The Chief Read Online Free PDF Page A

him.”
    The three siblings gasped in unison.
Marriage? To some brutish warlord? God have mercy!
The color drained from Christina’s face. She shook her head mutely; she couldn’t do it.
    Her father drew up as if he intended to inform her otherwise, but then apparently reconsidered. “It will probably be Beatrix because she is the elder.”
    A wave of relief swelled over her.
Thank God
.
    Then she looked at her sister.
    “No,” Beatrix whispered, terror choking her voice. Shestarted to swoon, but Alex caught her around her tiny waist and held her against him.
    Something twisted in Christina’s chest seeing them like that, her frail, innocent sister sagging against a big, mail-clad warrior. Though still young, Alex was dark-haired like her, but tall and broad-shouldered. Next to him, Beatrix looked painfully vulnerable. Like a butterfly in an iron claw.
    Beatrix would die under some vile brute. Christina knew it with certainty that could not be avoided.
    Without thinking, Christina stepped forward. Her stomach tossed, but she fought back the panic. “No, Father. I’ll do it. I’ll marry him.”
    Her father looked back and forth between the two girls, appraising them as if they were two horses at market. For once he seemed pleased with what he saw. “You’ll both come, and he will choose which of you pleases him more.”
    Without another word he turned on his heel and left the room, leaving both girls reeling in his wake.
    Christina grabbed the wooden bedpost to steady herself. Beatrix was still plastered to her brother’s side like a floppy poppet of rags. Alex stroked her head as she wept softly against his shoulder.
    Over their sister’s veiled head, their eyes met. Christina read the compassion in her brother’s gaze. They both knew he could do nothing to stop their father. That the girls had not been betrothed before this was only because their father had been imprisoned and King Edward had not gotten to them yet. Marriage was what was expected of them. She’d known it. Ignored it, perhaps, but in the back of her mind she always knew this day would come.
    A vision of Lancelot sprang to mind before she quickly forced it back. Only a dream. But never could she have anticipated this.
    “Maybe he won’t want either of us?” she ventured hopefully.
    The look of compassion only deepened. Alex shook hishead as if she were sadly deluded. “I very much doubt that, sister. You and Beatrix, well,” he paused uncomfortably. “You are very beautiful. In different ways, perhaps, but equally exquisite. Beatrix looks like an angel and you…” His cheeks reddened. “You don’t.”
    It should be a wicked thing to say, but he made it sound as if it were just the opposite. Her brows wrinkled together. “I don’t understand?”
    Alex grimaced, looking as if he’d rather be doing anything other than talking about this. “It’s your mouth and eyes.”
    “What’s the matter with them?” Her eyes were maybe a little slanted and her mouth perhaps a tad wide, but she didn’t realize that something was so horribly wrong.
    He made a sound of exasperation. “Nothing. It’s just I’ve heard men say it makes them think of sin.”
    Her eyes widened, and self-consciously she covered her mouth with her hand. “Really? How awful!”
    He nodded solemnly. “I’m afraid so. Between the two of you, the man is going to be hard pressed to choose.”
    Beatrix’s soft whimpering was the only sound that could be heard in the forlorn silence that followed. The dread of inevitability settled over her, but Christina knew what she had to do. Beatrix might be the elder by a year, but Christina had always taken care of her, and she would continue to do so.
    She swallowed the lump of fear knotted in her throat. She would just have to make sure that if it came down to it, the vile brute chose her.

Finlaggan Castle, Isle of Islay
    “I’m not interested.” Tor leaned back in his chair, eyeing the handful of men seated around the