PENETRATE (The Portals of Time Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

heart.”  
    “But…you failed!”
    “I did na’ say that.”
    Her sister looked up, her lashes spiked together with moisture. When Ainslee cried, she looked like a bedraggled street urchin, not someone that should be immortalized in a painting. She sighed and looked away, toward the headboard, not really seeing the MacAffrey clan emblem that had been painstakingly carved into it.
    Lileth was the beauty of the family. It seemed unnecessary that she also possessed a large dowry, settled upon her second birthday with the death of her mother. The MacAffrey laird had been inconsolable, everyone said. Until his trip abroad. When he’d returned with an Irishwoman for his second wife, it had surprised everyone. They’d called it a love match. That didn’t seem possible. She didn’t think Father knew the meaning of the word. Regardless, the Laird of MacAffrey welcomed a second daughter within a year of his return, but one who didn’t look remotely Scottish. Ainslee had hair as dark as the night and deep, sapphire blue eyes. She’d also inherited black, lush lashes, giving her a look some called ‘eyes put in by the devil’s smudged fingers’.
    The combination of pink and white porcelain fine skin, dark hair, and black, thick lashes, should have rendered her with the moniker of pretty. And it might have, if she wore something besides her older sister’s cast-offs, ever gained enough weight to fill any of the clothing out, and stopped fidgeting long enough for anyone to notice.
    Ainslee wasn’t even a year old when the laird’s second wife passed away, a still-birthed daughter with her. The laird hadn’t mourned her demise for any length of time or with any dignity. The gossips made certain Ainslee heard the story of how he’d up and wed the youngest daughter of the MacHugh clan within two weeks of the tragic deaths.
    Two, short weeks!
    But who could blame him? The Laird of MacAffrey wanted sons. That’s all anyone seemed to care about. And nobody found fault with that.
    His third choice of wife was a woman of lusty size and a boisterous nature. She’d given the laird not one son, but five of them, and another due this fall; all of them red-cheeked and red-haired, raw-boned, and supremely healthy. But not one of them possessed much handsomeness. Even with red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked cheeks, the oldest daughter, Lileth, was the beauty in the family. She reigned supreme in that regard.
    Always had.
    Always would.
    “Then, you succeeded?”
    “I...did na’ say that, either.” 
    Lileth’s eyes filled with tears again. Ainslee almost swore aloud.
    “If I can na’ be with Robert…I’ll die!”
    “I just need to make certain you are certain. I mean, Robert has little to recommend him, and—”
    “I don’t care!”
    Lileth glared at her. The expression was better than tears. Ainslee regarded her for a moment.
    “I just want you to be sure. Straith is a duke! He is rich. He’s got a fine castle and a matchless stable. You should’ve seen the horse he rode today! Thundercloud is his name and—”
    “I don’t care about horses, Ainslee. I’m not like you.”
    Lileth was right there. For sisters, they were as different as night to day. Lileth didn’t spend a moment of thought on horses, while they were Ainslee’s life. That was one thing that reassured her over this plot. Although, secretly. The duke’s stable was part of the compensation package for taking Lileth’s place. She was giving up any chance for love in exchange for access to his horses.
    And an escape from here.
    Such thoughts were grim and did nothing. Ainslee stood. Looked down at her sister. Tried to smile reassuringly. “Stay in your rooms today. Use any excuse.”
    “Why?”
    “What man would ask for me if he sees you first? Unless, of course, you’re determined to ruin your looks by more sobbing.”
    The flattery worked. Lileth straightened and immediately started dabbing at her tear-soaked cheeks. “But…I’m under