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She promptly turned around "They're supposed to be in the center of the front, facing the courtyard

Everyone knows that is the fashion these days I'ht and not on the floor, Connor Do you have beds inside?"

She finally looked at her husband so he would see her frown and realized she wasn't up to hearing anyhe would stop by every once in a while was h for her sto next to her husband and proed her frown into a s her into a shrew

God only kne long his soldiers had been observing her rant and rave like a lunatic Although it was probably too late to change their opinion of her, she decided to give it her best try

"It's going to be a fine evening, isn't it?" she called out, pretending everything was as right as could be and she hadn't been acting like a o

"If you think so, mi'lady," Crispin called back "What just came over her?" he whispered to Quinlan

"We did," he answered "I believe she only just noticed us and doesn't want us to know her husband offended her"

"I didn't offend her"

"It would seem to me that you did"

Connor shoved his friend aside on his way to intercept his wife

She kept on s, even when she reached the top of the stone steps and noticed there wasn't a landing to stand on She backed down a step and reached forward to grasp the handle to the entrance

The door wouldn't open It was either bolted on the inside or reinforced with iron or steel She put both hands to her task, added her ot it open a crack It still wasn't wide enough for her to squeeze through without getting crushed

Connor ca to herself as he came up the steps behind her He put his arainst him, and reached over her shoulder to open the door with one quick flick of his wrist

She couldn't help but be iht it was locked and didn't try to force it," she said so that he wouldn't think she was a weakling

"It's open now"

He continued to wait for her to go inside She continued to lean against hirand as the outside?"

"Yes"

She had been afraid he would say that

"What are you doing?"

Bracing ether different tale "I'o inside?"

He rolled his eyes heavenward She hurried across the threshold and came to an abrupt stop in the center of the entrance to wait until her eyes adjusted to the darkness She saw a soldier standing in front of double doors on her left, bowed to hiht, but not as bad as she had iined it would be There were stone steps directly in front of her, a stone wall on her right She assumed she was on the main floor and the bedchambers were on the floor above She was curious to see the hall, of course, but when she turned to go through the double doors, Connor took hold of her aro in there," he explained as he guided her toward the steps

"Why won't I?"

"The higher ranking soldiers are inside Do you want ive her time to decide He had lifted her into his arms and had reached the door at the top before she could answer hi that was so narrow, he had to come down a step in order to open the door

Connor nodded to the soldier before striding inside He put her down in the entrance and quickly explained where everything was located

The great hall was to the left of the entrance and directly above the soldiers' quarters It was quite large, though it wasn't nearly as large as Alec Kincaid's, and it was sparsely furnished

Directly across froe stone hearth built into the wall Though a fire blazed to take the chill fro effective Three s covered with ugly brown fabric ran along one of the walls, and there was a long table with twin benches flanking either side

The hall was as welco to have to es as soon as possible She would start by placing rushes on the wooden floors and hanging several brightly colored banners and tapestries on the stark walls A pretty cloth would hide the scarred tabletop, and cushions placed on the hard benches wouldmore comfortable

She pictured what the hall could look like and was suddenly eager to get started

"May I add a few touches here and there, Connor?" In her exciteether and smiled up at him while she waited to receive his permission

"This is your home, Brenna You may do whatever you want to do"

"May I kiss you?"

The question caught hiotten you're irritated with one now You do knohy, don't you?"

Her voice had dropped to a whisper He responded in kind "No, I don't knohy," he replied, a hint of a sether for the first time in our home, and I realize that this is the perfect time for us to start over You should kiss me now"

"We cannot start over whenever the mood strikes you"

She reached up to cup the back of his head in her hands and drew hientle caress meant to torment him She wanted him to kiss her back, of course, and when he didn't cooperate, she brushed her lips over his once again

"It's a new beginning," she explained in a whisper