Mystic Mountains

arranged for me to be wed?"
    "I can 't do that, Bella, as you well know." Tiger shrugged. "If it's any consolation I hate myself just as much as you do."
    " Impossible." She turned her back on him. Waiting a moment more, he slowly left the room. Her muffled sobs tore at his heart.
    "What a mess," Thelma said as he entered the kitchen.
    "Thelma. What are you doing up?" Tiger dragged out a chair and sat down opposite her, resting his elbows on the table. Wiping his palms down his jaw he shivered.
    "Could anyone have slept through her screams? I was going to her when I heard you in there." Thelma lifted a hand to push back her hair wearily. "I thought you intended to stay away all night."
    "I had. But then I got to thinking it was useless to shy away from my own home. As it worked out 'twas a good thing I returned. I would never have dreamed a man could change so much, Thelma."
    "A man who 's eaten up with jealousy can be driven to all sorts of things. Even murder." Thelma gave him a thunderous look.
    Tiger ran his fingers through his hair, then rubbed at a temple where a sharp pain was beginning to throb. "I thought his love would be enough for the two of them."
    "You're a fool, Tiger. I can't believe you're so blind. Like you said to him, no one on this earth can force their feelings. You've done wrong by her. But 'tis no use crying over spilt milk. What's going to happen now?"
    Tiger shook his head despairingly. "By all that 's holy, I'm sure I don't know. Perhaps she'll come round."
    "Perhaps that grate over there 'll take wings and fly." Thelma pushed herself up.
    Tiger noticed her wince as she dragged in a labored breath.
    "D 'you think I should go to her?" Undecided she glanced at the door at the rear of the kitchen. Isabella was still sobbing softly.
    "Who knows, Thelma." He grimaced. "You 're a woman, you work it out. I'm going to take my flagon to my room and try to drown out all thoughts of what happened this night."
    "Aye. Typical."
    Tiger chose to ignore that as he picked up the rum flask and strode to his room. But unfortunately the rum did nothing to drown out the sound of Bella's sobs from the next room.
    He 'd intended to stay away for fear of what the sounds of their coming together would do to him, never suspecting her plaintive sobs would keep him from sleep and tear his heart asunder. Something had brought him home, some premonition of disaster. The cards had failed to hold his interest. In fact he'd lost on every hand he'd been dealt, his concentration on the game was so lacking.
    Contrary to what she thought of him he did have a heart and it was aching fit to break. God, how could he have been so arrogant? And so stupid.

 
     
     
    Chapter Twenty Three
    J une 1819
     
    "You can't go on like this, Bella," Thelma chided, six months into Isabella's pregnancy.
    "Like what?" Isabella knew quite wel l what her friend meant but deliberately chose to pretend she didn't feel so tired, bored and impatient with everything and everyone. Her whole world had shrunk to encompass nothing but the child growing inside her.
    "You know what I mean, it seems like every shred of energy and love of life has left you, girl. How 's it going with Dougal now? The two of you seem to have worked through your differences."
    Isabella 's mouth twisted in a travesty of a smile. "Aye," she agreed. She had allowed Dougal into her bed, but the atmosphere was so strained between them even the placid Gillie noticed. "We don't seem to talk any more. That way we don't argue. I gained a husband, Thelma, and lost a friend."
    "He hasn 't hit you again, has he?" Thelma eyed Isabella warily, her arms crossed.
    "Oh no. I don 't know for sure if he's scared Tiger will keep his word and have him arrested, or if he simply doesn't care enough to raise a hand or his voice in anger. Poor Dougal. I can see his side of things, you know. I should never have let him wed me." She stared down at the simple gold band on her finger, twisting it around. "I wouldn't be the first mother to have no husband. The colony's alive with bastard children."
    "Tiger should have taken on his responsibilities." Thelma made a sound of disgust as she shook her head. "He should have married you."
    "I wouldn't marry him if he was the only man alive. It would have turned out a bigger mess than it is now. He would have ended up hating me even more than he does now."
    "He don 't hate you, girl," Thelma contradicted, her eyes filled with sadness.
    "No?" Isabella shrugged,