The Laird of Stonehaven by Connie Mason Read Free Book Online Page B

him a witch for a wife.
    Anger robbed Graeme of his usual good humor. He should march into Blair’s chamber and tell her he was going to take a mistress. Aye, he would do it. He would give her one last chance to be a wife to him before he took another woman to his bed.
    He strode to the connecting door and burst through before he changed his mind. What he saw stopped him in his tracks. Blair was standing in a patch of moonlight before the open window. Her arms were outstretched, as if inviting some unseen entity. A sudden breeze fluttered the curtain, lifted her hair and pressed her skirts against her legs. Curious, he moved closer, close enough to see her face.
    Her eyes were closed and her lips were moving. Graeme’s eyes widened in alarm as the flames in the hearth turned yellow, then blue, then blood red. What was going on?
    “Blair! What in God’s name are you doing? Stop it! Stop it immediately!”
    Silence followed his words. No breeze stirred, no curtain twitched. He watched warily as Blair slowly came to herself, as if emerging from a trance. She turned toward him but appeared not to see him. Her violet eyes were wide and unfocused, and Graeme felt a moment of fear. Then she blinked and brought him into focus.
    “Graeme . . . what are you doing here?”
    “Never mind that,” Graeme all but shouted. “What did I just interrupt?”
    “Naught. I was just . . . communicating.”
    Red dots of rage swam before his eyes. “With whom?”
    “With nature.”
    “Liar! Have I not forbidden you to summon evil spirits? What are you? Who are you? Your father assured me you were not evil, and I believed him.”
    “I am not evil, but I canna deny my legacy. Nor can I disavow my God-given powers.”
    “God-given?” His brows rose. “Explain the powers of which you speak.”
    “I can heal wounds.”
    “What else?”
    “Spirits speak to me. Sometimes I see things before they happen.”
    “So you do have the ‘sight,’ ” he said angrily.
    “Some might call it that, but ’tis more.”
    “Go on. Do you hear voices?”
    “Aye. They speak to me in my dreams . . . and at other times.”
    “What do your dreams tell you?”
    “Dinna press me, Graeme. You willna like it.”
    He was utterly merciless. “Your dreams, Blair. Tell me about them.”
    “
You
came to me in my dreams. I saw your face long before I knew your name.”
    Stunned into silence, Graeme stared at her, trying to decide if she was telling the truth. Unwavering, she returned his gaze. Graeme didn’t know what to think. Blair was either a liar or a dangerous woman, or mayhap a lunatic.
    “You dreamed about me?”
    She nodded. “You came to me in my dreams. The spirits brought you to me.”
    “I canna believe what I’m hearing. We didna know one another before your father summoned me to Gairloch. I’m warning you, Blair, dinna continue this foolishness. I canna protect you if you refuse to cooperate.”
    “What are you doing here? I didna invite you into my chamber. How can we avoid one another if you dinna follow your own rules?”
    “I came to give you one last chance to be a wife to me before I bring another woman to my bed.”
    Blair did her best to conceal her dismay. If Graeme took a leman, she couldn’t stop him. In fact, she had encouraged him to do so. Nevertheless, she wanted to be the woman in his bed.
    She wanted to be loved by him and to love him in return. That thought brought another.
    “Who is the woman you love?”
    “What?”
    “You told me you loved another. Who is she? Why have you not wed her?”
    The light in Graeme’s eyes dimmed even as his expression turned grim. “Aye, I love another, but there was naught between us that wasna pure and innocent. I will always love her, though she is no longer of this world.”
    “She’s dead?” Blair gasped.
    “She was never of this world. She belonged to God.” His gaze sharpened as his attention returned to Blair. “Dinna try to change the subject. We were speaking about