Their marriage begins with a lie. Tricked into wedding young Laren Blair, the daughter of a Scottish laird, Arthur ap Brynn Ffrydd, an English baron, abandons her at his keep. When he finally returns six years later she has won the affection of his people but all he sees are the changes she has made. Their battles begin.
She fears her life will be as miserable with Arthur as it was with her cruel father. He envisions losing his property to her Scottish clan. As they learn to tolerate each other, desire draws them together. When Laren is kidnaped and Arthur is wounded in battle they realize they love each other. Reunited, can their love withstand the strain of another lie?
Laren raced up the stairs and through the central passage of the keep to the small alcove that held her cot and her clothing. The man hadn't even flinched when the cleric read her name. Did he not know the name of the lass to whom he should have wed? She herself read aloud the initial letter of acceptance to her king's proposal of marriage and it clearly stated the bride was named Nairna. Had this Arthur even seen the letter? Perhaps, he couldna read or write.
Ach, it could not be true. Edward's orders said the man to marry her sister was his trusted knight. Everyone knew the King of England suffered no poorly trained knights in his service, especially not one he named as favored.
She tore off the offending heavy veiling, trying to forget the suffocating sensation and how she stumbled because she couldna see. How could her father think to fool the King of England? Surely, this would bring forth Edward's wrath.
Perhaps the knight himself would be the one to destroy everyone in the keep. And how could she have said the vows, knowing it was all a trick?
She rubbed her upper arm, aware her father's bruises would mar her skin for days. However, his threat to hurt Edyth was more than she could bear. Would he truly have beaten her to death? Laren didna know. What she did know was that her father was a cruel man.
But to kill a faithful servant? He just might. She remembered the bruises she had witnessed on her mother. There was the time her mother claimed her broken arm had come from a fall from a horse, but her mother seldom rode.
Aye, her father could kill, she had no doubt. She clenched her jaw so lightly her jaw hurt.
Her father's plan for this wedding was diabolical. She had no idea how he intended to convince this Arthur ap Brynn Ffryd to leave her here in Scotland, where she could carry on her work. It was the only thing that made sense because no one else here was capable of caring for the keep.
Mayhap, her father knew this Arthur would not want her, for she appeared to be a bairn. She had no curves like Nairna, nor had her courses started yet. Aye, that had to be the scheme. All of this so her father could marry Nairna off to the Laird of the Crawford clan and together fight the English. Ha!
When Edward heard of this deception, there would be nothing left of this keep to fight for and her father's severed head would grace a pike at the gatehouse.
Of course, when the Sassenach below learned of the deceit, she had no idea what his reaction might be. If he had already discovered what transpired in the chapel, mayhap her father's life blood already stained the hall.
This Arthur was not unpleasant to look upon, even though he was big. He was huge compared to her laird, or any of the men of the Blair clan. He arrived yesterday with his friend and he looked capable of inflicting any amount of damage on her person, or on any man of the clan, especially her father. Nay, she would not think about her father after he threatened to beat Edyth.
.jpg)