Draco A Medieval Scottish Roma - Jayne Castel Page 0,66
The woman had an insight and sharpness that belied her youthful appearance and carefree manner.
“Ye need to let it go, Draco,” Nessa continued, her voice sharpening. “While ye carry darkness in yer heart, ye can’t give yerself to a woman.” Her attention flicked to Gavina before returning to Draco’s face. “A marriage isn’t just a promise before yer God,” she said, her mouth lifting at the corners. “It’s not two people living under the same roof, or sharing the same bed.” She paused then, ensnaring Draco’s gaze with her own. “The curse knows lies from truth. If ye want to break it, then ye must truly love yer wife.”
XXVII
A MAN WITH SECRETS
THEY LEFT NESSA’S hovel and walked in silence back toward the beach.
Gavina glanced up and saw that a full moon now rode high in the sky—a bright disc against the pitch-black curtain of night. She noted that the moon had a slight golden hue this eve.
A Mead Moon indeed.
They’d been with the wise woman for longer than she realized.
A breeze feathered her cheeks as she followed Draco down the path, away from Stonehaven. It was a mild night out, but they still couldn’t risk returning to Dunnottar. Approaching the cliffs was something one wanted only to do in daylight—and even then, it was perilous.
Draco and Gavina walked in silence. Ever since Nessa’s proclamation, her husband hadn’t uttered a word.
Gavina’s thoughts turned to their last moments in the wise woman’s hovel.
Draco’s face had turned to stone, his dark eyes guttering. Danger had crackled in the smoky interior of that hut then. They’d all felt it, and Nessa had said no more.
But when Draco had stalked outside, Gavina turned to the wise woman. “Thank ye, Nessa.”
The woman had favored Gavina with a tight smile in response, meeting her eye. “Ye have an answer to yer problem, My Lady,” she’d said softly. “But it may not be an easy one to resolve … and remember that it takes two to make a marriage. I suggest ye examine yer own feelings as well.”
Pondering the wise woman’s words a short while later, Gavina’s attention swiveled to Draco’s back. Dressed in black leather, he blended in with the night: a tall, dark shape outlined by the moonlight. A man from another time.
Gavina drew in a steadying breath, in an attempt to settle the brownies that danced in her belly. She wasn’t looking forward to the conversation looming on the horizon. It was clear Draco didn’t want to speak to her about what Nessa had said.
But if they didn’t discuss it, the curse would never be broken.
Still, she bided her time, letting him burn off some energy as he stalked over the last hill toward the beach.
Examine yer own feelings.
Nessa’s words mocked her as she walked. How did she really feel about Draco Vulcan?
Gavina’s thoughts whirled. Right now, she wasn’t sure.
Reaching the wide strand, they crunched across pebbles, to where the boat awaited them on the shore, nestled into the shingle.
There wasn’t anywhere else to sit, so Gavina climbed into the boat, drawing her knees up to her chest as she leaned her back against the side. It wasn’t the most comfortable of seats, but it would have to do.
Draco climbed in after her, lowering himself at the opposite end of the tiny craft.
Silence drew out between them, and then Gavina cleared her throat, shattering the tense quiet. It was time to be brave. She couldn’t let this lie.
“Are ye going to tell me what Nessa meant back there?” she asked softly.
“No,” came his flat reply.
“Some of it I understood,” she continued, ignoring the steely note in his voice. “We’re not in love … and unless we are, the curse can’t be broken.”
The moonlight accentuated the brutal beauty of his face, as he twisted his mouth. “So she says.”
“Ye don’t believe her?”
“No.”
Silence fell between them once more. Once again, Gavina eventually broke it. “Well … I do.”
He gave a snort, making it clear he didn’t care what she thought.
Anger quickened in Gavina’s belly. She’d had about enough of his rudeness. She’d weathered too much scorn at the hands of her first husband. This union with Draco wasn’t likely to last much longer—not with Longshanks and her brother battering at their gates—but while it endured, she’d continue to speak up for herself.
“She said ye are a man ‘with secrets’,” she pressed on. “What happened to ye, Draco? What made ye this way?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he growled. “Let this subject lie, Gavina … it