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Heart racing with fright, Noah clamped his hand over his mouth and peered at the strange woman he’d married. Her eyes were still closed. She was still fast asleep.
“Are ye determined to kill me with shock?” he muttered under his breath as his beating heart calmed, and Saoirse fell back onto the bed, entirely unaware of anything.
If he was going to survive this marriage, they were going to need separate bedchambers… for more than one reason.
CHAPTER5
The soundof birds pecking at the windowpane felt like it was coming from inside Saoirse’s skull. Rolling over, crushed her face into the pillow, praying for the pressure in her head to cease. If the noise wasn’t bad enough, the sunlight pouring into the room shone brighter than any light had a right to shine. Groaning, she tried to remember what might have caused this discomfort.
“Ye’re awake. Good.” A gruff voice severed any hope of mulling over last night’s events. “Now, get up. We need to leave.”
With her mouth dry and her limbs refusing to move, Saoirse tried to peel her head from the pillow. “Pardon?”
“Come on, we have a long journey ahead of us,” the grating voice continued. “The sooner ye get up out of bed, the sooner we can depart.”
Turning her head, Saoirse blinked through the throbbing of her eyes. “Who says I’m awake?” she rasped, every word like a scratch in her parched throat.
She spied the blurry vision of a man beside the bed, waiting expectantly with his arms crossed over a broad chest. Averyhandsome man: the kind that only existed in her wildest dreams. Yet, something in her hazy mind made her want to recoil from him. Uncertain if he was friend or foe, she flopped her head back into the pillow, determined to ignore him.
“I ken yedochatter in yer sleep, but yer eyes were open this time,” the man replied sternly.
Her head shot up. “How do ye ken I chatter in my sleep?”
“A husband should ken his wife’s oddities.” The man stepped closer, the blur of Saoirse’s eyes making him seem immense. Monstrous, in fact.
Husband… Weddin’… Celebrations… the Kirk, the gatherin’, the dancin’, the… wine. So much spiced wine.Her stomach roiled, and she knew that if she moved an inch more, she would be sick. Her lack of memory only made her feel more unwell. What parts had she forgotten? Why was he in her bedchamber with morning light shining in through the windows? Had they… shared a bed, last night?Did we—?She couldn’t finish the thought. In truth, she didn’t even know what that thought entailed.
“I’m nae goin’ anywhere,” she muttered instead, pressing her refusal into the pillow.
Her husband grasped her arm and rolled her over onto her back. “Aye, ye are, and I daenae like to be late. That’s one thing ye should ken about me.”
Trying to sit up, she stared at him with confusion and bewilderment. For the life of her, she still couldn’t remember what he was doing in her chamber. Maybe, he’d only just entered. Smacking her dry lips, she looked about the bedchamber, trying desperately to piece together last night.
“Where did ye sleep?” she croaked, as the memories failed to come.
“Amusin’,” he replied, his voice laced with sarcasm as he pushed a cup into her hand. “Drink this.”
She narrowed her eyes at the offering. “What is it?”
“Somethin’ that will help wit’ the pain,” he answered. “A concoction of sorts.”
Saoirse drew the cup to her nose and took a small whiff. The aroma was unique—floral, with a hint of something else she couldn’t quite place. “Poisonin’ me already?” she remarked. “My Faither taught me to be wary of takin’ drinks from strange men.”
“Just drink it, unless ye want yer head to be poundin’ and yer stomach to be churnin’ from here to my castle.” He paused, with the ghost of a smile on his lips. “Besides, if I wanted to poison ye, I wouldnae be foolish enough to do it in yer family seat.”
Still suspicious, but hearing the sense in his words, she brought the cup to her lips and took a sip. The taste was beyond horrid. Indeed, poison might’ve been better. Every fiber of her being wanted to spit it out the moment it flowed down her throat. Although the drink eased the dryness, the vile taste was too much to bear.
“Maybe, ye woke up and decided ye’d be bold,” she grumbled, shoving the cup back at Noah.
He laughed as he took the cup from her and set it on the table. “The only thing I’d want to get rid of is the beast that lives in ye when ye sleep.”
“What?” Saoirse was in no mood for riddles or for him being privy to memories that she had forgotten. Every muscle in her body ached and the war drums in her head only added to her displeasure.
He chuckled. A strange sound, coming from such a severe face. “Dae ye nae ken that ye snore? Ye sounded like a bellowin’ creature last night. I wouldnae be surprised if ye kept half the Keep awake.”
“Did it… keepyeawake, or had ye… tired yerself by then?” She needed to know if he had shared her bed. It was a matter of urgency.
The small display of humor drained out of him. “I wouldnae lie with a lass that wasnae awake, if that’s yer true question. Wife or nae, I daenae call a woefully drunken lass an opportunity.” He pointed to the settee by the fireplace. “I slept there, so ye can put yer mind at ease. And aye, ye did keep me awake.”
