Marian caught a smile on Kenna’s lips.
“Do you know him well? What is he like? He’s so…large.”
“He’s one of my best friends. He’s protected me many times.”
Marian nodded. His sheer size proved him a formidable warrior and one prepared for providing protection.
She blurted out the thing she most needed to know. “Do you find he is quick to anger?”
Kenna gripped Marian’s shoulder, then softened her hold when Marian jumped at the contact.
“You couldn’t have married a more gentle man than Cameron MacKinlay. From what I hear, he’s a beast in battle, as expected from a war chief. But he’s able to leave that behind when he steps back inside the castle walls. I trust him with my wee boys. You can be assured he’ll never touch ye in anger.”
Marian must have looked skeptical, because Kenna pushed on.
“I’ve seen Cam come into the hall, still dripping with loch water where he’d washed the blood from his skin and clothes, pick up one of my boys, and sing them to sleep. He’d not hurt a soul unless it was his duty to do so.”
Marian nodded. “I’m glad it was him out in that field.”
“Aye. Now, let’s get you into a dress so you can get to know him better yourself.”
When Marian glanced up at her hair, she saw Kenna had finished and it had all been pulled back away from her face.
“I like to have curls at the side.” Her hand fluttered near the scar on her cheek.
“You are a beautiful woman. You’ve no need to hide behind curls.”
“But—”
“This is your home now. You do not need to hide.”
Kenna helped her into a dress that would have been lovely if she’d had her sister’s assets to fill it out. How things had changed. It used to be Kenna who lacked the curves necessary for certain fashions.
Marian had not been allowed large meals. The duke often embarrassed her publicly when she ate, so she picked at her food. At home, she was given a very small portion per the duke’s orders. This practice had left Marian quite spindly. And being on the run had been hard, so she was even thinner than before. The result was disappointing. The gown drooped and sagged, making it clear it was not made for her.
“We’ll get the ladies working tomorrow to make you proper clothing. Until then, let’s eat. I’m starved,” Kenna said exuberantly.
With one hand on her belly and the other clutching Marian’s, Kenna led them into the great hall. The hum of conversation quieted only briefly as the seated clan members took her in. She was granted a few nods and smiles as she made her way to the front where Cameron was sitting and speaking to Lachlan.
Marian reached for curls that weren’t there. It was a habit. Her way of hiding what happened in her home.
But this was her home now. She dropped her hand and stepped forward to greet her husband.
Chapter Five
Cam sat at the head table next to the laird and did his best to ignore the jests regarding his accidental marriage.
“Aye, I’m surprised after he stumbled into the marriage, he didn’t also trip and end up with his cock in her, too. He might have come back to the castle with a wife and child.” Angus laughed at his joke while Cam scowled at the old coot.
The other men at the table chuckled and Cam decided this was how it would be for some time. He might have thought the situation funny, as well, had it happened to someone else.
He was about to come back with some comment that would no doubt get tangled and make him look more the fool when he looked up and saw Kenna approach the head table with an angel at her side.
“Dear lord,” young Liam said solemnly from the end of the table. The other men fell silent.
Cam thought Liam’s words were well chosen. He stood and bumped into Lach when he rose as well. They walked side by side to meet their wives.
Lach bowed to Mari and then held out his arm for Kenna. Cam did the same, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Mari. She was stunning.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered and noticed her smile waver. He remembered then that her beauty had turned out to be a curse. Perhaps it was a compliment she no longer enjoyed hearing. “That is to say, you look much better cleaned up.”
Her smile picked up slightly, and she leaned closer to him. “I could say the same of you. You surely smell better.”
He laughed. “As I recall, no one would have confused ye with a rose when you stuck your bosom in my face.”
When her smile fell, he realized he’d gone too far with the jest. He was such a dolt around women when conversation was involved. It was why he only ever took them to bed. He didn’t talk to them first.
Kenna was the only exception, and mostly because she didn’t act all that much like a woman. But Mari was completely feminine. He’d need to do much better.
“Pardon.” He coughed. “Your fragrance was not as off-putting as I made it seem.”
She merely blinked at him for a moment.
“That was no better than what you said the first time,” he muttered to himself as she blinked. Unable to help himself, he tried once more. “Having your breasts in my face was a pleasurable experience no matter—”
“Thank you,” she interrupted. God bless her for stopping him before he made it even worse. But when the silence grew on, he fell victim to discomfort.
“I didn’t hate it, is all I’m saying.” Not at all. He helped her to her seat, allowing his gaze to linger on the curve of her breasts. He noticed how dainty she was. A few inches shorter than Kenna, and smaller too. The gown she wore hung loose on her tiny frame.
He’d heard that thin
