‘How did you learn I was at Dún Bolg?’ Treasa asked. ‘Did Feann tell you?’
‘No, it was another man,’ Alarr responded. ‘Breanne wanted to see you, and I agreed to bring her here.’ He said nothing of Feann, and she knew it was a deliberate omission.
But Treasa would not be deterred. ‘What other man? Was it Oisin MacLogan?’ Her demeanour tensed, and Breanne stared in shock.
‘Why would you speak of Oisin?’ The very memory of the man made her skin crawl. Were it not for Alarr’s rescue, she had no doubt that Oisin would have raped her or forced her to wed him.
‘Oisin is one of Cerball’s bastard sons. He was the man Cerball chose for you to wed.’
Breanne shuddered at the thought. But she was starting to realise that Feann had done all that he could to keep her from the alliance.
‘Oisin was angry when I did not agree to wed him,’ Breanne confessed to her mother. ‘He tried to take me by force.’ She explained how the man had tried to hunt her down, and Treasa’s face blanched.
‘Oisin had no lands of his own. He wanted to wed you, in order to claim Clonagh as his own.’
‘But now, he cannot.’ Breanne eyed Alarr, realising that they had destroyed Oisin’s plans.It made her wonder about her future. Did Alarr intend to wed her in truth one day? Or was he only intending to keep her as his lover? Both possibilities made her uneasy. If she married him, he would want her to leave Éireann and return to Maerr. But if she was only his concubine, he might one day abandon her. The thought left an icy chill sinking within her mood. She didn’t like the thought of being powerless to command her own future or being left behind.
Her mother reached out and touched his shoulder. ‘Alarr, might I have another moment alone with my daughter?’
He hesitated, but Breanne nodded. ‘I don’t think there’s any danger, and it’s just the two of us.’ She suspected that Treasa wanted to discuss her ‘marriage’ to Alarr.
‘If you wish.’ He rose and went to the door. Before he left, he glanced at Treasa and then back at Breanne. He was still wary, but she was glad for his overprotective nature. It had helped her to survive more than once.
When he had gone, Treasa sat closer, lowering her voice. ‘Breanne, I must ask you this, in all seriousness. Would you consider setting aside Alarr as your husband? You could keep him as your consort instead.’
Her mother’s question took her aback. ‘Why would you say this?’ She had no desire for a different man. She preferred to remain with Alarr, for he was a man of honour and strength.
‘For the sake of our tribe,’ Treasa continued. ‘They are under Cerball’s rule, and I know they are suffering. You need a husband who can help you take back our lands at Clonagh.’ She glanced at the doorway. ‘But we can never do this if you have a foreigner at your side. He is the enemy, Breanne.’
‘Alarr protected me when no one else would,’ she argued. And she saw no need to reclaim lands she barely remembered.
‘I am not saying you must give him up,’ Treasa insisted. ‘Keep him as your lover, if you will.’ She took both of Breanne’s hands in hers. ‘I do not ask you for a decision now. I ask only that you think about it. But we need an alliance with another Irish tribe if we are to reclaim Clonagh.’
We? Breanne thought. They had gone from being strangers, and now her mother expected her to tear apart her life for a birthright she didn’t want? Her initial reaction was to refuse, but something made her hold her tongue.
Treasa seemed relieved by her silence. She squeezed her daughter’s palms and added, ‘I cannot tell you how glad I am that you are here now. I’ve not seen you since you were a child. It means everything to see you all grown up.’ Her eyes gleamed with tears, though she smiled.
Breanne didn’t know how to respond, for her thoughts were in turmoil. It had been years since she’d seen Treasa, and her mother had never attempted to contact her. She had not even sent word that she was alive. It was possible that the leader at Dún Bolg had refused to allow it, or possibly Feann had not wanted contact between them. But it seemed that only now, when she was of use to Treasa, did her mother appear to have feelings towards her. Though Breanne tried to suppress her suspicions, she couldn’t bring herself to have any emotions of her own. There was a distance between them, a tangible rift that she could not quite bridge.
But Treasa did not appear to notice her discomfort. ‘Let us go and join the others,’ her mother suggested. ‘The men may have brought back fresh meat from the hunt, and we can help them cook the evening meal.’
She followed Treasa outside and found Alarr standing at the doorway. He sent her a questioning look, and she nodded to reassure him that all was well. His gaze transformed as he watched over her. In his blue eyes, she saw the promise of another night in his arms. The thought only deepened her confusion, for she could not deny that she cared for this man. If she was not careful, she might grow to love him.
But her heart ached at the thought of leaving Éireann behind if Alarr wanted her to journey to Maerr. She wasn’t ready to leave her home for a man who might one day set her aside. She
