Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
He detailed the events of last night to her as he admired the way her long, straight auburn hair began to shine with each stroke of the comb as did her beauty. While some thought her plain featured, he thought them blind since to him she was beautiful.
Dawn heard the concern in his voice as he spoke, telling her of the wolf that passed nearby where he sheltered his horse, the tenacious wolf cub he helped, and of his meeting with Lord Tiernan and a woman named Bridgid. She had missed much and was annoyed that she did. She had much to discover for herself.
After she finished combing her hair, she went to him, rested her hand to his cheek and kissed him gently. Then she pointed to his eyes and turned a seductive smile on him.
He chuckled as his arm coiled around her waist. “It isn’t that my eyes betray how much I want you, it is that you know I always want you.”
She laughed as well, though no sound was heard.
“But you need to heal and since this place makes me uneasy, intimacy will have to wait.”
Dawn pouted playfully.
“Do not tempt me, wife,” he scolded teasingly.
She smiled and they kissed, needing a touch of intimacy.
A knock at the door eased them apart.
“If I must leave your side at any time, you will either accompany me or stay put where I leave you,” he ordered.
Dawn gave a brief nod, and they walked to the door together.
Olwen led them to the Great Hall where Lord Tiernan stood in front of the dais.
Cree was impressed with the sizeable room and how well it was kept. Some Great Halls had onerous odors and lacked cleanliness, not so this room. The floor was clean of debris, tables were wiped clean, and a hint of pine could be detected amongst the delicious scents of the morning meal from the fresh pine branches that had been placed around the room. After hearing his wife’s stomach rumble upon making their way here, he was glad that such pleasant and inviting scents greeted them.
“Lady Dawn, it is a pleasure to meet you,” Lord Tiernan said with a respectful bob of his head. “Tales of Lord Cree’s lovely wife does reach this far north.”
Dawn smiled and bobbed her head as well.
Cree was pleased with the way Lord Tiernan greeted Dawn, acknowledging without saying that he knew she had no voice, leaving for no awkward moments.
“I hope you are feeling much better, Lady Dawn, and that you both slept well,” Lord Tiernan said.
“We sleep well thanks to your generous hospitality,” Cree said, “and I am eager for your healer to see Dawn and advise us on what would be best for her.”
“Our healer, Lynall, should return soon and will be only too glad to help in any way she can,” Lord Tiernan assured Cree and turned, extending his arm toward the dais. “The meal awaits us.”
Cree seated his wife before taking a seat next to Lord Tiernan and asked what was most on his mind. “Has the fog dissipated?”
“I fear not. It continues to linger this time of the year. It could be two or three days before you are able to travel safely, especially with the wolves on the hunt.”
“It must be difficult to live in an area so infested with wolves,” Cree said.
“The clan has come to understand them enough for us to reside in some form of compatibility. We do not bother them, and they do not bother us.”
“Yet they prowl your village. Doesn’t that disturb your people?” Cree asked, trying to make sense of the relationship Clan MacMadadh had with the wolves while trying not to visit the thought of werewolves.
“Knowledge of the wolves is essential to survival and Clan MacMadadh has gained such knowledge through the years and is able to live without fear of them.”
“A wise approach to the problem,” Cree said with a nod. “I am relieved to hear that the missing bairn was found.”
Lord Tiernan smiled. “Tade can be handful, having a mind of his own for one so young.”
Dawn appeared to pay attention to the conversation while she was actually watching Lord Tiernan. Having lacked a voice since birth, she learned at an early age that a person revealed much about themselves through how they spoke with others, their gestures, and their facial expressions. Most people, particularly women, would not see past Lord Tiernan’s handsome features, not so Dawn. She saw that he was a cautious man, careful of what he said, what he revealed, which meant he was careful what he said around strangers, or he harbored secrets that he made sure to keep hidden. It was easy to see he was a confident man, not easily intimidated, even by her husband, not easy to do with the size of her husband and a reputation that many feared. One thing that appeased her worry some was that she did not think him an evil man. Evil was difficult to hide. It showed itself in little things and she saw none of those things in Lord Tiernan. Still, there was something about him that was strange, and she could not make sense of it.