Page 88 of Taming the Eagle
Justin’s breath gusted out of him. “You forget yourself, Aedan,” he growled. “Don’t mistake my leniency for weakness.”
But the Brigante didn’t heed him. “I’m the eldest son of a chieftain,” he shot back. “When you took me as your slave, I was days away from wedding the woman I loved. I was destined to lead my tribe, to have sons to carry my bloodline. You stole all of that from me.”
Justin sucked in a deep, steadying breath, and then another, fighting the urge to lunge across the table and grab his slave by the throat. What was wrong with Aedan tonight? All the same, he hadn’t realized the Brigante was a chieftain’s son, or that he’d been about to wed.
He’d never asked his slave about his past, hadn’t cared to know.
A brittle silence fell over the tablinum. Aedan swallowed now, as if realizing that he’d earned himself a whipping.
Muttering a curse, Justin dragged a hand down his face. “Don’t pretend you don’t know how the world works,” he replied heavily. “There are slaves, and there are masters.”
“Aye, depending on whom the gods favor,” Aedan replied, his tone sharpening once more.
Justin huffed out a sigh. He didn’t want to punish the slave, yet his iron self-control was on the verge of shattering. All the emotion he’d swallowed since Fenella had gone threatened to break free in a boiling tide. “I think we’re done here,” he said, his voice low and hard. “Leave me.”
Nodding stiffly, the slave got to his feet and made for the door.
Justin let him go without another word.
Alone in the tablinum, he let the moments slide by.
Aedan’s words tormented him, driving into his flesh like iron spikes. Was he really so oblivious, so arrogant? Had the fact he’d taken Fenella as his slave doomed their relationship from the very beginning?
Nona, Decuma, and Morta—the three Fates—spun an intricate web. Aedan was right, the gods had shone upon him for most of his life—yet they didn’t any longer.
With a snarled curse, he swept the Latrunculi board off the table and sent it crashing to the floor.
XXXII. FIGHT FOR HIM
Lochan Uaine
Cairngorm Mountains—Caledonia
FENELLA DUG HER needle into the tunic she was mending, before raising her face to the sun. It was growing late in the afternoon, yet the day was still warm. She and Mona had taken their mending outdoors. The interior of their roundhouse was dark and smoky, and it was a relief to escape it.
Seated on stools near the entrance, mother and daughter worked in silence for a while.
After the morning she’d endured, Fenella welcomed the peace. Bricius had gone hunting and taken Maddoc with him. Meanwhile, Ena and Fife had gone off to gather raspberries for supper.
It was a rare moment of quiet, and both women enjoyed it.
However, Mona eventually shattered the silence between them.
“I’m sorry your father nags you so, Fen,” she murmured. “I tried to speak to him about it after you left this morning … but he’s stubborn.”
Fenella sighed, casting her mother a sidelong look. Mona’s face, careworn beyond her years, was creased in concern, her blue eyes clouded. Something tugged deep within Fenella’s chest then. When she’d been younger, she’d dismissed her mother as weak, but she saw things differently now. Mona was a kind soul, a woman who’d married a dominant man. She loved her children, and the rift between Bricius and Fenella upset her.
Reaching out, she placed a hand on her mother’s arm. “I know, Ma. He’s right about one thing though … I can’t remain living with you all.” She favored her with a sad smile. “Too much time has passed since I last resided under Da’s roof. I’m a different person now.”
Mona’s expression sagged. “Where will you go?”
“I don’t know … but fear not, I’ll survive.” Fenella’s smile turned rueful. “I always do.”
Her mother shook her head. “You’re so resilient, Fen. I’ve always wondered how I bore such a daughter.”
Fenella gave a soft laugh. “Ena’s a feisty one too,” she pointed out. She sobered then, squeezing her mother’s arm. “You have a different kind of strength, Ma … one I haven’t appreciated until now.”
Mona favored her with a wry smile. “Your father isn’tthathard to live with. He only does what he thinks is right for his family.”