After she had finished her bath, Madelina dressed in the clothes she’d just removed. They were filthy, and she wished her other clothes were available to her, but they were still in one of the wagons. She used the salve on her thighs again, pleased with how well the medicine was easing her pain.

Descending the stairs, she wasn’t certain what she’d find, but when she walked into the room where Alex sat with his parents, all eyes went to her. “Letice is sleeping. I showed her to her room, and she climbed under the covers, shoes and all. I think she’s as tired as I am.”

“Supper will be in a few minutes,” Alex told her. “You can get a good night’s sleep after that.”

Madelina nodded, sitting on the arm of the window seat where he was relaxing. She needed his strength to make it through the night. She was so tired, she wasn’t sure if she would make it through no matter what she did. “I would enjoy that.”

He grinned up at her. “I was telling my parents about your family and the special powers the ladies have.”

“Oh!” Madelina hadn’t expected him to tell them about the powers, so she was a bit surprised. “Yes, the ladies of my family have very strange powers.”

“I know that when Roland was told that he would be getting Sir Robert’s eldest daughter, there was much laughter because she was reputed to be a witch,” Sir Ralph said. “Is your mother a witch?”

Madelina was used to the question, and she immediately shook her head. “No, we are all Christians, and we wear the cross, which we couldn’t do if we were witches. We believe our powers come from God, but we do have powers.”

“But only the women in your family have powers?” he asked.

“Until this generation, there were no boys, so yes, the girls have the powers. I have brothers and male cousins because my mother and her sisters were able to fulfill the family’s destiny by conquering evil.” She knew many people would think what she said was nonsense, but with a family who believed in luck so strongly, surely he would believe what she said.

“According to Alex, your power is to control the weather. Is that true?”

“Yes, it is.” She was tired, but she closed her eyes, letting the snow fall into the sitting room. She opened her eyes when his mother gasped with alarm. Laughing softly, she ordered the snow to stop. “You’ll find that I can’t always control it, and there will sometimes be snow inside when you least expect it.”

“That must make it hard when you are at court or traveling,” his mother said.

“I’ve never been to court, and I’ve never traveled before this week. I imagine it will be very hard, but I will mostly stay home as I can. Our lands were isolated enough that few people ever visited, except peasants wanting to be healed.” She hadn’t thought about how much her family’s isolation probably had to do with her and her lack of control over her powers.

“Who has the healing powers?” Sir Ralph asked.

“My mother, Marina. She has the power to heal with her touch, and she’s been known to pull someone who had just died back from the other side. That’s where Letice came in as well. She was lying by the side of the road, and Alex picked her up and brought her to me because one of the peasants told him I was a healer. And while I am, I can only heal with herbs and poultices. I called for my mother, and she saved the girl. Alex saw her parents’ home being burned, so we decided we would keep her and raise her as our own. I want to teach her the ways of healing.”

Both of Alex’s parents looked at him. “Did you realize the babe was ill when you picked her up?” Sir Ralph asked.

Alex nodded. “She was burning up with fever.”

“You have shown no signs of this illness?” his mother asked.

“None. I’m a strong, healthy man, Mother.” Alex grinned at Madelina, who smiled back.

“Would you be able to cure this disease if you were presented with it?” his mother asked.

Madelina shook her head. “It’s possible I could if I saw it in the early stages, but most likely we would need to send for my mother with her healing touch.”

His parents exchanged a look between them. “How would you send for her?” his father asked.

“My aunt has the ability to communicate through thoughts. She had a feeling we would be too far for her to hear my thoughts from here, so she had me try every hour along the way. About an hour south of here, I lost her voice in my head. If I have need of my mother, I can travel to that location and ask my aunt to send my mother. ’Twould be much faster than sending for her by messenger.”

Alex frowned at Madelina. “Why did you not tell me you were communicating with your aunt every hour?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t think it mattered,” she fibbed. Truthfully, she knew it had mattered to him too much, so she hadn’t mentioned it. She had need to be able to communicate with her family, and that would be the easiest way, whether he liked it or not. “My mother wants to be here when I have my first, so I promised to make sure that I could communicate with Aunt Christiana.”

“Is that the aunt who married Roland?” Sir Ralph asked. At her nod, he continued. “There is not a more able knight I’ve seen. He was a good commander of his men and quite shrewd.”

Alex wanted to discuss her communicating with her aunt more but decided that would be better left for when they were alone. “Madelina will have to tell you the story of how the three sisters bested Roland and his knights for a day before they took the manor where the ladies lived.”

Sir Ralph smiled. “That sounds like a wonderful story and one I look forward to hearing.”

After they had eaten their supper, Madelina asked where she could find her clothes. She wanted to be able to put on something clean the following morning instead of something covered in dust. She knew that Alex didn’t mind, but what must his mother think of her?

Alex was still down talking about the journey with his parents when she slipped under the covers. She was too tired to stay awake for another moment. Three days on the road, after two very emotional days at home, had left her drained in a way she had never been in her life. She prayed for her family and immediately drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When Alex got into his bedchamber, all he could think about was talking to Madelina about her communicating with her aunt so frequently on their trip. He walked in, and she lay on her side, her breathing even. She looked very young in that moment, and he couldn’t bear to wake her. The morrow was soon enough to make his displeasure known at her actions. They were married, and she should tell him everything.

He slipped into bed beside her and pulled her toward him, not wanting to sleep without at least holding her. It was amazing how just a few days of marriage had changed him. He couldn’t wait until their sons started to be born, and he was able to mold them into the kind of men they needed to grow up to be.

* * *

Madelina woke early, dressing immediately in her hunting clothes. She wanted to make certain her aunt knew they’d made it home safely. She realized as she went to the stables that she had inadvertently fibbed. The last time she’d talked to her aunt in her mind was two hours south, not one hour. She would go to the spot where she’d last tried to communicate and reach out to her every ten minutes after that.

She mounted Buttercup gingerly, still a bit sore from the long days of riding, but this time she would be able to ride at her own pace, racing across fields. Not having an escort as she rode made her feel truly free for the first time in her life. She didn’t stop to think about safety or whether or not Alex would mind her going off by herself. Instead, she rode like the wind, her hair streaming out behind her.

It took her half the time to reach the spot where she’d not been able to reach her aunt, and again she tried with no response. Another ten minutes south was far enough, though, and her efforts were rewarded. “Aunt Christiana?”

“Madelina! When I didn’t hear from you again yestereve, I worried for you!”

“We’re fine. I must ride forty minutes south of my new home to be able to reach you, but that doesn’t feel like such a far distance. I’m just glad we won’t entirely lose touch.”

“Your new home is good? Alex’s parents treat you well?”

“Yes, they do. Alex does not like me communicating with you this way, though. He feels it’s rude, and I’m not sure why. I will have to make sure to do it at times he is distracted.”

“Like creeping out of bed before he wakes?” Christiana asked in her mind. “That’s not a good answer, Madelina.”

“I know, Auntie, I know. I will do my best to get along with him and give him time to adjust, just like Aunt Eva suggested. Give everyone my love, and I will return to my new home now. I miss you all already.”

“You are certainly missed here. Remember, your place is with your new husband, not sneaking off to talk to me. We love you!” Christiana felt sad in her thoughts, and Madelina was certain she understood. Her aunt was losing her, and if she was going to be obedient to her husband, she was losing their ability to communicate as well. It was a difficult situation.

On her way back, she rode just as swiftly, hoping that she would be back in the castle before anyone noticed she was missing. Her hopes were dashed as she rode into the castle grounds.

Alex was on his horse, heading toward her, pulling in the reins to stop as she stopped in front of him. “How is your aunt?” he asked, guessing correctly at her errand.

“She is fine, and my family is fine. They were worried about me when I couldn’t communicate with them again last night. Now they won’t worry again. They needed to know I was safe.” She hoped she could make him understand that they were important to her, and she couldn’t let them worry.

“I see. Don’t you think you should have had an escort riding with you? You didn’t think you were unsafe out on a horse by yourself in the early morning hours?” He knew she was intelligent, but in that moment, he wanted to shake her for not using the mind God gave her. How could she ride off and not even tell anyone she was going?

“I always thought my family was being overprotective by making me leave with an escort.” She moved her thumb to indicate the bow and arrows over her shoulder. “I was armed and ready to defend myself if needed. And don’t forget, I do have the power to control the weather.”

“You think that power could keep a man away if he wanted to hurt you?” Alex dismounted and took the reins of her horse, leading it to the stables. “I’m very upset with you right now, Madelina. You put yourself at risk, and I won’t stand for that.”

“I’m still my own person, Alex, whether I’m married to you or not. I was careful, and I didn’t allow myself to be caught by anyone. If you need a demonstration of my power so you can see just how I can use it, I’d be happy to show you.” Her mother and aunts had spent hours and hours locked away as children working on learning to use their powers to the best of their abilities. That had never been necessary for Madelina because the fate of the world was not on her shoulders. She used them when she needed to, and when she accidentally used them, but there was no reason for her to train to use her powers.

He didn’t respond as he led the two horses into the stable and then offered her a hand to help her down. She accepted, wondering exactly what was going through his mind. He was angry, there was no doubt about that, but what was his anger about? Was he angry that she hadn’t taken an escort? Or because she had dared to speak to her family without his permission?

He held her hand and led her into the castle and up the stairs to their room. Once he’d closed the door behind him, he crossed his arms over his chest. “That was a very foolhardy thing to do, and I’ll have your promise you won’t do it again.”

“Won’t do what? Leave the castle grounds alone? Or talk to my aunt?” Madelina found she was just as angry as he was, and when thunder started rumbling there in the room, she worked hard to calm her emotions.

“You have every right to talk to your aunt. I’m not trying to stop you from doing that.”

“Good because I won’t stop. I love my family, and I have the right to speak to them when I can.” No matter how angry he was, she wasn’t going to back down from this. He wasn’t going to give up contact with his family, so why should she?

He shook his head. “You have the right to speak to them when I’m available to ride with you. I don’t want you going alone because it’s not safe. You’re obviously a gentlewoman, and you could be taken for the money your family will pay.”

“I was safe. I just needed to tell my aunt that we arrived safely and tell her that I couldn’t communicate with her from my new home. Why can’t you see I couldn’t allow her to worry?”

“So you let me worry instead? How do you think I felt when I woke up and you weren’t beside me? How do you think I felt when I then searched the castle and you weren’t here? What about when I found that your mount was missing?” He shook his head. “Your family may have been slightly worried when you didn’t communicate, but they knew it was a possibility. I didn’t know you would be foolish enough to leave my safe home in the early hours so you could let them know you were fine!” The last word was a shout, and instead of backing down, Madelina stood up to him and walked closer.

“I am an adult. I have the right to make decisions for myself. I am a skilled healer and a woman of power. I will not be forced to hide in this castle to be kept safe. I’ve done that my entire life, and it won’t happen any longer!”

“You don’t think that as my wife, you need to obey me when I tell you not to leave my property without an escort?” he asked, his eyes flaming with anger.

“As your wife, I think you know that I’m a reasonably intelligent woman. You have to know that I’m not going to do anything that will put my life in danger.”

“But you already did! We’re not close enough to Scotland for the raids to come here or for the fighting to be here, but the fighting is close enough that it’s just not safe to be out on your own. Ever!”

“I will not cower inside this castle. One of the reasons I wanted to marry you was because you were impressed with my skills, and you understood that I needed to be free . . . I thought you did, at least. You’re as bad as my father with trying to keep me locked up and calling it keeping me safe.” Madelina couldn’t believe her sweet suitor from days before had turned into an angry husband already.

“Were you not taught that a woman obeys her husband? Everyone knows that women cannot just do what they want because they are weak.”

“I am not weak!” Her anger got away from her, and she used a blast of wind to knock him off his feet. “I am strong!”

Alex lay there on the floor for a moment, deciding then that he needed to leave before his anger got the better of him. Already he knew that he needed her to learn to be a wife and not just a woman who felt she had her own freedom. He didn’t want his mother to have to talk to her, but perhaps that was the answer. He knew his mother had always been obedient to his father.

He left the castle, going right back to the stables and having the lad there ready his horse. He knew he was acting strangely, but he needed time to think on what to do with his disobedient wife.

After he had left the room, Madelina threw herself on her bed and cried angry tears. She couldn’t believe she had become so angry she had knocked her husband down with her powers. She needed to apologize to him, to let him know she would never hurt him intentionally, but he was already gone.

It wasn’t long before she heard Letice crying in the room next to hers, so she got to her feet and checked on the girl. An unmarried maiden had time for crying and emotions. A married woman had to take care of her responsibilities. Especially if she was a mother.

She walked into the room and sat down on the bed beside the little girl. “Why are you crying?”

“I couldn’t find you.”

Madelina realized that the girl was still sad after the loss of her parents. She needed to be a better mother to her.