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Love! Love had struck them without either of them realizing it until they had no choice but to accept the truth. Now neither of them would ever deny it.
“Good day, my lady.”
Tavia turned with a smile. “Good day, Glenna. How is William doing?”
The older woman sighed. “One day he is good, the next not so much. I fear he will never be as strong as he once was.” A smile suddenly lit her face. “I remember when I first saw him. He was strong and handsome, but he did not like me much since the chieftain at the time insisted he wed me or his da would be put off the farm. The chieftain had heard that William was going to leave the clan and seek his own fortune. He was a good farmer and warrior when needed and the chieftain did not want to lose him. We fell in love along the way, buried two bairns before their time and made sure our son, Terence, got to do what William was unable to… leave the clan and seek his own fortune.” Tears trickled down her cheeks. “A new chieftain changed things, demanded more than William could give and we were forced off the farm.” She shook her head fighting her tears.
Tavia rested a gentle hand on the woman’s back. “You have a new and safe home here with the Clan MacShane. You need not worry any longer.”
“You are far too kind, my lady,” Glenna said.
“Nonsense. It is what family does and Clan MacShane is your family now. Let me walk with you back to your cottage and visit with William.”
“He would enjoy seeing you,” Glenna said.
Tavia caught Marta watching them, her sneer obvious.
“Marta does not speak well of you, my lady,” Glenna said. “Every time she brought food to us, I would ask her to please thank you for your generosity. She would snap at me and tell me it was Lord Bhric who was generous not you.”
“Marta is protective of Lord Bhric and accustomed to her ways. She is having difficulty adapting here,” Tavia said, seeing no reason to disparage the woman. Hurtful words helped no one and would only make matters worse.
“Again, you are too kind, my lady,” Glenna said as they continued to the cottage.
Bhric watched his wife walk with Glenna and he also saw the way Marta’s eyes followed her.
“Does she watch her tongue?” Bhric asked Sven, his glance staying on Marta.
Sven laughed. “What woman watches her tongue?”
Bhric turned a scowl on him. “That one since I told you to make sure of it.”
Sven’s laughter vanished. “Ingrid has been keeping a watch on Marta and making certain her tongue tells no tales. Though there are plenty of tales circulating.”
“Someone is behind the animals’ deaths and the gossip about my wife that is purposely being spread. To what end, is what worries me. At least we have determined that whoever slaughters the animals waits to do so until the snow falls so their tracks will be covered leaving us unable to follow any trail.”
“The culprit is also wise enough to go beyond our sentinels’ reach. If we did not send out patrols we would not have found the animals. That tells us it is someone who knows our ways, someone most likely among us.”
“Or it could be someone who reports to another what goes on here,” Bhric said.
“It cannot be one of ours,” Sven said.
“We cannot rule out anyone. Who would have thought Marta would have lied about my wife, she having been like family to us? You and Ingrid did not even give it a thought.”
Sven hung his head. “You are right, neither of us did. But what of Clan MacShane?”
“As I said no one can be ruled out, everyone is suspect,” Bhric said, his glance taking in the whole area where he and Sven stood and talked.
“There are many who still believe your wife has bewitched you as she did Fen and Bones.”
“Finding those responsible for the animal killings and seeing them suffer for it will help, but I fear time is the only thing that will help the other problem. It was my lack of not accepting Tavia as my wife that has caused this problem. The tribe would have accepted her if I had,” Bhric said, realizing much of the blame for his wife’s sufferings was on him.
“That is true. You did not treat her as well as you should have.” Sven grinned. “You should have trusted your mother’s choice in a wife.”
Bhric cringed. “I do not need to be reminded of that.”
Sven laughed. “I think you are reminded of that every day.”
“I should have sent you home,” Bhric snapped.
