"Ouch!" Breanne hastily jabbed a knuckle into her mouth to take some of the sting away before inspecting it. It was a good thing that she had finished making dinner; she wasn't sure she could take much more pain than she already had. Although stuffing a finger into her mouth was highly improper, since she was alone it did not seem to matter much.
If mother was here I would probably get a long lecture about my unladylike behavior.
Breanne shook the thought, and fiddled with the stove a bit before focusing all attention on her finger. The knuckle was bright red and swelling; and the bleeding next to the nail bed still hadn't stopped completely. Her poor finger was bound to declare war on her in return for the havoc she'd wreaked upon it. Thus far, she had burnt, cut and smashed it.
Glancing around, her eyes fell upon an unused strip of cloth on the large wooden kitchen table; one that she'd absentmindedly left there after using other random pieces to clean the place. Snatching it up, she wound the cloth around her finger, awkwardly tying the ends with one hand and the assistance of her teeth.
"However do you keep getting in the way?" she muttered through said teeth as she finished tightening the clumsy knot. She glanced at the offending finger vexedly. "Only you...no other finger has—" she stopped midsentence and sniffed the air. Something smelled...as if... She turned around and leaped in fright, screaming when she saw that the fringes of her apron were on fire.
Squealing, she raced from the kitchen, through the hall and outside, completely oblivious to the fact that she'd just lost her makeshift bandage. Once outside, her panic increased at seeing a fine mist filtering down instead of the rain that had been earlier streaming. Paying no heed that her legs were leading her in wide circles, she jerkily tugged on the apron strings strapped at her waist, but the blasted knot wouldn't give. Taking hold of her skirts and apron, she tried swishing the fire out.
She screamed even louder as it crawled up her dress, and her eyes darted around, settling upon a muddy puddle. Her mind scrambled as she tried to think of an alternative to utterly immersing herself in mud, she absolutely refused to go to such extremes and instead frantically patted at her waist, swishing her skirt with more fervor. A wave of heat swept over her tummy as the fire continued to burn. Lifting her face heavenward, she prepared to scream again, but this time it was strangled off when something hit her full force and she found herself flying through the air, and landing on her stomach with a loud grunt.
Breanne sputtered out the murky water that she'd almost swallowed landing in the puddle, and lifted her head. In fact, it was the only body part that she could lift. The rest of her was covered and held down by something heavy and solid. Her hair hung in drenched, muddy strands that flopped forward, covering her face like seaweed. She slowly turned her head, staring through the slits between clumps of hair, though she did not have to do so to know who had attacked her.
"Kindly, remove yourself from my person," she demanded, in a calm but strained voice. Temper swirled within her and she felt as if she were about to lose control of it.
"Ye' should be thankin' me lass. Ye could 'ave been burnt to a crisp," Reese bit out, not moving a muscle.
"The situation was under control," she quietly defended, glaring at him as he held her down.
"I'd say ye' are wrong 'bout that lass, unless ye' were planning to offer yerself as a main course this eve!" Reese returned forcefully, coming to his feet. Breanne ignored the hand he held out to her and coughed, waving away the smoke from the doused flames before slowly standing up. A small groan escaped her, for his weight had crimped her joints, and now that her panic had abated, her finger resumed its throbbing.
"Are ye' hurt? We should see if ye' got burnt," he said, his large tanned hands reaching out towards her waist.
"Look at what you've done!" she snapped, slapping his hands away.
Dropping his arms, Reese's brows furrowed in bewilderment.
"You've ruined my dress!" Breanne accused, loudly. Her eyes glittered with unshed tears.
"Silly twit, ye' ruined yer own dress when ye' burnt it," Reese returned in a hard voice.
"It could have been saved," Breanne stubbornly defended. "Now look at me," she complained, throwing her hands up. "I am wet and covered in mud. I wanted to make a good impression on your family!"
Reese glowered down at her. "I'm sure they would not be impressed to see ye' actin' as a shrew," he replied, tightly.
"A shrew?!" she shrieked, and then paused, her eyes widening in horror. She was behaving like a shrew! She'd even raised her voice!
"I apologize," Breanne said, her eyes downcast and her shoulders creeping upward as she sunk into herself.
"Wha' is wrong with ye'?" he bluntly questioned, his statement mirroring her own thoughts.
Breanne sadly shook her head, taking stock of the damage done to her gown and apron. "I don't have time for this. I must go and change before your family arrives." Head held high, she turned and walked towards her home, inwardly astonished at her own behavior, yet trying to hide that fact from Reese. His next words made her feel sick to her stomach.
"They stand behind you, lass."
Breanne froze; her pale, wet hand still on the door handle, a slight tremor passed through her, and she clutched it instinctively.
"The whole while?" she barely whispered, keeping her gaze on the doorknob.
"Aye."
"You couldn't have mentioned it in the beginning?"
"There was no time between all the yellin', lass."
Breanne didn't register that Reese's tone had softened somewhat. It did not matter.
What did I say to him?
Breanne's stomach tightened into a hard knot and she felt her eyes close in utter shame. Not only did she yell at him, but she had done so in front of his family! How could she? What must they think of her? She did not wish to face them and find out. She wanted to run inside and never come out again! After a cringe and a shudder, she straightened, swallowing down her mortification.
It's his fault. Breanne decided, finally turning to glare at Reese before relaxing her features into an opposite expression once she faced his family.
Reese was shocked at the transformation that lit her face. A quick smile softened the mouth that had just been screaming at him. She gracefully clasped her hands in front of her, first taking care to swipe the drenched strands of hair neatly behind her ears.
By his estimation she looked silly, utterly soaked and muddy, yet still trying to keep up appearances. He shook his head at her, folded his arms and scowled as he stood back, watching his family approach.
Breanne stood ramrod straight; and remained still as Torrington's family neared. The hordes of kinsmen she'd feared turned out to be no more than six people, including Lachlan and Reese. Lachlan was the first to approach her. His worn hands grabbed hers, startling her.
He leaned close to her, issuing a conspiratorial whisper. "I'm mighty thankful ye' didn't burn down the house, lass. Maybe ye' would be better served if ye' went home to yer' own kin...where you could be taken care of, hmm?"
Breanne pulled back from him, looking him in the eyes. Lachlan smiled at her, once again showing the empty gaps where teeth should have been. "This is Nathair, good as family, he is." Lachlan told her nodding toward a slightly younger man next to him. Nathair was a tall man, towering over Lachlan, but not Reese. His skin was weathered, a combining result of outside labor and age, Breanne supposed. The sun wasn't as kind to him as it had been to some of the other men belonging to the settlement. Nathair's dark, beady eyes remained fixed on her, and he only nodded once as a greeting. Lachlan gently squeezed her hands before pushing past her to walk inside the house.
The next person to approach her was a young boy, who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen summers, yet still towered over her. He awkwardly shifted his long fingers through his dark brown hair before extending a lanky arm towards Breanne.
"I'm called Colin," he simply stated, staring down at her.
Breanne immediately grasped his hand. "I am Breanne," she responded. "It's nice—"
"I know who ye' are. We all do," he muttered, shouldering past her to enter the house.
"Colin!" A woman reproachfully looked past Breanne's shoulder and into the holding after her son. Breanne stifled a gasp behind her hand as soon as Torrington's mother locked eyes with her.
In her, Breanne saw Adam. They had the same golden eyes, eyes so pure they seemed to see into the heart of a person. Even the rich brown color of her hair with lighter strands of copper blended in, and the way she smiled—the gesture starting with the right side of her mouth crooking upwards seconds before the left, was reminiscent of Breanne's late husband. A hard lump formed in Breanne's throat but she forced it back with a painful swallow that felt like trying to choke down dry sand.
Sparing a glance towards one of the horses in the corral, Breanne endeavored to will the tears away, and when she returned her gaze to Torrington's mother she was taken aback at the understanding swirling in her eyes.
Breanne nervously curtsied. "It is a pleasure to—," Breanne paused, hearing the break in her own voice. Clearing her throat, she gave a slight shake of her head and smiled brilliantly at the woman that stood before her. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you," she tried again. "I am sorry that we never met before he—" Breanne trailed off, sighing, her gaze falling to her feet.
Soft hands grasped hers, and Breanne could not hide the surprise in her features as she looked up at Torrington's mother. "I am sorry for that as well, lass. You can call me Glenda," she responded kindly. Her eyes held sorrow, though Breanne saw that her smile was genuine.
Breanne then locked eyes with the small, young, dark-haired woman standing behind Glenda.
"Oh, I apologize," Glenda stated turning to look behind her. "This is Arianna. She's been a part of our family for a few years, helpin' us around the house and the like," she explained. Arianna nodded and smiled at Breanne, who promptly returned the gesture.
"You are all...very welcome," she stated, awkwardly. Of course they were welcome. Reese had called this the family claim, did he not? Breanne sighed. Anything she said would come out wrong.
She felt as if she were the villain in some twisted novel, coming in to snatch away land from their family. Much as it was Adam's land, and much as he had left it to her...they had honestly been married too short a time for her to feel properly entitled to it. Although she blustered to Reese that she was family, that wasn't really how she felt. She only said it to...why did she say such a thing? She had been acting unlike herself for a while now, whatever was the matter with her?
After Glenda and Arianna entered the manor, she sighed in defeat. Maybe they were not all hostile, but she terribly doubted that they held her in any kind of esteem. She forced another smile, holding the door open as Reese approached. He stopped to stand before her, staring down at her unnervingly. Her smile wobbled slightly under his direct stare, and she forced a wider, brighter one.
Reese finally broke eye contact, rolling his eyes heavenward. An immediate frown settled on Breanne's face, but she quickly covered it over with a neutral expression. It did not matter how she acted towards him. Whatever she did, however polite she was—it was to no avail.
"If yer' smile becomes any more brittle, yer' face will shatter."
"I find it interesting that no matter how nice I am to you, you continue to find fault with me at every turn. Now, you are happy to scorn something as gracious as a smile," Breanne observed, shaking her head in disappointment.
"It's not the smile I'm displeased with, lass. It's the lack of sincerity."
Breanne gasped. "Whatever do you mean? I am sincere!"
Reese did a slow survey of her features. "Maybe it is a trait of the English to hold in their emotions. Ye' canna even display something as natural as a sincere smile. I wonder what Adam ever saw in an empty vessel such as yerself."
Breanne stood, shaken by his words, her heart feeling hollowed out and aching. Could he not see that any emptiness was that of loss and grief? How dare he attack Torrington's interest in her, or their relationship? She stared at Reese, stubbornly silent. Many different responses came into her head, none of which were appropriate to voice, so she remained quiet.
"Wha' are ye' thinkin', lass? Go on, say it." Reese inquired, bending down so that they were almost nose to nose, searching her expression. Rain that had started afresh, swept sideways from the wind and pelted both of them, yet Reese did not so much as blink.
What is he looking for? Does he want to make me cry or rail at him? Well, it won't happen.
Breanne visibly swallowed as she endeavored to keep her emotions to herself, and simply stared back at him.
Reese straightened. "Just as I thought," he said, breaking the tense silence. "Ye' allow yerself to feel nothing, just as ye' felt nothing when my brother died. Is there any depth to ye', or is everything paltry and fickle? It's a wonder if Adam found a scrap in ye' that was real," he concluded aloud, distaste lacing his brogue.
After he walked inside, Breanne took a deep, uneven breath. How much was one person expected to endure in a day? Everything had been horrible since the moment she arrived in Australia. Thus far, there wasn't one thing that she could be happy about. It only confirmed that the evening was to be one of unmitigated shambles. "One huge disaster," Breanne whispered as she shook her head and reluctantly joined the family inside.
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A/N: ***REVISED*** PLEASE NOTE: New readers, this novel is going through major revision. If you do NOT see the word "revised" along with the chapter title, it means that portion of the text has not yet been updated to reflect the altered plot points. Read such chapters at your own risk. Chapters marked "REVISED" have been updated and are perfectly safe to read. :)
Long time, beautiful, precious readers: Please reread the revised chapters as they come out. I know that I am testing your patience (hopefully not beyond the breaking point); but these "new old" chapters pave the way for the ending of the story, and the continued series. So, if you skip the re-read, you may wind up frustrated and confused. Thank you SO MUCH for your continual love and faithful readership!
(This note will accompany each of the revised chapters, until the book is complete.)