were melting fast and racing into it from every rill, rivulet, and burn.
She gazed up at Fin from under her lashes, wondering what he would do if she refused to obey his command. A husband, after all, had every right to command his wife, but if he thought that he was going to order her every breath and step from his wedding day forward, he was in for a fine surprise.
Faith, but she was flirting with him, with her own husband, whilst he stood naked before her, his eagerness plain… and she with only a thin shift to protect her.
“Take it off, Catriona,” he said, moving toward her. She felt his warm hand on her bare upper arm and heard a low, rumbling moan in his throat…
Catriona awoke with annoyance to discover that the low rumbling sound in her dream, as well as the warmth against her upper arm, was merely Boreas’s kitten curled up against her, purring loudly.
As she lay wondering if her interesting dream might otherwise have included what else would happen when she lay naked beside Fin, a memory flitted through her mind. Her grandmother had been talking to Ealga about Morag.
“James should be more masterful with that lass,” Lady Annis had said tartly. “Faith, but he should give her a good hiding to cure her low spirits.”
Catriona’s mother had protested that James was rather more prone to lecture a woman than to behave masterfully. But Lady Annis had said, “Pish tush, he must learn to take a firmer hand if he would stop her complaints. All women prefer men who will stand up for themselves to those who will not.”
Catriona had a strong feeling that she would never complain of Fin’s failure to stand up for himself. She was not as sure as her grandmother seemed to be that she would prefer that he always be masterful.
Ailvie’s entrance put an end to her fantasies, so she got up to prepare for what promised to be a long day. When she descended to the great hall a half-hour later, she found everyone else gathered near the huge fireplace, waiting for her.
Swallowing, hoping she was not making a mistake that would end in misery as Morag’s had, she obeyed her father’s gesture and went to stand beside him.
As she did, she heard Rothesay say in a voice that carried to every corner of the hall, “But of course you cannot ride off with the lass before you consummate your marriage, Fin. Bless us, man, it will not be a real marriage until you do.”
Conscious of a strong desire to throttle Rothesay, and not for the first time, Fin said, “We are eager to consummate our union, sir. But I’d liefer reach Moigh at a good hour than linger here. James and his lady ride with us and are eager to be off.”
“Don’t be daft, man. Your bride is his sister, and his lady will do as he bids.”
Fin knew he had erred in mentioning Morag’s wishes. But he’d seen Catriona come in and knew she had overheard Davy’s comments. Even in the dim morning light, he saw her cheeks darken but could not tell if she was vexed or just embarrassed.
Hearing James clear his throat behind him, Fin hoped that his soon-to-be good-brother would support leaving as soon as possible.
James said, “Your company would be gey welcome, Fin. But I did promise Morag that we’ll take no more time than necessary here or at Moigh. Sithee, my lady would prefer to spend the night with our kinsmen at Daviot, five miles nearer to Inverness. That would shorten our journey tomorrow and likewise leave Castle Moigh to you and Cat for your wedding night.”
Looking again at Catriona, who stood by Shaw and gazed into the fire, Fin said, “I will talk with her, James. You and I can easily find time to discuss this more before you must leave.”
James nodded, but Rothesay said, “You are a fool, Fin, if you think these Mackintoshes will let you leave with their lass still a maiden. They’ll not risk your returning her in a like state and demanding annulment due to lack of consummation. Mayhap they should watch it, just to be sure,” he added with a mocking grin.
That grin made Fin nearly certain Davy had guessed that Catriona had either exaggerated their relationship or lied about it. That he was still enjoying himself was likely due to the evident intent to conceal the fact.
Fin glanced then at Mackintosh and got a