Free The Darkland by Kathryn Le Veque

agile, and she found herself staring at him as he waited
patiently for Edmund’s arrival.
    "He is in a far
more pleasant mood this eve than he has been," Micheline said softly.
    Mara was still staring
at him. "Oh... who?"
    Micheline smiled.
"Kirk, dear. He seems quite amiable toward you."
    Mara tore her gaze away,
focusing on her sister and trying not to appear too agreeable. "It's
amazing what a peaceful afternoon can do for one's spirits."
    Micheline continued to
watch her sister as the woman's gaze returned to the towering knight. Leaning
close, she whispered in her ear. "Did he really spank you this afternoon?
Or did he do something else?"
    Mara looked puzzled. And
shocked. "What else would he do?"
    Micheline kissed her on
the ear. "This."
    Mara nearly leapt from
her chair. "I would never... I never...!"
    Micheline laughed
softly, grabbing the woman before she could run away. "If you say so,
Mara. I will not mention it again, I promise."
    Red about the ears, Mara
maintained her seat but refused to look Micheline in the eye. A kiss was so
intimate, so... serious. And it would only lead to the same actions the
soldier in the inn had forced upon her. Actions that were painful and degrading
and she had no intention of allowing them to happen again. Even if the actions
would be coming from Kirk.
    "I do not like him,
Misha."
    "I know."
    "Nay, you do not. I
am sincere when I say this."
    "I realize
that."
    Mara looked at her
sister then, just as the crier announced the appearance of Lord Edmund and his
beloved step-sister, Johanne. The heralds blasted their trumpets and the
lavishly-dressed guests rose to their feet, but Mara ignored the pomp; her
focus remained on Micheline.
    "Do not mock me,
Misha. I am serious when I say that I want nothing to do with Kirk
Connaught."
    Micheline rose, too, her
smile fading as she caught sight of her short, muss-haired groom.
    "That may be,
Mara," she whispered, "but he wants everything to do with you."
     
    ***
     
    Johanne's reaction to
Micheline hadn't been quite as severe as Edmund’s. After the introduction by
Kirk, she sized the woman from head to toe before seating herself at her
brother's left. While Micheline struggled to maintain her composure as Edmund
ignored her, Johanne's attention moved from her brother's future wife to the
dark-haired woman seated at the end of the table. When Kirk introduced the Lady
Mara, Johanne's eyes narrowed.
    "I did not believe
the marriage contract called for the addition of a younger sister," she
said as servants began to bring out great trenchers of beef.  "Will you be
returning to Haslingden after the ceremony, Lady Mara?"
    By Edmund’s request,
Kirk was seated on his right hand, between the reluctant groom and his new
bride. The knight begrudgingly did so, although he was glad for his mediating
presence when Johanne began her catty dialogue. Eyeing Mara, his gaze conveyed
the demands of proper behavior.
    "Nay, my
lady." Mara wasn't the least bit intimidated by the skinny woman or Kirk's
intense stare. "My sister is my guardian since our parents' death, a duty
that shall go to her new husband. I am afraid I shall be staying at Anchorsholme."
    Johanne's features
tensed as she looked at her brother, who merely lost himself in his boiled
carrots and meat. "I see," she said quietly. "Then we shall
simply have to find you a husband, too. There's hardly room for you here."
    Both Kirk and Micheline
watched Mara's expression as she pondered Johanne's statement. Challenging
would have been an accurate description.
    "I do not want a
husband, Lady Johanne."
    "Then the cloister
is preferable? Excellent. The sooner the better."
    Mara lifted an eyebrow
and Kirk groaned inwardly. "Why are you so anxious to be rid of me, Lady Johanne?
I have only just arrived. In fact, I rather like it here." She smiled
prettily, settling back in her chair. "I do believe I shall stay a long,
long time."
    Micheline sighed
heavily, delving into her plate of beef. The head table made