calville, by order of the king, to prove Father’s loyalty.”

Dread sucked at Anice. “Ella? Can it not be Cat?”

While Anice was loath to confine poor Cat to a forced marriage, Cat would go willingly to her fate. Ella, on the other hand…

Marin’s chagrined expression echoed Anice’s thoughts. “According to the king’s missive, the union is to be held between Lord Calville and Lord Werrick’s eldest unwed daughter. It is why I travel at such an hour, and why I have come to see you. We must go and convince her, for Father’s sake.”

Anice cast a glance at James.

“It’s been far too long since we last visited,” he offered. “Engelbart can see to things until we return.” He was right, of course. Anice had ceased traveling to Werrick once she discovered she was with child and longed to visit with her sisters once more.

Anice nodded. “Aye, we’ll go. And heaven help us convincing her. Ella has only ever planned to marry for love.”

“Then let us hope it is fate which pushes her husband to her, and that she finds love,” Marin stated. “As I have found with Bran.”

“And as I have found with James.” Anice shared a smile with her husband that warmed her to the soul. All her sisters deserved the life she had, and she hoped that no matter how it came, they would discover such happiness too.

* * *

Thank you for reading ANICE’S BARGAIN! I read all of my reviews and would love to know how you enjoyed the story, so please do leave a review.

Check out Ella’s story in ELLA’S DESIRE where Ella is made to set aside her wish to marry for love and must agree to a forced marriage in order to save her father.

One-Click ELLA’S DESIRE

ELLA’S DESIRE

Lady Ella Barringtonis a romantic who has always dreamed she would marry for love…until she must accept a forced marriage to save her father.

Bronson Berkley is the new Earl of Calville - a title that came with staggering debt and responsibilities that push him toward a marriage he doesn’t want.

With the lines between love and lust blurred by passion, will unmasking their souls reveal the love of a lifetime, or will desire cost them everything?