Sold Into Marriage Read Free Page A

by myself.”
    He rose up and offered her his hand. She accepted it, and when their hands touched an unexpected shock zapped through her. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and at the same time an unfamiliar tingling warmth rushed through her insides.
    “I won’t hear of you walking home alone. No more arguing. I want to see you home safe, lass.”

Chapter Two
     
     
    Varron couldn’t get the girl out of his mind. He stood behind the large table that had been set up for the tax collection in the village square, his thoughts on Meadow, the beautiful lass who had snuck into his tent last night. The beautiful lass he had taken his sword belt to, no less.
    His cock hardened each time he recalled the image of her bent over the stool with her skirts raised to reveal her pale arse cheeks as she awaited punishment. She had accepted the strapping bravely, despite never having even been spanked before. He wondered about that, wondered why she hadn’t endured discipline before. Had her parents let her run wild? Or was she just normally well-behaved, save for her slip last night?
    It didn’t matter. He would probably never see the girl again. Most of the villagers filing up to pay their taxes were male heads of household. A few wives accompanied their husbands, but that was it. She’d told him she wasn’t married, and it was unlikely that she’d accompany her father today.
    The sun warmed his back as it rose higher in the clear sky, and the coldness of the night slowly left him. He’d tossed and turned most of the night, unable to sleep because thoughts of Meadow wouldn’t leave him alone. He stared at the assembled villagers, wondering which man in line was her father.
    He turned to consult with one of his soldiers, ordering the man to take the monies collected thus far to a tent in the encampment, with the assistance of two guards. When he returned his focus to the line, his breath left him at the sight of Meadow standing next to a shabbily dressed man. The man had a sneer on his face, and when the line moved, he grasped her arm and violently urged her forward. He said something to Meadow that made her lower her head.
    Rage filled Varron as he watched the interaction play out between the sweet lass and the man he assumed was her father. The line moved forward again and another villager handed a small bag of coins to the soldiers seated at the table. It felt like time slowed as Varron waited for Meadow and her father to reach the front. He tried to catch her eye, but she didn’t look up once.
    Why did he care so much about the young lady? He tried to pinpoint the reason he wanted to hold her, the reason he wanted to steal her away from her father and carry her to safety. As he watched her and observed her father sneering at her and grasping her arm much too hard for Varron’s liking, his spirits sank at the realization that the girl didn’t have a very good home life. Why wasn’t she married yet? Most girls were married with at least two children by the time they reached one and twenty. He studied her, not looking away as he waited for her to reach the table.
    When, finally, her father thrust her forward as they reached the front, she lifted her gaze and looked directly at him. Her pretty blue eyes went wide, and her mouth dropped open for a moment, before she closed it quickly and pressed her lips into a firm line.
    The soldier collecting the taxes spoke to the lass’s father, inquiring his name and how much property he owned. Her father, who introduced himself as Herbert Lansing, was dirt-covered and stank of alcohol, and he clutched Meadow’s upper arm especially hard while he stood staring at the soldier.
    Varron’s hands curled into fists; he wanted nothing more than to knock the man to the ground.
    “Times have been rough this year, and I do not have the taxes I owe,” Mr. Lansing said, a mocking smile on his face. “But I bring you my daughter. Surely, she must be worth more than the money I