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“I’m afraid I have to tear a piece of cloth from your other sleeve to use as a bandage,” he said. “But worry not; I’ll see that another blouse is stitched for you.”
She did not object to his kind offer and she was resting her hand on his arm to thank him when a vision struck. It was of the same woman, and this time he hugged her close, the pain and hurt so strong on his face that it stabbed at Bliss’s heart.
“Whatever you saw troubles you, I can see it in your eyes.”
How odd that he could read her face as easily as she read his. She wasn’t ready to share her visions of him and another woman just yet. She wondered if she would ever be ready, but, then, that was nonsense. Her destiny was written, and she must follow it whether it included Trey or not. It was simply the way of things, and she could not bemoan it—or so she tried to convince herself.
“A vision too obscure to understand,” she said.
“Not all visions are clear?” he asked, tearing the piece of cloth he needed and beginning to bandage her arm.
No one ever discussed her visions with her. They seemed afraid to do so, which left her feeling alone much of the time. She could not believe how easily Trey talked about the subject or that he was interested in doing so.
“Some are a challenge to understand,” she said.
“But you embrace them anyway, don’t you?”
“I really don’t have a choice. It is hard to ignore them.”
He finished tying off the strips of cloth he used to keep the bandage in place. He turned his head, his eyes meeting hers. “That must be a terrible burden.”
There was something in the blue and green hues of his eyes that captivated. She couldn’t quite explain it, wasn’t sure what she saw, she only knew that it held more power than anything she had ever known, and, for a moment, it frightened her.
“At times,” she said, turning her head to glance at the fire.
“You’re tired and no doubt hungry.”
“More so one than the other,” she said.
“Regardless, you’ll need to eat to keep up your strength, or so says my mum,” he said with a laugh, “though her cooking was not easy to stomach.”
His laugh brought a smile to her face. And she wondered how he had deduced that she’d be more tired than hungry. Then again, it would seem the more reasonable choice after all they had been through today. Still, his strong intuitiveness nagged at her.
Her yawn was another indication that the long day had caught up with her.
“The only strength left me is sleep,” she said.
“First, a piece of bread and cheese to sustain you,” he cajoled, searching through the sack.
He found the items and, after setting them near her side, moved to sit behind her. He slipped his hands ever so gently beneath her back and lifted her to sit between his spread legs and rest in the crook of his shoulder. He then reached for the food and split it between them, his one arm remaining firmly around her.
He took the liberties of a husband, sitting them intimately together and making no apology for it. Of course he was her husband, though the truth of it was that their marriage had not been consummated, so one could argue their union was not recognized.
And so she said after a nibble of cheese, “This is all so strange.”
“It seems natural to me.”
“It is natural to wed someone, unaware that you did, to do all you can to keep your unexpected bride safe, and to tend her when she foolishly falls down a hill?”
“The force of the arrow caused you to stumble; foolishness had nothing to do with it,” he said. “And as for keeping you safe, it is no chore, though I didn’t keep my bride safe enough, or she would never have tumbled down the hill.”
“These are troubling times in the Highlands—the winds of change blow heavily, leaving debris and hardship in their path. You protect me when it is not your duty—”
“You can argue that point all you like, but itismy duty, and I will see it done.”
“You have another duty that comes first,” she reminded.
“I need no reminder that I serve the true king and will see him safely seated on the throne. I am well aware of what my duties are and where and when I am needed. And how do you know that I am not on a mission and that being wed to you provides me with the excuse needed to accomplish it.”
