Arsenic and Old Armor Read Online Free Page B

her here. Unlike the rest of
her family, she was tall and slender. Looking at her now, he
realized he was eager to see the rest of her, too. She was going to
be his wife. It would be much better if she did not have her
fathers and her uncle William’s pear-shaped noses or her aunts’
pointy chins. Even with the little he could see of her face,
though, it appeared she lacked both distinctive features. Her face
actually looked well proportioned. He caught himself looking down
at the brown habit that might have doubled for woolsack. The white
veil covering her hair was no finer.
    “ Ah, you mean the dining
hall. You must be famished,” the nun said, pretending relief.
“Allow me to take you to the hall where your men are
seated.”
    Beatrice motioned, but he didn’t follow. She
then took him by the arm, but Iain stood where he was, staring at
his betrothed.
    “ Good morning,
Marion.”
    She remained silent. The bowl didn’t cover
her eyes. They were open, watching him. There was defiance there,
but interest, too. The long lashes were speckled with flour, as
were the bridge of her nose and her cheeks.
    “ The food must be getting
cold, m’lord. You must be starving,” the nun persisted, tugging on
his arm again.
    “ In good time.”
    Sister Beatrice shook her head. “Really,
m’lord, after such a ride, you—”
    “ Leave us!” His bark had
the desired effect. The older nun let go of his arm as if she’d
burned herself. Immediately, she scurried past him and out the
door. Iain decided she’d be back with her superior in no
time.
    The eyes of twenty workers were on them.
Everyone in the kitchen had stopped working.
    Marion took a step back, glancing quickly at
another door beyond the baking ovens. She looked like a doe about
to bolt. Iain approached, determined to mount a chase if he needed
to. They would settle this nonsense right now, and he didn’t care
who witnessed it.
    “ Am I to receive any kind
of greeting?” he said in a gentler tone.
    “ No!”
    Another feeling of relief washed through
him. She lacked the high-pitched voice of her aunt Margaret. “And
why is that?”
    “ Today is my day of
complete seclusion,” she said, taking a couple of steps backward
and glancing toward the door again. “I cannot entertain any
company.”
    “ Seclusion…with a score of
kitchen workers.”
    “ I have duties. I am still
in seclusion.”
    “ Excellent. Well, it
happens today is my day of seclusion, too.” He followed her as she
again backed away a step or two. “I will be in seclusion with my
future wife.”
    “ I am serious.”
    “ So am I.”
    She moved quickly around a table toward the
door. With a few long strides, he crossed in front of the ovens and
reached the door at the same time that she did. She hurried through
and started along the path. He was beside her in a moment.
    “ If you recall, lass, our
stars were made and matched in heaven. So many similarities exist
between us. I’ve heard your aunts say so a hundred
times.”
    “ That is a lie. We have
nothing in common.”
    The morning sun was shining through the
clouds. As they turned a corner of the building, Marion nearly
barreled into two nuns coming toward them on the path. The two
women gasped loudly.
    “ What have you done to
yourself, child?” one of them asked in distressed tones.
    “ The prioress wants to see
you, Marion,” the other chirped immediately. “But you cannot go to
her looking like that.”
    “ Why is that? You
disapprove of her hat?” Iain asked, moving next to her.
    The two women exchanged glances.
    “ It is quite lovely,” the
first nun croaked, biting her lip. “And you must be the laird we’ve
been expecting.”
    “ Lady Marion’s betrothed,”
he corrected, taking his intended’s arm. She tried to shake him
loose, but he tightened his hold on her. “Did you say the prioress
is looking for her?”
    “ She is, m’lord,” the
second woman answered. “She was hoping to greet you, too. She’s
asking