“There is no hope where the curse is concerned. It commands and demands and strikes with a power that cannot be stopped.”
Bliss reached for a sliver of hope. “The witch in the hills—”
His fist came down on the table again, though not as hard this time. “I told you there is no witch in the hills. She is a myth. She does not exist. I searched for her endlessly. I traveled to foreign shores to find witches, demons, anyone or thing that could end this misery and was told the same thing over and over. The curse could only be ended when it was fulfilled—when the wrong was made right.” He shook his head. “How do you right the wrong of the murder of an innocent bairn barely a few days old?”
“Maybe we can figure that out,” Bliss suggested.
“Before you die in my arms for no apparent reason like my last wife?” he asked the image his words evoked of Bliss lifeless in his arms tearing at his heart.
“Death does not consider age. I have seen young and old die like you say for no apparent reason. Your last wife could have been ill and not have known it or not told anyone about it,” Bliss said, trying to make sense of a senseless death.
“Make no mistake, it was the curse… and now it will come for you.”
“I do not fear it,” Bliss said bravely.
“You should. It claimed all three of my wives,” he warned.
She tried to make him see an alternative to the curse. “Your first wife died along with your bairn in childbirth. Unfortunately, that is something that happens far too frequently, no curse is the reason for it. Your second wife died from a riding accident, something else that commonly happens and should not be blamed on the curse. And as I said about your third wife, she could have been ill and not have known it. None of their deaths can be positively blamed on the curse.”
“And do you say this to make yourself feel good or for my benefit?”
She smiled softly. “I hoped it would benefit us both.”
“You still cling to hope?” he asked, wishing he could feel a morsel of the hope that she did.
“As I said, sometimes it is the only thing I have to cling to.”
“I am your husband. You will cling to me from now on,” he ordered sternly.
“Then you accept me as your wife?” she asked, hope rising in her heart that this all might work out after all.
“What choice do I have?” he snapped. “But do not think I will get you with child… that will never happen.”
She surprised herself, saying, “That disappoints in many ways. While the thought frightened me at first, after having spent time with you, I found myself favoring the thought of having a child with you. I had hoped to one day have one or more, but no man has ever shown interest in me. You are the first even though your interest is no more than for you to satisfy your needs. It is the comfort I feel with you that makes the difference. I never thought I would sleep naked with a man, let alone enjoy it, but I do like sleeping naked in your arms. You keep me so warm, and I feel so safe. Though you can be gruff at times, there is a tenderness about you. I could feel it in your touch when you tended me, and the strength of your kiss is quite pleasant. You are a better man than you think, and I believe you would make a good father.”
He stared at her dumbfounded. He had wanted to be a father, had looked forward to it when his first wife had gotten pregnant, but the pain of losing them both had been far more difficult to bear than he had ever thought. And he had blamed himself for bringing the curse down upon her and his innocent son.
Rannick did not know how to respond. That she willingly wanted a bairn with him, that she enjoyed being naked in his arms and enjoyed his kisses, was something he never expected to hear from a woman. So, of course, he had to question it, especially since she had a bargain to keep with his father.
“I know what you think,” she said with a sad smile. “That I say this to entice you to get me with child and keep the bargain I made with your father. I have given you little reason to trust my word after my many lies. I can only say that I speak the truth now and will continue to speak the truth to you from this day on. On that I give you my solemn word.” She raised her chin. “Perhaps we can start over, and you can come to know me, and I can come to know you while we work together to find out who it is that wants you, and now me, dead.”