Page 9 of To Wed a Witch
Bhaltair stared into the flames, a strange hollow feeling growing in his chest.He'd secured his clan's future and gained a wife who was far more appealing than he'd dared hope.By any measure, this was a successful negotiation.
So why did he feel as though the battle had only just begun?
***
Chapter 3 - The Cottage in the Forest
Sìne made her way alongthe familiar path to her cottage.Dawn was still hours away, and she'd slipped from the Keep like a thief in the night, unable to bear another moment within those suffocating stone walls.Her father would be furious when he discovered her gone, but she needed the peace of her own small sanctuary to gather her scattered thoughts.
The cottage sat in a clearing at the forest's edge, its thatched roof and whitewashed walls looking like something from a fairy tale.Smoke still curled from the chimney where she'd banked the fire before leaving for the ill-fated market day.Her goats bleated a welcome from their pen, and the chickens rustled sleepily in their coop.
Home.For now, at least.
Sìne pushed through the wooden gate and breathed deeply of the herb-scented air."Paisley?I'm home!"she called softly, not wanting to wake the household if her maid had already retired.
Rosemary and thyme bordered the path, while lavender and chamomile crowded the beds near the door.This garden was her life's work.Every plant was carefully chosen for its healing properties, every row planned and tended with loving care."Aidyn, my love, I'm here!"she whispered as she approached the cottage door, her heart already lighter at the mere thought of who awaited her inside.
To think she was to leave it all behind for a man who saw her as nothing more than a purse with legs.She shook her head at the thought, remembering whispered conversations overheard while the Keep servants thought her sleeping:
"His clan's near starving, they say.Been looking for a rich wife for months."
"Aye, and desperate enough to try anything.Remember the scandal with Lady MacNeil?They say he tried to kidnap her to force a marriage, but her husband put a stop to it."
"No wonder he's willing to take the witch.No sane woman would wed into a ruined clan, but perhaps he thinks she's daft enough not to ken the difference."
That last comment she'd overheard had cut deeper than she'd expected.Was that truly what Bhaltair Ferguson thought of her?That she was too addled by madness to realize she was being used?
Sìne had always known her reputation made her undesirable to most men, but she had hoped Bhaltair was different.The moment she saw him, she had felt a strong connection to him.His reaction to her demonstrated that the feeling was mutual.
She shook her head at her fanciful thoughts."Fool," she muttered."Ye're nothing but a means to an end, and the sooner ye accept that, the better."
With a deep sigh, she opened the door to her cottage and crossed the threshold.
***
"WHAT DO YE MEAN MYbetrothed is not here?"Bhaltair's voice carried a dangerous edge that made even Laird MacKay flinch.
