AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Lena chuckled. “I feel most excellent, but then, my husband forced me to drink exceeding amounts of wine and ale because he said it took the fight out of me.”
“Oh, Lena—”
“Dunnae,” Lena bit out. “I kinnae stand the pity.”
Sorcha nodded, understanding. As they came to the shore, they exclaimed in unison as they looked out at the sparkling water and sat down.
After kicking off their shoes and moving close enough to the water that it washed over their feet in cool, rippling laps, Sorcha closed her eyes, tilted her head to the sun, and soaked in the heat. When Lena cleared her throat, Sorcha opened her eyes and turned to look at the woman. A soft breeze blew a few curling strands of Lena’s long, russet hair across her face. Sorcha’s breath caught as the woman lifted a trembling hand to push the locks behind her ear.
“It might help to tell someone about some of the things that are in yer memory,” Sorcha said. “It seems to me that it would give them less power to haunt ye.”
“My head kens ye’re right,” Lena said in a trembling tone, “as it did help ease the pain a bit to speak of my marriage a bit before to Isobel. But my stomach knots and my throat tightens when I even consider telling all the horrid details of how weak and groveling I became. I tried to seem braw when I was rescued, but it was nae real.”
“I understand,” Sorcha assured Lena. “I’ve a great fear of what I might learn about myself, but I try to be braw every day.”
Lena’s eyes widened, and she gave a nod of recognition. “He’d make me drink until I lost my accounts,” she said suddenly, looking down at the ground as she swirled her finger in the dirt. “He’d put his hand on my neck and choke me until I drank, and then—” A violent shudder racked her body. “Once the room swayed and all the fight had left me, he’d tear off my clothes and do things that my body rebelled against. I simply did nae have the strength at that point to stop him.”
Sorcha kept absolutely quiet, not wanting to disrupt Lena, yet she did curl her fingers hard into the dirt as rage for the woman coursed through her.
“I’ve wished many a night, I had nae lived through his treatment.”
“Lena, nay!” Sorcha burst out. “If ye had nae lived, then ye would nae have a chance to find happiness now.”
Lena turned sad eyes to Sorcha. “I dunnae believe I will ever find happiness.”
“I believe ye will. Ye will marry, and—”
“Nay,” Lena said harshly. “I will nae ever submit to marriage again. I’d rather be dead.” Sorcha bit her lip but held her words, feeling they would only be seen as pity as before. Lena drew her knees to her chest. “I dunnae ken what I should do quite yet. I thought at first I would stay at Dunvegan and be with my brothers, but they are all married and dunnae really need me.”
“Cameron is nae married,” Sorcha protested.
Lena smiled. “Nae yet,” she said in a teasing voice.
“Just because yer brothers have taken wives, dunnae mean ye dunnae have a place, though,” Sorcha said, choosing to leave Lena’s comment alone.
“Oh aye, it does. Unless I want to be the sad, unmarried, angry sister for the rest of my life—or worse, they have to defy the king as they almost did afore to protect me from a forced marriage. Nay.” She shook her head. “I must take hold of my future. I am simply nae quite certain how yet.”
“Ye might change yer mind about marriage,” Sorcha said hopefully, thinking upon seeing Lena and Alex each give the other looks of longing when they thought no one was observing them.
“I’ll nae be changing my thoughts about that,” Lena insisted. “However—” she gave Sorcha a shy look “—I do wonder sometimes in my bed at night what it would be like to be kissed by a man I did nae fear. But I grow tense even thinking of a man’s lips on mine. Do ye see the problem for me? Even with a want to discover the tenderness of a gentle kiss, I fear submitting to it too much to ever allow it.”
“Perchance ye simply have yet to meet the man who will be able to make ye long for his kiss more than ye fear it.”
“Nay,” Lena said with ringing certainty. “I—That is, there is a man who I long to kiss, but it is nae enough. The longing is nae enough,” she finished quietly, her voice sad.
Impetuously, Sorcha reached over and hugged her. Lena tensed at first, but then she relaxed. “It is nae enoughyet,” Sorcha insisted. “Give it time. I feel certain it will be. And now,” she said cheerily, certain the mood needed to be lightened, “let us see if I can swim!”
Laughing, they both stood. Sorcha took off her bow and set it and her arrows down under the tree. She walked back to the shore, stripped to her léine as Lena had done, and they both waded into the water. Sorcha’s heart began to pound as the water crept up her legs, past her thighs, and to her stomach. She paused, but Lena nudged her.
“I’m here for ye, if ye need me,” Lena assured her. “I’m a verra good swimmer, and I’ll nae let ye drown.”
Sorcha nodded and moved with slow, tentative steps farther into the water. It passed her chest, then her neck, and when it got to her nose, she glanced to Lena. Sorcha stood on her tiptoes, breath held and heart speeding.
“Submerge yerself!” Lena urged. “I vow I’m here.”
Taking a deep breath, Sorcha dipped her head all the way under the water and pushed off from the ground. Suddenly, her body took over and her fear abated. Her arms and legs moved instinctively from memory, and such exhilaration filled her that when she broke the surface, she let out a whoop.
When she looked to her right, Lena was there beside her, grinning. “Ye swim as well as a fish!” she praised.
