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kitchen.”
    Lara nodded her head. She was grateful for Rowena’s kindness, but would rather be on her way. But to where? She feared that if she returned home her father would send her back to her husband. If that happened, she was certain that Dermot would kill her, for he had no use for his defiant bride.

    Lara knew that during the negotiations to unite their clans, Dermot had been furious that his father made the decision to unite the clans. After years of feuds, Dermot’s hatred for the Fergussons was well known, and he protested the marriage. He was in love with another and insisted that he would deny his birthright as future Laird of Castle Foley if necessary to avoid marriage to Lara. But after he learned of the Fergusson clan’s supposed “secret treasure”, he became eager to marry Lara; too eager for her liking .   His sudden change of heart disturbed her, but he had been a very persuasive suitor.
    She still felt fury deep in the pit of her stomach for allowing Dermot to seduce her with words of passion and promises. He had given her hope for the future of her clan, and promised a good marriage. It was not until after their vows were spoken and before they even shared the marital bed, that he unmasked his true nature and motives.
    He told her he had learned of a treasure, supposedly acquired by her father, and hoped to claim this treasure once they were married. Lara had never believed such treasure truly existed for no one had ever laid eyes upon it and only few knew of it. She recalled a moment when she was young, eavesdropping on her father, she’d heard about how he came to acquire it, but the details now were fuzzy. All Lara remembered hearing was that the treasure was a gift from a Norse King.
    Lara did all she could to convince Dermot that it was merely a rumor and that no treasure existed. But her husband called her a liar and accused her of deceit. He began avoiding her, for which she was grateful. She despised him and fought him every time he tried to touch her. She would rather die a thousand deaths or be beaten beyond recognition before succumbing to him. He may have been her husband, but she refused to give him her maidenhood willingly.
      Lara’s mind wandered to a time when things were pleasant. When her mother, Elsa, was alive and her father was not the bitter man he became after Elsa’s death. Since the day her mother passed, her father had seemed to care little for Lara’s happiness and focused solely on her brother John. He’d pushed John into training longer and studying harder, obsessed with preparing John to one day be Laird of their clan. But grief alone did not explain her father’s sudden change in behavior.
    Lara shook her head, bringing her thoughts back to the present. Now was not the time to dwell on the past. She needed to think towards the future and how to expose Dermot for the treacherous man he was.
    Lara stared into the flames. Her thoughts returned to the past day, then to Bram. She was anxious to see how he fared this day. Mayhap it was his kindness for helping her find shelter for the night, or perhaps it was because they shared an unspeakable bond as prisoners of war, but her thoughts lingered on him. She would at least thank him for his generosity.

Chapter 6
     
     
    Once they had secured the last plank, Bram followed Innes down the ladder and headed towards the barn door to feed the horses. Grabbing onto an armful of hay, Bram carried it to the stalls. While the horses ate, he brushed their manes. The smaller of the two reminded him of a spirited young filly who was sired by his own horse. She was a beauty; light grey with white stockings. The mare restlessly kicked the back of her stall refusing to eat the fresh hay.
    “Awe, dinna mind that one. She willnae eat while yer watching her. Free spirit that one is. Makes her untrainable and useless. I thought about selling her but I’d make better use of her using her hide as a covering to keep my arse warm,”