by Mia Pride
Una was seething inside. That arrogant, pompous arse! Taking advantage of her vulnerability by grabbing her in public, mollifying her with his charms, and then gutting her the next moment! No doubt that sniveling lass he planned to marry would be his guest. With her fists clenched and curses floating in her mind, she stomped through the village to gather the ingredients for his requested meal, all the while calling him every nasty word she could summon to mind.
Una was not going down without a fight. If she was going to have to serve that horrible woman, she was determined to look her best and hold her head high. Perhaps she would even wander into the village again once she had served them. After all, she had put her own life on hold long enough.
After filling the cauldron with the proper ingredients and lighting the candles all around the house, she took a lukewarm bath in the wooden tub she had filled before starting the evening meal. The water had begun to cool, but the warmth was better than nothing and she was determined to scrub the grime off her body. She climbed in and started to lather herself up with her rose-scented lye soap. Her breasts slightly peeked over the top of the water and as she rubbed soap over them, she flinched at their soreness. They had been hurting all afternoon, ever since she plowed into Brocc. Either she had bruised her breasts with their collision, or the sensation of his earlier touch had affected her much more than she wanted to admit. She chose to believe the former. Brocc did not affect her anymore. Not at all. Not even a little.
Time slipped by as she soaked in the luxuriously scented bath water. Her eyes suddenly popped open with alarm. “She will be here soon!” Una hastily jumped out of the water, dried off and went over to her chest to choose a new dress. A midnight blue one with gold threading woven into the fabric and intricate gold knots sewn into the hems stood out amongst all the other dresses. It was a beautiful dress and perfect for tonight’s meal…even if the meal was not for her.
At the very least, perhaps she could use this opportunity to flaunt her presence in front of Mealla. It would gall Mealla to no end if she knew Brocc had purchased this dress for her and a satisfied smile spread across her lips as she slipped the soft fabric over her body. She had to tug the dress down hard over her bosom to get it to fit; it was a smidgen too small and the fabric seemed to stretch tightly around her breasts, but the rest of the dress fit her like a second skin.
The neckline was wider than usual, exposing her upper chest more than she preferred, but the sleeves elegantly hung past her wrists and she loved it too much to change. Wrapping a chain belt around her waist, also a gift from Brocc…a rather expensive one, she felt self-conscious as she realized her waistline was not as slim as it had once been. She had been eating more than usual lately and resolved to control her appetite better in the future.
She swiftly pinned her heavy chestnut hair into loose curls on top of her head and looked at herself in her bronze looking glass. Deciding she looked the best she could under her limited circumstances, she sauntered out of her chamber, feeling confident and proud. Once she served them, she would take her leave and find some fun of her own. It would make Brocc’s blood boil to watch her leave the house while he was incapable of chasing her down as usual. He would not want to make a spectacle of himself in front of his future wife, now would he?
She smiled to herself at her underhanded, yet completely genius plans for the evening. The gold flecks in her dress were catching in the twinkling light of the fire and she felt like she had fireflies dancing playfully around her as she moved.
As she leaned over the cauldron to smell the savory aromas, she felt Brocc’s warm hand slowly slide around her hip and lightly rest on her abdomen as he leaned over her shoulder to smell the stew. “Smells great, Una,” he whispered in her ear, sending a warm wave of sensation down her neck. She tried to control her reaction, but her skin broke out in gooseflesh and shivers ran down her spine. “And you, mo chroí, look even better than this stew.” He lightly nipped her ear lobe and she swiftly pulled away from him in shock. He grabbed her and spun her to face him, pressing his forehead against hers as he silently looked into her eyes.
“Brocc!” Una struggled to pull away but he held her firm, that same predatory emotion flashing again in his eyes, as if he meant to claim her for his own. “I don’t know what you think you are doing, but this is entirely inappropriate. Your guest will be here any moment.”
“My guest has already arrived,” he whispered into her ear.
Una jumped as she looked around the house for his companion, struggling to break free from his grip.
“Your dress is stunning, just like you.” He leaned in so close that his lips grazed hers as he spoke. Her heart was pounding so hard she could barely breathe. Oh, why did he affect her so easily? She could feel her legs going weak and warmth radiated down her body, collecting at her core.
“Well, you had it made,” she mumbled and struggled again, but he held her firm.
“Hmmm, I had that dress made to be the same size as all the others. How strange that it should fit so snug…” his eyes twinkled as he stared at her straining breasts and ran his hands up and down her curvy hips, then over the roundness of her backside. “I enjoy it…immensely.”
Completely affronted by his brazen observation of her recent weight gain, she scoffed and shoved his chest. “I do not know what has gotten into you, Brocc, but I suggest you let me go before Mealla finds you holding me. I doubt she would approve.” Una turned her face away from him and successfully swiveled out of his loosening grasp, heart pounding in her chest. How did this man make her feel as if she were melting from the inside out, unable to breathe, think, or speak properly?
“I’m not concerned about Mealla in the least and I would prefer not to hear her name at all while we eat.”
“We?” Una breathed, turning back to look at him. That was a mistake. The moment her eyes locked with his, she had to fight back the urge to wrap herself in his embrace. He held a dangerous power over her, one she desperately wished to succumb to. If only she could. But he belonged to another.
“Aye. You are my guest. And I see you appropriately dressed the part. I wonder,” he tapped his chin repeatedly with his finger as if in deep thought, “why would you go through so much effort to look your best if you only meant to be serving Mealla tonight?” His brows quirked up in curiosity and she felt a flush of embarrassment flood over her cheeks.
She scoffed at his arrogance. “Actually, I have plans. After I serve your meal, I am leaving for the night.”
“Well, your plans have changed. Have a seat.” He looked stern and intimidating with his large shoulders draped in animal pelts, an understated golden circlet adorning his black hair. King or no, she would not relent.
“I will not.” She crossed her arms in defiance and glared at him. “I have nay wish to dine with you.”
“But I’ve yet to share my good news. Do you not wish to hear why we are celebrating tonight?” His lips twitched, clearly enjoying whatever game he was playing with her mind.
“I am sure whatever it is, is of nay concern to me. Perhaps Mealla would find it interesting.” Una smirked mockingly and raised a slim brow.
A loud chortle escaped Brocc’s nose and he pounded on his chest, trying to swallow his mirth. “That, My Lady, is the furthest from the truth. In fact, my news would most assuredly distress her.” He flashed another self-satisfied smirk, and all she could do was roll her eyes at him.
“I don’t know what has come over you, but I don’t see what you find so amusing. Nor why you laugh at Mealla’s expense. It seems very cruel and certainly does not bode well for your future together.”
Her stomach suddenly churned and she clutched at it as she bent over in pain. “I don’t feel well all of a sudden. I must sit.” Brocc looked down at her with immediate concern and grabbed her hand as she plopped down on a cushion. “I’m fine, Brocc.” She breathed through the pain. “I’ve been fighting a stomach ailment for some time. It seems to have passed, but I still get queas
y at times.”
Squatting down to her eye level, Brocc took her chin in his hands and gently turned her face toward his. Her chest rose and fell swiftly and he grabbed her wrist with his other hand, feeling her quickening pulse. “Una, please listen. I arranged this night because I miss you. I miss what we started to build together that night.”
“Do not speak to me of that night, Brocc! You deceived me into believing you actually cared for me! I gave myself to you and began to open up to the possibility of a future with you. Those hopes were dashed only the next morning when that insufferable lass showed up staking her claim on you. Then, you refused to let me even speak to Collin. Do not pretend you don’t have me right where you want me, playing the role of your servant daily, having nay other prospects for love or marriage, and nowhere to go when you marry that horrendous woman!” Una shouted and balled her fists tightly as her nails dug into the flesh of her palm.
Brocc was silent. His pensive mouth suddenly turned upward and his heart-stopping dimple flashed at her. Hazel eyes blazing, he stared at her. “I’m to be a father.”
Her heart stopped beating. Or was it shattering? She could not tell which, only that severe pain wove its way through her chest. “What? Mealla is with child?” Una turned white as all the blood drained from her face. Her entire body went numb and rigid as she twisted her hands together in distress. This was not at all what she had expected his news to be. A new alliance with a neighboring tuath, perhaps a new crop to trade…but not this. Never this. Why did it shock her so terribly? And why on earth did he expect her, of all people, to celebrate with him? Was he just being cruel? She swallowed down the lump in her throat, trying desperately to control the tears threatening to spill.
“Nay. Not Mealla,” he shook his head.
“Another woman?” She shook her head at the impact of his words and clutched at her aching heart. “Another woman is carrying your child?” she whispered.
“Aye.”
“Oh dear.” What else could she say? Nothing could erase the pain that slashed through her heart. Mealla was to be his wife. Certainly, Una shouldn’t be shocked if she were with child…but another woman? The news gutted her. “Well, w-what are you going to do?”
He shrugged and a slight smirk graced the corner of his lips. “I hope to marry her.”
“Oh.” Well, this man truly was a brute, after all! Offering marriage to her, then turning around and arranging a marriage with Mealla, only to plant his seed in another woman. She should have expected this sort of behavior from Brocc, but still she felt blindsided, as if she had desperately hoped deep down that all the rumors of his womanizing were false. Now she could see clearly that they were all too true. “You don’t seem upset at all,” she croaked.
“Och, nay. I’ve never been happier.” He was so calm, confident, unbreakable. It was clear in that moment that she could never have truly kept his interest, just as she had suspected. It was a good thing she turned him down when she had, she decided. This hurt, but it would have hurt so much more had she agreed to marry him, as Mealla had. Was she pitying Mealla? And why not? This would crush the lass when she found out.
“Well.” She cleared her throat. “I wish you the best.” She tried her best to sound casual, but she was failing tremendously. She had to leave his presence now, or else he would witness the tears that no longer wished to stay hidden. She stood up abruptly and began to walk toward her chamber with whatever dignity she could still claim.
“Una.” He grabbed her arm and she tried to jerk free, mouth opening in protest, ready to unleash her fury. He put a finger to her lips to stop her angry retort. “Please, let me finish.”
When he was certain she would let him speak, he sighed. “Did your mother ever talk to you about the signs of being with child?” Confusion creased her features at his absurd question. “Nay? I thought not…Una. I’ve been buying you new dresses. Why do you think that is?”
She was thoroughly confused now, looking at him as if he were speaking another language. “Are you mad? You tell me that a woman is carrying your child and you wish to marry her, and then you start speaking to me about my dresses?” she looked at him incredulously. “You can take those dresses and shove them up your—”
“Answer me, Una. Now. Why have I been buying you dresses?”
She shook her head, unsure what he was trying to say. Did he think she was so vain, that he could keep buying her dresses to keep her happy while he wedded and bedded other women? The nerve! “I assume you believe me to be so shallow that I can be bought over with dresses. Let me make myself quite clear, Brocc. I shall never be your concubine. If you plan to keep me here with you after you wed, wearing these dresses,” she tugged at the long fabric hanging down her wrists, “then you have sorely misjudged my character.”
Brocc stepped closer to Una, hazel eyes blazing, lip twitching, heated breath grazing her cheek. His hold on her upper arm tightened as he slightly shook her. “You are quite right, mo chroí. I do intend to keep you here with me. But not as my concubine.”
“If you think I will remain your servant, you are even madder than I thought!”
“Nay…not servant. Not concubine. I wish you to stay…as my wife and my queen.”
She pulled away from him with all her might, but his hold was relentless and his fingers dug painfully into her skin. “I will tell you one thing, right now, Brocc Mac Greine. The man I shall marry will love, cherish, honor, and go to bed with only ME! I shall never marry a man whose interests shift from woman to woman! The day my husband is found with a concubine, is the day he loses his bollocks! You wouldn’t keep yours for a fortnight.” She scowled, wishing she could claw his face.
He nodded confidently and grinned…that cursed confident, insufferable grin. “I shall keep that in mind, lass. Now, as I was saying…I wish you to marry me, Una.”
Feeling a rapid dizziness coming over her, she held up a hand to stop him from speaking, “Enough! You said you wanted to marry the woman carrying your child. If this is your idea of a cruel joke—”
“Una…” his voice softened, as did his grip as he picked up her shaking hand. Her chin started to quiver and tears rolled down her cheeks. “Tis you, mo chroí. You are carrying my child. Do you really not know?” A wide smile spread across his face and he placed a small gentle kiss on the top of her hand, leaving his lips there to linger for a moment, worshipping the softness of his child’s mother. He looked relieved and thrilled all in one moment, yet Una was panicking inside, feeling as if she might swoon.
“This is not possible…how? I mean…how can you be so certain? Oh, my. I think I’m going to swoon.” Just as she started to fall, Brocc sat down and pulled her onto his lap. He placed one gentle hand on her flat abdomen and could feel its slightly rounded firmness, just one of the small signs he had detected earlier when he inconspicuously ran his hands along her stomach in the market. Wiping a tear away from her eyelashes, he leaned in and kissed her cheek.
“I know for certain, Una. I know when we made love and I am intimately knowledgeable of the curves of your body. I am a man. I can see when a woman’s breasts increase in size. Why do you think I’ve been buying you new dresses? You were quite possibly going to bust through the fabric of your previous ones!” He gently laughed as she looked stunned by his ability to notice such intimate details about her body, when she hadn’t even noticed herself.
“You’ve been feeling dizzy for weeks and I’ve heard you get sick more than once. Tis all there, Una. You must be three moons along now.” He rubbed his hand in gentle circles over her abdomen.
“Well…this is…just awful! You want Mealla! I won’t allow you to marry me simply out of duty! Why do you look so smug, Brocc? Nothing about this is entertaining in the least!” She covered her mouth with her hands and turned away from him, still sitting on his lap, too shocked to move.
“I’m smug, mo chroí, because I’m going to be a father, and the mother of the child is the only woman I wish to marry. I told you, Me
alla is nothing more than a scheming lass. Do you know who she is?” He looked at her profile and saw her respond with a meek shrug. “She is the dressmaker’s daughter! I’ve simply been visiting with her recently because she has been helping me make your dresses. I never asked her to marry me, nor did I agree to marry her. She is a child to me, nothing more.
“Her father passed away and her mother is seeking a husband for her. She set her sights on me and her mother asked me to marry her daughter the morning after we made love. I told the woman that I would not, but Mealla had already told the entire tuath that her mother was meeting with me to arrange our marriage! The lass didn’t even wait for the meeting to end before she spread the word like wildfire.
“Of course, her mother told her when she arrived back home that afternoon, but by then, her ego was so badly bruised that she stubbornly refused to correct her error. I’ve been fixing the mess ever since. I did try to tell you first, Una, but you refused to listen. I’m sorry you have spent the past three moons believing that I was marrying another woman, but the truth is you are too stubborn for your own good!” He laughed at the comical look of shock and relief playing across Una’s face, and he turned her in his arms so that she could look at him.
“Well, why was she so brazen in her behaviors? She seemed to know you quite well!”
“Are you asking if I have ever bedded Mealla?” His black brow quirked up and he saw her face flinch at the thought of them in bed together. “Nay, I have not. I have never had any interest in her. She knows my bedchamber well because she drops off my new wardrobe and puts them in my chest for me.
“I was supposed to meet her to discuss a new dress, to replace the one I tore the night before,” he winked provocatively, “but I became cornered by her mother who took much longer to accept my refusal than necessary, causing me to be late. That is why she wandered over to the house in her anger. Does that answer your questions?”
