by Mia Pride
“Nonsense! You are my only son and taking care of you brings me pleasure.” She patted his tanned cheek with her palm.
The smile faded from her face quickly as she lowered her hand from his cheek and gripped his arm. “I have news, Brocc. And you will not like it.” She put down the knife and wiped her wet hands on the corner of her white linen apron. “Mealla came by last night with news of Una. She is to wed Collin. At first, I thought she was only up to trouble, but it has been the buzz of the village all day. I fear tis true.” She chewed on her lower lip and squeezed his arm harder, anxiously awaiting the storm she knew would come. Brocc was never good at holding back his emotions, especially where Una was concerned. His mother had always known that he wanted Una, just as she knew he wanted her still. And now Una carried his child, intensifying his protective instincts.
His face went pale and he ran a hand through his short black hair, hazel eyes glistening with angry gold flecks. “What?” he thundered, “By all the cursed gods!” Looking at his mother, he felt the rage building as his ears began to ring. “This is all my fault! Mistake after mistake after mistake!”
Isobel let out a reprimanding sound. “Brocc, do not curse the gods so! Tis a wonder they do not strike you down, for all the cursing you do! And, you know I have tried to stay out of this business with Una, but you did tell her you did not wish to marry her any longer…and then sharing your bed with Mealla!” She shrieked and whapped him upside the head.
He ducked too late and her palm struck his skull with a painful thud. At his stunned expression, she scoffed. “Aye, I have heard the news. How could you do that to Una? Do you mean to leave a trail of babes in your wake? And do not make me have to scold you for getting Una with child in the first place.” Disapproval read upon every feature of her face as she puckered her lips together tightly.
He flinched at his mother’s scolding. It had been many years since she gave him a thorough thrashing. Brocc wanted to shout at her, but he knew it would do no good to rage at his own mother, the last person in his life he had not driven away. He was guilty of everything she accused him of and he had no defense to give. “Och…aye I know.” He grumbled as his jaw clenched. “I was going to talk to her tonight!” Throwing out a loud curse, he said, “I must go to her, now.” With a growl, Brocc stormed out of the house as he cursed into the night air, kicking dirt up as he raged.
He knew that, once he arrived, he would have to struggle to contain his anger. But in this moment of solitude, he was free to release it as he saw fit. What he wanted to do was wrap his hands around Collin’s neck and squeeze the life out of him, but he had to be honest with himself that Collin was merely the man who cleaned up Brocc’s mess. Did Una truly love Collin? His instincts told him that she did not, but his instincts had not been very reliable as of late.
As he arrived at Collin’s roundhouse, he slammed his fist into the door. “Tis Brocc, I need to speak to you, Una!” He waited an impatient moment, but when he received no response, he banged again, “I will come in if you do not open this door…” When only silence answered his calls, Brocc entered and abruptly grumbled, “Una, we need to speak—”
Then, he saw them. His heart sank into his stomach as he fought the urge to vomit. All the blood rushed away from his face and he had to crouch down to prevent himself from collapsing. He never knew he could hurt so profoundly.
There, before the hearth, lay Collin and Una, completely naked on the floor, legs tangled together, arms entwined, her wavy brown hair spread across his chest as her breasts pressed into his side. Their clothes were thrown all over the room and empty mugs scattered the floor.
“Nay,” he croaked, feeling the pieces of his heart shattering as he stared down at Una’s naked body embracing Collin’s. Is this the horrible pain Una had lived with since she found him with Mealla? He truly was a beast and a brute and every other foul word Una had ever called him. This was his fault. He caused this with his recklessness…a mistake he could not even remember making.
Just as he was about to turn on his heels and quietly exit the home, leaving the sleeping lovers to themselves, his eyes focused on her swollen abdomen and he was overcome with an intense feeling of possession. “She is mine,” he growled. “That child is mine and I will not just walk away and let him have them again.”
Taking a deep breath, Brocc took a few steps closer to the naked couple, flinching as he approached. Seeing Una lying with another man was not something he was ever prepared to witness and it cut into his soul.
Squatting down next to Una, he put his hand on her shoulder and tried to wake her. “Una. Una, Wake up.” He started to shake her, but she would not stir. Seeing the knocked over empty jug of mead, Brocc realized they must have drank so much that they passed out. “Wake up, Una.” He lifted her head, but it flopped back down against Collin’s arm. No longer able to stand the sight of her lying naked next to Collin, he rolled her over on her side away from Collin, detangling their limbs.
How could one jug of mead knock them both out cold? It was not like Una to drink heavily, especially since she was with child. If this was evidence of Collin’s way of taking care of Una, then there was no way Brocc was leaving her here with him tonight. He walked over to her blue dress and draped it over her body while he picked up her mug from the floor. A bitter smell wafted up from the mug as he moved it and he grimaced. Something was not right with this entire situation. Sniffing the cup, Brocc’s eyes widened and his jaw clenched. “Poppy juice,” he growled.
He knew the smell and taste of poppy juice all too well. Any man who had ever been injured in battle, or even in training drills, knew the smell of the stuff. It was used to knock them out for hours at a time while they healed. Looking down at the two unconscious figures on the floor, he tried to piece the puzzle together. It made no sense. If Collin was trying to drug Una, why would he drink it himself? Had he made love to Una before she passed out? Or after? What foul sort of man drugged a woman before taking her?
Brocc was overcome with the desire to kill Collin right where he lay, but something about this did not sit well with him. Una had already agreed to marry Collin, so why would he need to drug her now? And again, he drank it himself…that is certainly not the most effective way to take advantage of a woman. Una did not look to be forced in any way, even if she had been unconscious when he took her, she would not have ended up in his embrace as he had found her.
Nay, something was definitely not right. Collin must not have known the mead was laced with poppy juice, either. If not, where did they get the jug? Determined to find answers, Brocc started pacing the house like a feral cat on the prowl, looking for any details to help him solve this mystery. As he paced, he saw something that looked familiar twinkle in the light of a candle. A thin blue cloth with golden threads woven through it was bundled on top of the table and he recognized the fabric instantly. It was the same dark blue fabric with gold flecks that one of Una’s dresses was made with. Why was that same fabric now sitting in a heap on Collin’s table? He walked over and picked it up.
“Mealla,” he growled under his breath. It was the same fabric as Una’s dress because it came from Mealla’s home, where her mother created the most intricate of fabrics. Would the ridiculous lass never stop meddling in their lives?
He was certain now that she was the one behind that poppy juice laced jug of mead, but why? What did she stand to gain from this deed? And it still did not explain them lying naked on the floor. They must have made love right here on the floor, like lust-filled animals, and slowly passed out in each other’s arms due to the poppy juice. Another wave of nausea came over Brocc as he looked at Una lying on the floor with only her dress draped over her hips.
He berated himself. How had everything gone so wrong? This is not the way it was supposed to end for them. For the first time in his life, Brocc felt an overpowering need to weep. To a man like Collin, making love to a woman was an ordinary event of life, but not for Una. She had only made love to one other
man in her life and they had created a child. Brocc truly believed that Una could never give herself to a man unless she held strong feelings for him. She must have fallen in love with Collin after all.
As melancholy sank deeply into his bones, Brocc was, once again, ready to walk away and leave Una alone with Collin, where she had chosen to be. Just as he was about to leave, he looked back at her one last time and then had second thoughts. What if Mealla drugged them both so she could sneak in and hurt Una, or the babe?
Suddenly, Brocc realized that Una could be in grave danger if she was left here, vulnerable and nude. He could not leave her out of his sight even for a second until he had everything figured out. She may get angry at his interference, but this involved his child. Quickly striding over to a bed near the wall, he ripped off a wool blanket and laid it across Una. Then, he bundled her up in his strong arms and carried Una back to his home.
A look of shock and worry took over Isobel’s face as Brocc walked through the door carrying a limp and naked Una, nothing but a blanket draped over her body. Without a word, he strode past her, carrying Una down the corridor and into his bedchamber. After placing her lightly into his bed, he walked back out to briefly acknowledge his mother. “Under nay circumstances is she going to be out of my sight, understood? Nay visitors are allowed either. I will explain in the morn.” With that, Brocc walked back down the hall to painfully and impatiently await the truth.
Chapter 18
A sour taste consumed her mouth when she regained consciousness and, when she opened her eyes, even the dim flickering rush lights assailed her senses as her temples began to painfully throb. Releasing a low moan of pain, Una pressed her fingers tightly against her temples while she squeezed her eyes shut again. Nausea overcame her as hot and cold chills ran through her body. Rolling into a ball, she moaned again and begged herself to go back to sleep. But the pain was too intense and it felt as if a peaceful sleep would never befall her again.
“Una? Are you alright, mo chroí?”
His voice was soft and concerned, and awfully familiar, but in her pain-induced blur, she could not spare a thought for him. She moaned again and held her head tighter, pressing herself further into the fur-covered straw mattress. In the back of her mind, she felt her bare skin against the softness of the furs and linens and wondered how she had become disrobed, but the thought was fleeting as a wave of sickness came over her again. She scrambled to the edge of the bed in a panic as her stomach threatened to spill its contents.
Before her stomach began to retch, a basin was shoved into in her hands and she clutched it fiercely until her knuckles were white, vomiting violently until she shuttered from the pain. Someone was holding her hair with one hand while rubbing her bare back with the other. Once she finished, she was once again aware of her nakedness. Now that the vile contents of her body had been expelled, she could think with a clearer head, even if it was still pounding wildly.
Feeling the world begin to spin again, Una plopped back down in the bed and self-consciously pulled the covers over her body. “Collin?” she whispered while her eyes were closed and her hands again were cradling her head.
She heard a low angry growl at the sound of her calling for Collin and she flinched. “Nay, tis Brocc. You are safe.” There was a distinct note of hurt and bitterness in his voice, although she sensed his struggle to conceal it. She felt so weak and ill. What had befallen her?
She forced herself to open her eyes slightly and turned to look at him. She saw the raw pain on his face, his usually upturned, confident lips now cast in a deep frown, worried eyes crinkling at their corners. His eyes were puffy and red-rimmed, as if he had not slept all night. Had he been crying? She was not sure what had happened or how she had ended up here. Too many questions floated through her pounding head. “What…happened?” she managed to choke out.
With a loud sigh, Brocc put his hand out to stroke her brown sweaty curls from her forehead. “I was sort of hoping you could answer that.”
Groaning slightly as she tried to think, she whispered, “All I remember is sitting down to eat with Collin. Nothing else,” she sighed as she reached out a hand and placed it on his strong forearm. “Why I am here? Why do I feel so ill? Where is Collin?”
Brocc growled again at her mention of Collin’s name. “Someone gifted you a jug of mead, aye? It was laced with poppy juice. You were drugged,” he forced through clenched teeth. “Though I am still unsure why, I am quite certain who did it.”
“I do remember drinking a glass of the mead. It was so bitter and after a few sips, I put it down. I remember nothing else.” She closed her eyes again and asked, “Can you tell me why I am in your bed, and without clothing?” Somehow, even though she had much more important questions, this one seemed to require an immediate answer before she could focus.
Brocc ran a hand through his already disheveled black hair and gave her an uncomfortable glance. “So, you do not remember making love to Collin on the floor before passing out?” His voice was laced with disgust and his fists clenched at his side. Her heart began to beat wildly within her chest at his obvious distress and the accusation in his voice.
She gasped loudly and wrapped her arms around herself tightly. “I most certainly did not lay with Collin!” she managed to shout, before grabbing her head in pain again. “Absolutely not,” she reiterated on a whisper.
“Well, you have agreed to wed him, have you not? I came home to the news and when I went over to find you, I received nay answer. Upon entering his home, I found the both of you completely naked on the floor with your clothes strewn all about, tangled in each other’s arms. How else can you explain such a scene?”
She gasped again and shook her head. “Not possible…” she whispered. “I distinctly remember sitting at the table and drinking the mead, just the one glass. I am quite certain that Collin became drowsy just as I did. I am also quite certain that I was fully clothed!”
“Perhaps he drugged you and had his way with you after you passed out?” Brocc suggested with skepticism.
“Never! Collin would never! He has been nothing less than honorable to me!” She began to panic, “Besides, why would he also drink the mead if he had meant to drug me?”
“I agree, it makes nay sense. I do not think Collin would do such a thing, either. I just wanted to run the theory past you. I am glad to see that you hold your intended husband in such high esteem.” Bitterness and anger seeped in his tone with every accusation.
Holding her ground, she simply nodded and agreed, “I do. That is why I have agreed to marry him.”
“So, after all, tis not love you seek in a marriage, merely high regard.” His face and tone were both unreadable and Una stumbled on her words as she tried to come up with a rejoinder.
“W-Why should it matter to you, Brocc? Last I recall, you proclaimed that you nay longer wished to marry me, insisting I consider Collin’s offer instead. I am simply doing as you bade.”
Danger flashed in his eyes and she bit her bottom lip, wishing she were better at holding her stubborn tongue. “It intrigues me how you so aptly pick and choose which of my requests to fulfill. You could not agree to my offer of marriage, but you can agree to marry Collin. You are making everyone miserable with your stubbornness, Collin, me…and yourself!”
The clipped tone of his voice made it hard for her to breathe and she felt herself start to shake, losing control of her emotions. “At least Collin loves me! He tells me every day! He is kind, gentle, and he loves my babe as well!” Just as the words tumbled out of her mouth, she regretted them, wishing she could snatch them from the air and shove them back into her unruly mouth.
“He loves our babe, does he? More than you suppose I do?” He got up from the edge of the bed and started pacing the room, trying desperately to manage his anger.
She was making a mess of this…again. She had to calm him down. “Brocc, I did not mean to say that your feelings for the child are any less—”
“The babe is min
e!” he bellowed. She jumped at the power of his reaction and sank down further into the bed linens. “You unfairly misjudge me and my intentions at every turn! Have I ever, even once, showed any disfavor for our child? I have been filled with a never-ending increase of elation every single time I see my child growing within your womb! That is, except last night, when my child was pressed against Collin’s naked body! A sight that, I can assure you, I wish to erase from my mind!”
“I am sorry, Brocc, truly, I—”
“Nay, sorry is not enough for the pain you have had me endure, Una. I cannot even begin to believe that I have deserved such treatment, from any person, let alone the woman I love!”
Una’s mind began racing as her heart thumped wildly against her chest. She was clutching tightly onto the bed linens with both fists, trying to control her shaking hands. “What did you just say?” she whispered. A tear welled up in her eye and slid lazily down her cheek.
He stopped pacing and stared deeply into her green eyes, his features softening as he watched more tears fall.
“Och. Do you truly not know, Una? Have I not striven to show you just how I feel? I was a coward, and too arrogant to say the words. I felt that you should accept my love any way that I chose to share it. All you wanted was to hear the cursed words, completely blind to my actions. And this only made me further determined to not say them! I was so angry with your constant refusal of my affections and my pride would not allow it!” He sat down on the edge of the bed now, taking her soft, frail hand in his as he watched the tears falling down her face.
“Well, curse my pride. Una, I am in love with you. I have been since the day you entered my life all those summers ago. You are an exasperating woman, Una! But I love that about you, your spirit to be in control of your own life. I would never try to change you or make you feel bound to me by obligation. That is why I let you go to Collin when you refused me. Not because I was not willing to fight for your love, but because I did not want you to feel trapped into a marriage you did not want. My only hope was that you would see where you truly belonged before it was too late.”