Page 24 of Captured By the Highland Devil
“I’m nae entirely sure that is a good thing…” she muttered.
Surely there is a way to get out of this horrible nightmare.
“Paige, dear, ye cannae keep hidin’ away from yer husband,” Daisy said fretfully. “T’is nae the best way to start yer marriage.”
“This is nae a marriage, Mama,” Paige shook her head as she reached for her nettle tea. “It’s a mockery of one. Besides, I am sure me husband doesnae want me around him at all.”
Her mother’s face fell with disappointment. “Paige, ye cannae perpetuate the rift between ye two. Ye need to make an effort to be more amenable to him, to be open and come to a?—”
“Nae when he murdered me cousin.” Paige bristled. “Elijah should be alive now but he isnae because of him. How do I make peace with such…such a beast?”
“Paige,” her mother said aghast. “Ye cannae say such a thing.”
“I will never forgive him for what he did to Elijah,” she said strongly. “Me cousin should be alive and with his family now. He should be alive now, married, have his children and be enjoyin’ his life.”
Daisy reached out for her and held her hand, “Me daughter, peace doesnae come easily. It will nae come unless someone decides to sacrifice for it.
“I am sorry ye had to be the one it comes through but please, try to make the best of it. Please, give yerself the chance to understand yer husband and give him the chance to understand ye.
“Nay one is as bad ye think they are,” Daisy said, “Can ye nae see that? I ken ye must have seen somethin’ in the man that resonates with ye.”
He wants the orphans to read. That should count for somethin’.
“Nae enough to count,” she said stubbornly.
Looking around, Daisy shook her head. “Ye’ve been locked into this room for the past two days, Paige. I think being so cloistered in here is affectin’ ye. We should take a walk and get some fresh air.”
“Maither—”
“Nay, Paige,” Daisy’s voice sharpened. “Come along.”
It took them a while to navigate the corridors in the massive keep, but eventually they managed to leave through one of the many backdoors.
They bypassed outbuilding, smokehouses, many vegetable gardens were there, and she saw servants plucking weeds from the rows. She nodded to a few that met her eye and mustered asmile. They rounded the back lands and storehouse then came up extensive and training field.
She could already see the formations. Over to the left, young squires, mere boys, were running with buckets of water to increase arm strength, while older squires were sparring with wooden swords.
To the far right, Ruben was with fifteen warriors. Thirteen of them were on the sideline, watching him battle two, probably waiting their time to enter the field.
Ruben’s dark hair seemed to absorb the bright mid-morning sunlight, and she swallowed tightly at the sight of him. It was one thing sensing how hard his body was during their rides, but to see it directly was another.
His tall, broad-shouldered form was bare-chested. Clad in only breeks that covered from knee to waist, his muscled, battle-scarred chest unexpectedly sent her heart into a fluster. She had thought his chest would be covered with hair—but no, it was bare.
His hand flexed over the hilt of the massive claymore and dragging her eyes from his hand, she spotted his face, and her breath stalled in her chest.
She did not see his eyes but did see the thick line of his lowered brows leading to his regal nose. His lips were flattened in a line, and she wondered what he was displeased about.
He squared his shoulders and lifted the sword to the two men facing him. He then dropped into a stance and lunged; the two men did not leap out of the way, and she realized he was teaching them.
The morning wore on as they engaged in a battery of military exercises. He and the men sparred fiercely, but Ruben showed the men no mercy, sending more than half of them to the ground.
“I think I’ll head back inside,” her mother said, while touching her arm. “Remember what I said about makin’ peace in yer marriage.”
Paige bit her tongue. She did not want to tell her mother that she knew, deep down in her bones, that such a thing was not possible. The only words she could find were, “Get some rest.”
Standing within the courtyard gates, she watched another warrior spar with Ruben. He blocked Ruben’s lunges, and possessed a speed that made her eyes widen. He fought with an uncanny instinct that had Ruben on the defensive as well.
Eventually a small crowd that near the gate but none of them— most servants—stayed for long. They hurried off to their duties, men holding boxes, women with clean washing in hand.
