Page 34 of My Highland Fling
Her mother stiffened, her features turning hard.“We’re the king and queen.”
Disgust kept Gabrielle from guarding her tongue.“The money I earned for the charities went into your pockets.Funded your expensive tastes.That’s despicable.”
“Your lack of virginity presents a problem.”Her mother shrugged off Gabrielle’s contempt.“Now that you’re no longer chaste, your worth has gone down considerably.Stupid child.Thank goodness we listened to security and inserted the tracker in you.It made finding you easy.”
Gabrielle stared at the woman in front of her.Why had she even bothered having children?Gabrielle wasn’t close to her brothers because of the age difference, but had they also suffered through this parental interference?She’d always thought her brothers led charmed lives.It was apparent she needed to speak with her siblings.
Meantime, what did her parents intend for her?
Gabrielle attempted to get off the bed, and her knees buckled.Her stomach roiled, and she turned her head, nausea rushing up her throat.She vomited again.Her mother made a sound of disgust.
“What did you give me?”Gabrielle craved more water but wasn’t confident of keeping it down.
“You were creating such a fuss we had to sedate you.Attracting attention was not optimal.”
Gabrielle gritted her teeth.It was evident her parents cared nothing for her.At least Tilly was secure in Edinburgh.As for her personal safety, escape from the palace—impossible.Not with a guard on her door and someone in her room watching her.
“What happens next?”she asked, keeping her tone casual.
“In two days, you’ll marry Adrik Popov.The dressmaker will deliver your gown tomorrow.”
“I won’t do it.I refuse.”
Her mother grasped her wrist and twisted.“You will marry and look happy about your wedding.”
Her parents couldn’t do this when she longed for Ramsay.A cacophony rattled through her head, tinged with panic.“Who is Adrik Popov?Have I met him?”
“No.The man is disgusting and uncouth, but he’s willing to pay a princely sum for you.He wants a child,” her mother said.
Hellfire.She was to become a broodmare.Fun times.It made her fiercely glad the gorgeous, sexy Ramsay had been her first.She’d never believed in love at first sight.She did now.Ramsay.Yes!They’d been together when the guards captured her.She frowned, trying to recall what had happened between the cabin and the castle.Whatever they’d given her had blitzed her memory.
“Nothing to say?”her mother taunted.
“Yes, have you always been a bitch?”
Her mother darted forward and slapped her face.Pain ricocheted through Gabrielle, and her eyes watered.Blood seeped into her mouth, and she carefully prodded her lip with her tongue.
“How do you think I ended up married to your father?”her mother demanded.“This is the way things are done.Your father likes to spend money.It makes him happy and his moods more certain.”
Shock doused some of Gabrielle’s rage.“What about you?”
“Don’t you understand?I have no choice either.I do as your father orders, and I have relative freedom if I do.”
Gabrielle stared at her mother.“You didn’t think about leaving him?”
“As long as I obey him, I have plenty of money, every luxury I want, and whomever I wish to take as my lover.”
Gabrielle took a shaky breath.How had she not known this?Her father had always acted distant, had always shown more interest in her brothers.She tried to recall how her parents behaved when they were together.Neither spent much time with the other.She’d never pondered the reasons because she’d been more interested in her charities and avoiding marriage to Gregor.
In hindsight, her parents had kept her isolated because they’d had plans for her future.
“I have a headache,” she said, and she wasn’t lying.Her head throbbed in time with the ache of her jaw.
A brief tap sounded.“Yes,” her mother called, her tone imperious.
The door opened, and two maids entered with cleaning materials.
“My daughter has a headache and isn’t feeling well.Please change the bed linens and help her change into a nightie.Gabrielle, your wedding takes place in two days.Make sure you get plenty of rest.You’ll need it.”
