Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 89331 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89331 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
“I will go with you. Where did you leave it?” Torin dropped his arm from around her with reluctance. He liked the feel of her locked in his arm safe and sound since there was no telling what she might get into. But in his arms, he could keep her protected, keep her safe, keep her his wife.
“Your bedchamber,” she said, catching with curiosity the way his eyes had settled over her in an almost possessive way.
“Our bedchamber,” he corrected.
“How could it be ours when you have had other women there?” she asked as she headed to the stairs.
He was struck by the way she did not accuse, but instead simply stated a fact, a fact she attempted to make sense of, and he did not know how to respond to her and yet he did, his unexpected words shocking him.
“Would you prefer to choose another bedchamber for us?”
Flora stopped abruptly and turned to him. “I believe that would suit me much better. I can sleep there, and you can remain in your bedchamber until we decide what to do about consummating our vows.”
He took hold of her chin. “You are my wife, and we will not now nor ever sleep in separate beds.”
“I learned that noble husband and wives have separate bedchambers. That is not a practice in the Highlands?” she asked and went right on talking. “My mum and da always shared a bedchamber. I do not recall them ever not sleeping together.”
“My parents did not share a bedchamber. My da had his and my mum had hers. After she gave birth to me, they never slept together again,” he said as they proceeded up the stairs and Torin wondered why he had shared that bit of information about himself with her. How was it that he talked so easily with her when he never did so with any woman?
“They did not love each other?” Flora asked, a sadness creeping in her heart for him. If his da and mum did not love each other, how could their son know and learn what love was like between a husband and wife?
“Nay, there was no love between them,” he said and realized it was the first time he had ever spoken aloud what he knew to be true. In a strange way, he felt relieved to have openly admitted it.
“How very sad for them and for you,” Flora said and felt her husband take hold of her hand as they reached the floor of his bedchamber.
“It is dark, you need to be careful. I will not see you harmed.”
She smiled and leaned against him to say, “You have kept me safe twice now. You are a good husband.”
“And yet you do not obey me,” he scolded though lightly as he entered his bedchamber, tugging her along. He halted once inside, bringing her to a halt as well. “What did you mean by how sad for me that my parents did not love each other?”
She eagerly explained. “How could you learn what love is between a husband and wife if you never got to see it? You only saw indifference between your parents and most likely obedience from your mum since it is something you demand from me. And you certainly never experienced love with the women you have coupled with. Anwen remarked about love being rare and that lust is what most people share and once gone there is nothing left. She is wiser than she knows but then she was lucky to have found love and understands its importance.”
“Every day is a struggle to survive in the Highlands. There is no time to think on such nonsensical things. A wife is needed for many reasons, love being the least of them. “Give me what I need, and I will give you what you need, a husband who can keep you safe and protected.”
Flora went and fetched her cloak from where she had left it, slipped it over her shoulders and shivered with relief, the bedchamber colder than when she last left it. She returned to Torin and tapped at his chest a few times, the strength of his muscles beneath sending a strange yet pleasant sensation through her.
“You, my husband, are in need of love,” she said and walked out of the room.
Torin shook his head and hurried after her to precede her down the dark stairwell to keep her safe and he could not help but wonder how it would feel to fall in love with his wife.
“Have you run out of breath to talk, wife?” Torin teased when she barely said a few words to him after supper.
She laughed softly. “Never will that happen. Exhaustion has caught up with me from the journey here. I feel as if I could sleep an entire day but with so much to be accomplished in the keep tomorrow, I believe I should seek my bed early. There is, however, the consummation of our vows to consider. Your kiss made me more than curious about coupling, but I honestly believe we owe it to each other to make sure this marriage is what we want. It will not hurt us to wait a month or more to make certain.”