"If I can help by marrying Owain Lothian, then I'll do it," Ashlynn promised, desperate to stop her parents from digging back through all the old hurts to find a solution to the problem that had long haunted them.
"I, I'm told that he's very handsome and strong. I'm sure he'll make me very happy, and I'll be raising our children in no time. Father," she pleaded, looking into her father's stormy eyes and hoping that she could ease at least a fraction of the worries that plagued him. "Let me do this."
"Ashlynn, my sweet child," Maela said, placing a hand gently on Ashlynn's face and turning her head so she could look into her child's eyes as she spoke. "You don't understand matters between a man and a woman. You won't be able to hide your mark from him, at least, not for very long. If he sees it, he may turn you over to the Church."
