your face.'
Gilard watched Madelyne. He'd never seen her this angry. Did she actually think Duncan would send her back to Louddon? The realization made Gilard smile. Poor Madelyne. She obviously didn't know Duncan very well. She wasn't aware of her own importance either, he concluded. She'd worked herself into a fine state. Such a gentle little thing, yet hadn't he just seen her challenge Duncan? If he hadn't seen it, he wouldn't have believed it possible. God help him, he started to laugh.
Madelyne heard him. She rounded to glare at him. 'You find this amusing, Gilard?'
He made the mistake of nodding. He looked up at Madelyne just in time to see her hurl one of the jugs of ale at his head. Gilard dodged the jug, and when Madelyne picked up another, Edmond reached over her head and took it from her grasp. The two were standing side by side on the edge of the platform. Madelyne gave Edmond a hard shove with her hip. The middle brother promptly lost his balance and fell backward.
He landed on his backside. Edmond might have been able to stop the fall if the stool hadn't gotten caught up in his feet. Madelyne watched his puny efforts before turning back to Gilard. 'Don't you ever laugh at me again,' she demanded.
'Madelyne, come here,' Duncan ordered. He was leaning against the mantel, looking bored enough to fall asleep.
She obeyed without question and was almost across the room before she realized what she was doing. She stopped then, shaking her head. 'I'm no longer taking orders from you, Duncan. You've no hold over me. I'm only a pawn to you. Kill me if you wish. I would prefer it to being sent back to Louddon.'
Her fingernails were digging into her palms. She couldn't keep her hands from shaking.
He never took his gaze off her. ' Edmond, Gilard, leave us now.' His command was softly given, yet there was an unmistakable edge of steel in his tone. 'And take your sister with you.'
Adela had been hiding behind the wall next to the entrance. When she heard Duncan 's order, she rushed into the room. 'I would like to stay here, Duncan, in the event Madelyne needs me.'
'You'll go with your brothers,' Duncan stated. His voice had gone cold now, effectively stopping further argument.
Gilard took hold of Adela's arm. 'If you want me to stay, Madelyne-'
'Don't contradict your brother's order,' Madelyne interrupted. She hadn't meant to shout the command.
Adela started to cry, renewing Madelyne's anger. She reached over and patted Adela on her shoulder. She couldn't manage a smile though. 'I'm not going to marry Morcar,' she said. ' 'Tis a fact I'm not marrying anyone.'
'Aye, but you are,' Duncan said. He actually smiled at her when he made his promise.
Madelyne felt as if he'd just slapped her. She took a step away, shaking her head in denial.
'I'll not marry Morcar.'
'No, you'll not.'
His answer confused her into temporary submission.
Duncan wasn't looking at Madelyne now. He watched his brothers walk with Adela toward the entrance. The three of them were taking their own sweet time, acting as though they had armor nailed to the bottoms of their shoes. It was obvious they were bent on hearing as much of his conversation with Madelyne as possible. Duncan placed the blame for their sudden show of insubordination directly on Madelyne's shoulders. Aye, it was all her fault. They'd been obedient enough before she entered their lives.
From the moment Lady Madelyne had set foot inside his home, everyone and everything had gone upside down.
Duncan told himself he didn't like the changes, even as he acknowledged there were still more to come. He was sure to meet with resistance, especially from Gilard. The youngest brother was Madelyne's greatest ally. Duncan sighed over it. He much preferred a good battle to the dealings of family.
' Edmond, find our new priest and bring him to me,' Duncan suddenly called out.
Edmond turned, a question in his expression. 'Now,' Duncan snapped.
His command was frigid enough to chill Madelyne to the bone. She started to turn around to speak to Edmond, when Duncan 's next command stopped her. 'Don't you dare instruct him to obey me, Madelyne, or so help me God, I'll take hold of your red hair and bind your mouth shut with it.'
Madelyne let out a gasp of outrage. Duncan was satisfied, thinking that his crude threat had made her realize her vulnerable position. His goal was her submission. Aye, he wanted her docile for what was to come.
When Madelyne began to walk toward him with a murderous look in her eye, Duncan decided his threat hadn't bothered her much. She wasn't acting the least bit docile. 'How dare you insult me? My hair isn't red, and you damn well know it. It's brown,' she shouted. ' 'Tis unlucky to have red hair, and mine isn't.'
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Her contradictions were becoming a usual occurrence.
Madelyne stopped her advance when she was a scant foot away. Close enough to grab, he thought.
The woman was brave but innocent about the world. It was the only excuse Duncan could find for her comments. There were over a hundred of Louddon's men waiting outside the walls, threatening to attack if Madelyne wasn't handed over to them by tomorrow morning. She should have been raging about that situation, he told himself.
Instead, she argues about the color of her hair. It was more red than brown, and why in God's name she couldn't see that was beyond him.
'Your insults know no bounds,' she told him. Then she started to cry. She couldn't look up at him anymore, and surely that was the reason she allowed him to take her into his arms.
'You're not going back to Louddon, Madelyne,' Duncan said, his voice gruff.
'Then I'm staying here until spring,' she said.
Edmond appeared at the entrance with the new priest. 'Father Laurance is here,' he announced to get Duncan 's attention.
Madelyne pulled away from Duncan. She turned to look at the priest. Why, he was so young. That surprised her. He looked vaguely familiar to her, too, though she couldn't put her finger on just where she might have met him. Very few young priests visited her uncle Berton.
She shook her head, deciding then that she couldn't have met him before.
Duncan suddenly pulled Madelyne up against his side. They stood so close to the fire, Madelyne forgot about the priest and began to worry her gown would catch flame. When she tried to move away, Duncan tightened his hold. His arm was draped across her shoulders, anchoring her to him. Odd, but after a moment or so, his closeness calmed her, and she was able to fold her hands in front of her and regain her composed expression.
The priest seemed worried. He wasn't a very appealing-looking man, for his face was pock-marked into scars. He looked unkempt too.
Gilard rushed into the room. The look on his face suggested he was ready to do battle. He and Edmond had suddenly changed dispositions. Edmond was smiling now while Gilard scowled.
' Duncan, I'll be the one to marry Lady Madelyne. I'm more than willing to make this sacrifice,' Gilard announced. His face was red and he'd deliberately used the word sacrifice so that Duncan wouldn't know the depth of his true feelings for Madelyne. 'She did save my life,' he added when Duncan didn't immediately answer him.
Duncan knew exactly what was going on inside Gilard's mind The brother was as transparent as water. He thought himself in love with Madelyne. 'Don't give me argument, Gilard. My decision is made and you will honor it. Do you understand me, brother?'
Duncan 's voice was soft but menacing, and Gilard, after giving a loud, angry sigh, slowly shook his head. 'I'll challenge you.'
'Marriage?' Madelyne whispered the word as if it was a blasphemy. She shouted the next. 'Sacrifice?'
Chapter Fourteen
'Giving honor unto the wife, us unto the weaker vessel.'
