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.My body may belong to Graeme, but I canna give him my heart.You know that as well as I.”“I know nothing of the sort,” Alyce scoffed.“Listen to a wise old woman, lass.Yer husband canna help himself.He will love ye as much as ye love him.”“But I dinna—”Alyce held up her hand.“Dinna deny it.”“The Prophecy.I still have my powers.”Alyce grinned.“Does that tell ye naught?”“I am afraid to hope.Graeme said his heart was empty.”“Och! Fill it, lass, fill it.”Having imparted those words of wisdom, Alyce took her leave.Blair remained behind a few moments to gather her thoughts.Her herb-gathering expedition was out of the question now, so instead she made a mental list of what needed to be done in the keep.Glenda breezed into the chamber with an arm-load of clean linens just as Blair was leaving.“I didna hear you knock,” Blair said.Glenda tossed her mane of red hair.“I didna know anyone was in here.” She sent Blair a spiteful glare.“I just stripped the bed in the laird’s bedchamber and found blood on the sheets.Graeme should have had more sense than to bed a witch.”Blair’s hands flew to her flaming cheeks.Did everyone in the keep know she had spent the night in Graeme’s bed? Then her senses returned.So what? She and Graeme were married and need answer to no one.Graeme’s kinsmen might not like her, but they couldn’t deny that she was Graeme’s wife and mistress of the keep.“If you value your job, you’d be well advised to mind your tongue,” Blair said as she swept out the door.As Blair walked out into the hall, Stuart hailed her.She smiled at her husband’s uncle and waited for him to join her.“I am sorry for what happened to ye today, lass,” Stuart said.“Do ye think yer brother will make mischief for Graeme? He is close to the king and can bring trouble to our clan.”“Niall is untrustworthy,” Blair answered.“He and MacKay are a dangerous pair.I know not what form their retaliation will take, but I suspect it will be leveled against me personally, not your clansmen.If I thought they meant Graeme harm, I would leave Stonehaven.”“Can ye do naught to stop trouble before it arrives? Can ye place a spell on that unholy pair of conspirators before they hatch some mischief? ’Tis what witches do, is it not?”Shock rendered Blair speechless.Had she heard right? Was Graeme’s uncle asking her to use witchcraft?“I dinna believe what I just heard,” Graeme roared from behind them.“Shame on you, Uncle! You just accused my wife of being a witch.Apologize to her.”“Come now, lad,” Stuart stammered.“We all know yer wife claims to possess powers.Why should she not use them to help us? How difficult can it be for her to place a spell on our enemies?”“I will tolerate no more of that kind of talk,” Graeme snapped.He placed an arm around Blair’s narrow shoulders.“Think you I amna capable of defending my wife and my kinsmen?”“MacArthur and MacKay have the king’s ear,” Stuart warned.“I fear for ye, lad.”“I appreciate your concern, but I have things well in hand.”“Ah, well then, I apologize, lass,” Stuart said in parting.“Your kinsmen fear me,” Blair lamented.“I have brought trouble to Stonehaven.”“Dinna even think like that,” Graeme growled.“You’re mine, Blair MacArthur.And what is mine, I keep.”If Blair didn’t know better, she could almost believe Graeme cared for her.Chapter EightAlyce was helping Blair prepare for bed that night when Graeme strolled into her bedchamber.He dismissed the tiring woman with a nod of his head and picked up the brush Alyce had discarded.Then, to Blair’s dismay, he began brushing her luxurious mane of blond hair with long, sweeping strokes.“You dinna have to do that,” she said.“I want to.Your hair is like silk, and it pleases me to do this for you.”“If you have seduction in mind, forget it,” Blair said.“We did what had to be done to foil Niall, but I see no reason to share a bed now that the deed is done.”“Do you not?” Graeme replied in a teasing tone.“You are mad if you think you can deny me your body after granting me a taste of your passion.”“Intimacy is wrong unless love is involved,” Blair said softly.“The only thing wrong is your belief that love is necessary to enjoy the marriage bed.Although,” he said, lowering his voice to a seductive purr, “I wouldna mind if you fell in love with me.”“Conceited oaf,” Blair muttered, plucking the brush from his hand.“Are you here for a particular reason?”“Aye, I want to make love to my wife.”A knock on the door forestalled Blair’s answer.Spitting out a curse, Graeme strode to the door and flung it open.His expression was so fierce that Heath drew back in alarm.“What is it?” Graeme growled.“Ye werena in yer own chamber so I figured ye were with the wit.yer wife.There’s trouble.”Immediately alert, Graeme asked, “What kind of trouble?”“Reivers.They swooped down from the hills and drove off some of our sheep.”“Were the reivers identified?”“Nay, ’twas too dark, but one of the lads thought they were MacKays.”Graeme loosed another curse.“I will be down directly.” He turned to Blair.“I have to go,” he said.“Dinna wait up for me.”“Graeme.” He glanced back at her.“Be careful.”“Does that mean you care what happens to me?”Blair looked him in the eye without flinching.“Of course.As much as I care about anyone facing a dangerous situation.”Grinning, Graeme went to her and wound his fingers in her hair, lifted her face up to his and gave her a quick, hard kiss.Then he was gone.Blair touched her lips, bemused and more than a little annoyed.It was obvious that Graeme was trying to seduce her, though his reason for doing so was wrongheaded.He wanted her to love him, even if he couldn’t return her love.Before retiring that night, Blair spent a long time on her knees imploring God and the spirits to protect Graeme and his kinsmen.Finally she climbed into bed.She was weary and slipped quickly into an uneasy slumber.No sooner had sleep claimed her than she began to dream.It was a dream she had had before, but more terrifying than she remembered.She was surrounded by fire.It licked at her clothing and singed her hair.The heat was unbearable.Through the curtain of flames she saw people leering at her, their expressions rapt with unholy glee.Their voices rose loud and shrill above the sound of her screams.“Burn, witch, burn.Burn, witch, burn
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