AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘I thought it best I made myself scarce after I dunked you in that trough. I think you were set to kill me for it.’
‘Did you go to find that slithering worm of a woman and whisper with her in dark places?’
‘Edana? No, I found better company. Would you be jealous if I had?’
‘If I was, I’d never own to it, for you would laugh at my folly.’
‘I most certainly would.’
‘Go to her if you want to. I will not stop you.’
‘Why would I want to do that?’
‘Because you married me for an alliance, for convenience.’
‘True, marrying you was convenient, but it was also something I dearly wanted to do.’
‘Stop it. I know I can give her all the beatings I want, but I can never compete with Edana, for she is so very beautiful.’
‘She didn’t look so good this morning,’ Will said, smirking, but as he didn’t contradict her Morna’s jealousy rose to epic proportions. He came up to her, putting his arms around her waist, but she brushed them off. His face, his mouth, was so close and this tent was too small, he seemed to fill it with his presence.
‘I don’t want to go to her, Morna, you little fool, because what I want is here.’
‘Don’t lie. You only married me as a way to gain influence, Will.’
‘There were other, much more appealing, reasons.’
‘Stop teasing me. I know that I can’t bewitch a man into loving me as she can.’
‘Can you not?’
‘No, I am not even properly a woman. I have lain with no one, but she has wiles and ways of tying a man to her. I may hate her, but I cannot deny that she is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.’
His mouth was but an inch from hers, his gaze hot with lust. ‘And you think you are not?’ he said, his words gentle.
‘Not like that.’
He turned and hung his head and took a deep breath. ‘Enough now,’ he said. When he turned back, there was such ardour in his eyes that Morna took a step back. ‘I think it is time for us to speak plainly Morna, to have the truth between us.’
‘It is hard to believe anything you say, Will.’
‘Believe this,’ he said, coming at her and taking her face in his hands. His mouth took hers in a glorious, soft kiss, tender, slow and breathtaking. Morna felt as though she might faint with it, so fast was the beat of her heart, and the ache in her chest.
Will pulled away slowly and looked deep into her eyes. ‘I want you, Morna, because you are strong, courageous and lovely. I want you because you cared enough not to let your brother kill me and my clansmen. I want you because I have dreamed of you many times these past years and, even though there is an ocean of wealth and family name and clan loyalty separating us, I could never forget you. I didn’t hand you over to your brother because I could not bear to see you ride away from me.’
He kissed her again.
‘But you still want her, don’t you?’ said Morna. ‘The look on your face when you saw her, and she is so…’
‘Beautiful, yes, but she never touched my heart. She may be lovely to look upon, but her charms end there. The witch wanted me to kill Fearchar to be with her, but I refused, though you know me capable of it. Do you know why? Because I did not want her enough. I hated her husband, but I would not kill him to be with her, Morna, and yet I would make a thousand corpses to get to you.’
Morna tried to make sense of his words. ‘Is that supposed to be a compliment?’
‘Aye, time you learned how to take one.’
‘But I do not know how to keep a man, how to hold on to him, how to please a man and…
‘Well, Morna, you are about to find out.’
