Page 46 of Bride of Fire
She told him in no uncertain terms, “The bairn was quite distraught, m’laird. Since ye were busy with the siege, I took matters into my own hands.” She gave Jenefer a smile. “The lass seems to have a way with wee Miles, as if the two o’ them are—”
“Enough!”
Morgan didn’t want to know about the lass’s way with the lad. The bairn was Alicia’s child.Alicia’s.And he’d settle that, once and for aye.
“Give him back,” he commanded Jenefer, nodding toward Bethac.
She shrugged and surrendered the bairn, who fussed at being disturbed.
“From now on,” he told Bethac, “ye’ll call him Allison, after his mother.”
Bethac didn’t respond, probably because she was occupied, trying to keep the bairn from waking.
“Go back to the nursery,” he told her, “and don’t come here again.”
She left without a word or a glance, and he faced the two cousins with a scowl. “Andye…”
“What havewedone?” Jenefer challenged, her hands on her hips. “We’ve stayed here like good little hostages all day. We haven’t tried to escape. We haven’t so much as fired a wicked word at the guard.”
Feiyan decided to take the offense. She was direct and demanding. “What about our cousin? Have you found her yet?”
In the tumult of preparing for siege, Morgan had forgotten he’d promised to search for their cousin. But Colban was already following Hallie. So he didn’t have to lie.
“Not yet,” he grumbled. “But my best tracker is on her trail.”
“Just one?” Feiyan seemed disappointed.
He scowled. “’Tisn’t as if I can spare an entire army for the task.”
He was irritated with the lasses.
Vexed with Bethac.
Impatient with the bairn, who had started crying again.
And he needed his man Colban by his side for the fight ahead.
Unable to control any of those things, he headed downstairs to take care of something hecouldcontrol—quenching his thirst and sharpening his claymore.
Chapter 24
“Just one tracker,” Feiyan repeated when Morgan was gone, this time with a sly smile. “You know what that means.”
Jenefer wasn’t listening.
“He can’t just change the babe’s name,” she said in annoyance. “I’m going to keep calling him Miles.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Miles. I can call him whatever the hell I want.”
“Why do you care?” Feiyan asked. “The babe’s not yours.”
Jenefer knew that. But shedidintend to take him.
Eventually, she’d find him a suitable home at Rivenloch. Maybe she’d invite Bethac along. The charming old maidservant would probably be glad to leave her hot-tempered, dominating brute of a master.
“Allison,” she sneered.
