Duncan paused outside the door to the bedchamber and took a deep breath. Hard as it was to accept, he was nervous. It had been so long since he had held his wife in his arms…. And then there was her reaction to him in the storeroom. Shrugging such thoughts away, he straightened his shoulders and opened the door.

The room was semi-dark, lit only by the glowing embers in the fireplace. By the dim light they cast, Duncan could just make out his wife’s form in the bed. Easing the door closed, he moved uncertainly toward the bed.

Iliana was already asleep. Or pretending to be. He supposed he should not have expected anything else. A hearty welcome would have been too much to hope for after the way she had avoided him these many days. Sighing, he shrugged out of his plaid and quickly lifted his shirt off over his head, dropping both items to the floor. He then lifted the linens to crawl into bed, only to freeze and stare at his wife beneath the sheet. She wore her undertunic, which was not unusual—she often wore that to bed—or had when refusing him his rights. It was the bulky outline of the chastity belt that made him stiffen.

“Ye’ve got it back on.”

Iliana sighed at the tone of his voice and gave up all attempts at feigning sleep. Opening her eyes, she peered at him unhappily. “Tis sorry I am, husband, but—”

“Sorry? Nay, yer not sorry.” Glaring at her irately, he let the linen drop back to cover her with disgust. “Yer cold. Yer one o’ those women I have heard about who don’t enjoy the mating and will do anything to avoid it.”

“Nay!” Iliana denied at once, grabbing at his hand when he turned to move away. “I do enjoy it. Truly,” she assured him when he sneered at the claim, then added, “Truly I do, but I find I can not enjoy it when your scent is so foul that it distracts from the pleasure you give me. Could you not just bathe and…” Her voice trailed away to silence as he tugged his arm free.

“Aye, ye would like that, would ye not? Do I bathe, surely ye will favor me with yer attentions,” he sneered. “Well, I will remind ye once again, wife, that ’tis yer duty to submit to me. Ye are denying me a husband’s rights, which gives me every right to put ye aside.”

Iliana stilled at that threat, and he gave a harsh laugh.

“What is the matter? Surely ye don’t care? Nay, of course not. Did ye care, ye wouldn’t refuse me yer favors.”

When Iliana merely stared at him silently, he turned away in disgust. “Worry no more. I’ll not sully yer precious linens with my foul smell. I’ll take mesel’ off to a more welcoming bed.”