REALM OF DESIRE

r-old girl who wore the somber gown of a novice nun, but who

odded forward, and only Tom's loud, false coughing in the bench behind her h

she picked up the wimple and short woolen veil she'd taken off in order to be the hoodman. Intending to go over to the communal well where the villagers were eagerly q

age men called suddenly, "Come q

roke into a run, and the children, sensing the excite

groups of clansmen. One of them stepped forward, respectfully removing his helm and

ng up a bucket of water and exchanged startled, malevo lent glances before they quickly ducked their

this way, not f behind u

"How goes battle at Cornwall?"

to the battle the Scots were waging at Cornwall in support

but over when we left. In Cork and Taunton it looked like we might w

s army.' "The devil?" J

he ground. "Aye, the devil-the Black Wolf hisself

il at the mention of the Black Wolf, Scotland's most hated, and m

nry's sending' him here with a fresh army

he clans are making haste to come home and get ready for the battles. I'm thinkin' the

" So saying, he nodded politely, put on h

afterward, heading down the road that led acr

road. Once out of sight of the villagers, they veered off to the

beside the road right behind her. But at the time, she was occupied with the terrified Pandemonium that had broke

*********

cried, clutching her babe protectivel

e rising in fear. "Tis the laird of Cassius he'll want

s of fire and death and slaughter, and the children c

vil himself, and more dangerous, for the devil was a spirit, while the Wolf was flesh and blood

that the Scots used to terrify

keep children from straying into the woods or leaving

to her, more myth than man, Jasmine raised h

st her at the first mention of the Wolf's name, "that he'll go back to his heathen king so that h

se a weaker keep than Cassius for his

it wasn't merely false bravado that had made Jasmine speak so: She was a Cassius, and a

*******

s creed for her own. Furthermore, the villagers were fri

tion, and in a shrill little voice, she asked, "

ine said with a brigh

ected in an awed voice, "the

g to make a huge joke of the Wolf

when he tries to mount his horse! Why, 'twou

de some of the children giggle

oquent shud-der, "he tears down walls

ing eyes. "Then 'tis only indig

we'll offer him some go

with a giant beside him, a Go-liath called A

ed ominously. Jasmine cut in ligh

epherd them toward the abbey, which was out

"that he's so very old that he ha

ation of a befuddled, near-blind person peer

ong, Jasmine kept

*****

n fell in with the game, adding their own

ed as a bank of heavy clouds rolled in, and the air was turning bitingly cold, whippin

but she broke off abruptly as a group of mounted clansmen roun

short gray veil of a novice nun, was mounted in front of the leader, sitting demu

o dash forward, then checked the unladylike

were staring past her with the same grim disapproval they'd shown her for ye

d with strict orders to g

for what seemed like an eternity until, a

Bailey, Jasmine's stepsister, was also staying, swung d

ttention to courtesy and dignity was so typical o

s arms wide. Jasmine hurtled into his embrace,

s nearly two years since I've see

ce changed in

*****

s set his daughter slightly away from him while his gaze drift

hat he approved of what he saw and that, since he'd obviously stoppe

the abbey; a year ago, Bailey had been sent down

ine had come to appreciate her strengt

couldn't help wondering if he saw the young lady she

er face and there was a smile in th

rom her taciturn father, such a

Father," she promised, her eyes sh

te brows, he looked pointedly at the short veil

d, laughing and a

n, and it wouldn't fit beneath the hood. Have you

d dryly, "that ye've a habit of sitting on yon hill and gazin

midst of mass, should the priest sermonize longer

*****

s seeming betrayal from the

and livestock that belonged to the splendid abbey, presiding at table other matters that involved the l

an, but Jasmine loved her, and so the

ted with gruff pride, "that you've a head on your shoul-ders befitting an abbess herself. She

," he warned, dashing J

t of being deprived of that right-a right that had been promised to her until her f

ldest of the thr

on that had been

r had been nice, or even fair-minded, but he was a treacherous, schemi

tales about her, tales so slanderous and ghastly, but so cleverly contriv

y were looking through her as if she didn't exist for them, Jenny had to sto

*****

weet and as timid as can be-while Malcolm, the

r continued, "that you're kind and

ed, dragging her dismal thoughts

wer, but she was watching her father's face, and it was

ell you've given up your heathenish ways and th

ng to continue, and Jasmine prodd

h breath, "the future of the clan will d

e blasts from a clarion, leaving Ja

on you. "She was so happy, she

the abbey, dreaming her favorite daydream-the o

the clan depends on you

ming of to prove her mettle to her cla

ible feat of daring, some brave and dangerous deed, like scaling th

she never ques-tioned it, nor hesita

would you have me do?" she asked eager

marry Edri

*****

as older than her father, a wizened, frightening man who'd looked at her in a wa

, or will

snapped together. "Why?" asked t

wall, lass-we lost half our men. Alexander was killed in battle. He d

to feel more than a brief pang of sorrow for th

was something she could do to make him proud of he

a brief nod, he re-turned

posed to going to Cornwall to fight for King J

ght the clans to Corn-wall, and now the English king wants venge

'll no' be able to withstand a siege now, not unless

ence with a dozen other clans to

ander was dead, and the Wolf real

voice snapped her

MacPherson has promised to join in our fig

countess and heiress to a rich est

wful way Edric MacPherson's eyes had wandered down her body when h

ye

she volunteered desperately, ready willing to sacrifice a spl

in fighting for kin, but he could no send his people into a fight

nts my lands badly eno

ne's face, registering the star-tling changes that had altered her face fro

nd it's whetted the appetites of an old man. I'd

ad wi' me to name you laird. Ye said there

life, into the hands of a man she instinctively recoiled from, but she lifted her head and

*****

his face almost made the sacrifi

o spare and we're anxious to reach Cassius and begin pr

******

ed upon, and then send ne her

he'd been fighting all along Instead of standing aside, she moved into

y the MacPherson and that this might neutralize their contempt

e said, smiling hesitantly into his h

s flickering over her. "Well e

from the man who had once taught her to fish and

an in the column beside Renald. "And you, Michael

the rider behind him whose face was filled with hatred and she

I swear to you now, as I swore to you then, I did not shove her into

el spurred his horse forward, and without eve

, pulled his ancient horse to a h

u speak truly, lassie," he said, and his unceas ing loyalty brought th

's no denyin' it, but ev

el and the others might o' been fooled by A

loss o' him! The clan'll be better b

uringly, "they'll come about in their thin

"Where are my stepbrothers?" Jasmine asked hoarse

n't be sure the Wolf wouldn't try to attack us whil

n her head, he spurr

in the middle of the road, watching her c

, her gentle voice filled with sympathy

, Jasmine had walked away from t

I-I can't go back there. Not yet. I think

n't back before dusk, and it's near t

two girls, with Jasmine breaking a ru

ir, hazel eyes, and a sweet disposition that made her, in

timid as Jasmine was im

en-ture-nor ever gotten a scolding. Without Bail

ventures-and man

other, and tried to protect one another as much as possibl

eered with only a tiny tremor in

about time and likely be pounced

seemed rather inviting to Jasmine, whose entire life s

emble her thoughts, Jasmine shook her head, knowing that if they stayed, Bailey w

the left, toward the slope of the hill that overlooked the abbey, an

adows moved stealthily, staying para

had already grown impatient with her own self-pity, and sh

she offered slowly, dir

e been given the opportunity to do-marryin

," Bailey agreed eagerly, "le

'm marrying Ed

couragingly, "suffering a

****

depressing remark, which her well-meani

ty to laugh, Bailey cast about for somethin

d by thick woods, she said suddenly, "What did Father

by a sudden, uneasy feeling that they we

lagers had all returned to the warmth of their hearths. Drawing her cloak abo

azen and that I must guard against the effect

es all t

nd walking forward again, Jasmine remem-bered the wimple an

nce at Brenna. "I haven't seen my face in two years, except when

n't be able to call you scrawny and plain now,

ck by her own callousness. "Are you much grieved

any more," Baile

he tears were few and I feel guilty

t. He was so-mean-spirited. It's

ailed off, and she pulled her cloak about her in the damp w

asmine invited quickly, givin

blocked by the dense woods tha

hazel eyes roving over Jasmine's expressive face, which was dominated by a pair of large eyes as cl

other Ambrose's words as she put her wimple back on and pinned the short woole

he saw Jasmine through the

ly, for although Jasmine Cassius wasn't pretty in the conv

id sapphires that shocked and invited, hair like lush, red-gold sat

egan helpfully, try-ing to des

ut the words became a scream that was stifled by a man's hand that clapped ove

y expecting an attack from b

ved male hand, she was plucked from

****

e a sack of flour, her limp limbs attesting to the fact t

hrew herself to the side, rolling free, landing in the leaves and dirt

mine raked her nails down his

sed, trying to hold o

d as hard as she could, landing a hefty blow on his shin with the stur

the blond man as he let h

foot hadn't caught under a thick tree root and sent her sprawling onto

ther said, a grim smile on his fac

ed it around her body, using it to pin her arms at her sides, then took

t ignominiously over his horse, her derrière pointing