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.Ye must look yer best for yer bridegroom tonight.”She bolted upright in bed, ignoring the warning pain shooting through her head.“What did you say?”The woman stopped in the doorway and turned back.“Ye need a dress for yer wedding to the laird.Ye had nothing but yer nightclothes when ye came.”“But.” A thousand questions flooded her brain, and she choked on the words tumbling from her lips.“I didn’t.Where.?” She raised a hand to her forehead, stopping the flow of nonsense as she struggled to gather her thoughts.“Where am I?”“Why, at Scott Castle,” the woman replied.“‘Tis where Laird Scott resides.”“Who is Laird Scott?”The woman gave her a curious look.“Eaden, laird of clan Scott and earl of the lands of Craigievar.He’s to be yer husband.”She turned wide, puzzled eyes on the older woman.“Who am I?”Miriam paced the length of her room, then turned and paced the length again.Nothing made sense.What Ina told her wasn’t true.Her mind felt fuzzy, as if they were talking about someone else.Why couldn’t she remember? Why did her head still feel full of rocks and fire?She touched the back of her head gingerly, probing the bump there, wincing when she pushed too hard.The only thing that made sense was she did not want to marry the laird.That much she understood.It resonated in the deepest part of her, dismay snaking through her at the thought.A knock sounded and Miriam whirled, jolted out of her musings.The door swung open and one of the largest men she had ever seen entered the room.“Who are you?” Her hand flew to her throat in fear.The man gave her a sardonic smile and paused inside the doorway.“I am Earl Scott.Ina tells me ye’re having trouble with yer memory.” His voice rumbled deep.“I have a bump on my head,” Miriam replied tartly.This was her husband-to-be? Her eyes drifted up the length of him, unnerved by the narrowed look he gave her.His nearly black eyes and soot-dark hair lent him a devilish air, more frightening than intriguing, and Miriam nearly swallowed her tongue as she imagined herself bound to this man.“Doesnae matter.Ye’ll marry me this day.” He crossed the room to stand before the fireplace, holding out his hands to the one welcoming element in the room.After a moment, he turned back to where she still stood frozen.“Rest assured I am no more in favor of this marriage than ye are.”“Then why am I here?”“To appease the king and end a feud between our clans.”“Ina said you kidnapped me last night and brought me here because you did not think my father would honor the king’s edict.” Miriam winced at the word ‘father.’ It sounded foreign to her.Did she not get along with him?“She told me ye’ve no memory of last night.”“I have no memory of anything before I woke this morning,” Miriam replied with some asperity.The feeling of being trapped crept over her again, along with the inability to resign herself to marriage with this man.“I apologize for the bump on yer head.It was quite unintentional, but ye fought me and I couldnae allow ye to raise the alarm.I simply made sure ye honored the king’s command.”She waved her hands dramatically in the air.“And you are so certain we would have not married in a more normal fashion in time?”The earl’s face darkened.“Aye.Yer response was somewhat less than enthusiastic.”Miriam paled at the harshness of his words.“You cannot be sure it was more than just talk.I cannot imagine happiness at being forced to marry someone I don’t know.”“Don’t play coy with me, milady,” Eaden snarled.“Ye know damn well ye wouldnae have married me now or a month from now.Everything I have is forfeit if this wedding doesnae take place.King Robert has placed his seal on the documents and we only await the priest.Ye will be downstairs this evening, dressed and prepared to say yer vows!”Without awaiting her response, the earl turned on his heel and strode from the room, slamming the door with a resounding crash, causing Miriam to jump at the sound.“He will not intimidate me!” she swore aloud, but her words rang hollow.Her lower lip trembled, and she could do nothing more defiant than lift her chin.No matter what she said in defense of herself, she would not be believed.Come morning, she would be forever bound to this ruthless man.People stood around her in a blur of disapproving faces and a hushed murmur of sound.Unable to shake the disoriented feeling, Miriam felt herself caught in a dream.A very bad dream.She dug her fingernails into her palms and winced.`Twas no dream, but a nightmare.The pale blue satin gown, alternately cool and warm against her skin, weighty with embroidery and jewels, did not make her feel special.She found it difficult to draw a breath.The stone walls of the castle closed in around her, pressing upon her as heavily as the garment itself.“Sign yer name, Lady Miriam.”Miriam stared at the priest as though he’d grown horns.He held the quill out to her and she took it, wincing at the dark blot on the parchment from her unsteady hand.Her head swam from the cup of wine she’d drunk earlier to fortify her, and she regretted accepting a second.Dizziness and the flickering light from hundreds of candles lighting the room gave her a sick headache.She laid the quill on the table and returned to the earl’s side.Furtively, she touched the knot on the back of her head.She’d not wanted to be dragged to her wedding.But fighting her fate hadn’t helped.The earl, standing ramrod straight, did not ease her feelings of dread either, nor did the absence of tenderness on his scowling face.When Eaden shifted his feet, his movement jerked her thoughts back to the proceedings.She glanced toward the priest who stared at her with a distinct lack of patience.She wasn’t trying to be defiant, she simply hadn’t heard a word the priest had said.“Lady Miriam,” the priest said curtly, gaining her attention
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