Highland Blessings (19 page)

“Akira, sing our favorite!” Leith bounced to his knees beside her, shifting from one leg to the other. The sight of Leith reminded Akira of Sim. He was a little shorter than Sim and two years younger, but they were alike in so many ways. Akira turned her full attention to Leith as his sharp eyes beamed up at her.

“And what might that be, wee one?” She bent toward him, ruffling his hair.

Normally, he would have gotten annoyed with her, but not this time. She’d been away far too long. The child had obviously missed her the way he had followed her around since her return.

“Couthie pree!” Leith announced in excitement. “Nay, not that one.” Akira shook her head, while all the others nodded and murmured their enthusiasm.

“Why not, Akira?” Fergus wanted to know, not bothering to hide his disappointment. “Teach us all about the
Loving Kiss.
We’ve not heard it since the last time ye sang it.”

“Akira, ye’ll be leaving soon; honor their request.” Nara’s voice broke through their grumbling.

Akira looked at her mother now standing beside her father. In all her memory, she could not remember her mother ever requesting her to sing a particular song. This request she could not, and would not, deny. No matter how many times she knew her eyes would betray her and roam over to Bryce, she would sing it for her mother.

She turned to Elliot. “Please bring the bagpipes.” A gleam entered his eye, and the two exchanged a smile.

“You’re going to play the bagpipes with that song?” Fergus asked with disbelief, squinting in concern.

“Aye, Fergus. ’Twas a combination Elliot and I were working on before.” She turned to Leith. “Go retrieve yer cuisle. We will need the flute with this one.” She smiled as he beamed and dashed off to retrieve it.

A moment later Elliot and Leith returned. Gavin sat nearby with his hand drum, and the four of them began to play. The combination sounded beautiful. Everyone doubted the bagpipes would blend with such a romantic song, but they made a beautiful melody. That night the MacPhearsons learned that the bagpipes were meant for more than war. They contained a unique, refreshing softness.

Akira’s voice floated through the air, and all the outside sounds around them dissolved. Even the creatures in the surrounding forest seemed to grow quiet. Akira managed to hit every pitch perfectly, and she never faltered with a single low key, which sometimes plagued her to a fault. This song remained her favorite, and the passion with which she sang it captivated them all.

As she sang about the fair lady who sacrificed her life to save her true love, Akira’s gaze strayed toward her husband. Unable to help it, she sang for him. For the first time in her life, she actually had someone to sing this song to, and he would never know its significance to her. Their gazes met, and for a moment she forgot about their fighting clans, the history of hate, and the embellished lies. Only a promise of hope for their future together seemed to exist in the gap between them.

“His fair lady used the last o’her strength to give him one final blessin’, a loving kiss. ‘Couthie pree,’ she whispered, as she closed her eyes and breathed her last.”

Akira’s voice ended the lyrics, but her gaze met with Bryce’s until others looked back and forth between them. Silence ensued. One person coughed, and a couple of sniffles followed.

“What next?” Elliot grew impatient and grabbed her arm, glaring at Bryce.

Dazed and shaken, she looked down at her instrument, not ready to meet Elliot’s gaze. She knew the condemning eyes she would see. “I believe I’m through for the evening. My throat is sore, and I’m weary.”

“But, the night is still young, Akira,” Elliot protested.

“Would ye like to walk, Akira?” Gavin leaned over her, holding out a hand. Akira smiled. Dear, sweet Gavin had once again come to her aid.

She sighed with relief and looked up at him graciously. “Aye, Gavin.” She turned to Elliot. “Would ye put away the instruments?” Without waiting for a reply she accepted Gavin’s hand, and he led her away.

A
kira and Gavin strolled through the woods with the moonlight peeking through the tree branches. They walked on a familiar path that led around MacKenzie Castle. She and Gavin had taken many strolls along this path. As the heir to the MacKenzie chieftainship, Gavin had always been the level-headed brother, who had a way of calming her fears and teaching her wisdom. Elliot, on the other hand, was the mischievous brother, who exhibited impatience and a lack of tolerance for rules. Growing up he had always teased and taunted her until she lashed out at him.

She held Gavin’s arm and noticed that there seemed to be more layers of muscle above his elbow than she remembered.

“Have ye been practicing with the sword?” Akira squeezed his arm for emphasis.

Gavin gave her a sidelong glance and chuckled. “Aye, that I have.” Gavin rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. “Bryce gave me a hard punch on the day he took ye, and I’ve been preparing for our next meeting.” He patted her hand on his arm. “But, once I discovered ye were wed and Da intended to seek peace through yer union, I decided ’twould be best to befriend my new brother.”

Akira sighed sadly. “I knew that unlike Elliot ye would never defy Da’s decision.”

“Things have a way of working themselves out, Akira. I’ve been watching Bryce.” Gavin shook his head. “I can tell he’s taken a real interest in ye by the way he looks at ye.”

Gavin’s statement took Akira by surprise. A warm glow flowed through her at the thought.

“If for no other reason, I truly believe the Lord intended us to wed so we could build a bridge of peace between our clans. I pray that there will one day be love in our marriage.”

“Well, judging by his actions, I would say there is the distinct possibility he is falling in love with ye, if he hasn’t already.”

Akira had been guarding a flicker of hope in her heart, but Gavin’s words ignited a burning torch in her soul. Gavin had always given her sound advice, and she trusted his opinions implicitly. She squeezed Gavin’s arm in her excitement and smiled up at her brother.

“Oh, Gavin, I pray ye’re right. At first I didn’t know if I could trust Bryce, and at times I still wonder if I am wise to trust him now.”

“I’m sure he struggles with trusting ye as well. There’s no rule that says attraction warrants trust. If that were the case, then more wedded couples would be happier.”

“I want to have a happy marriage like our parents.”

To her surprise, Gavin laughed. “Akira, lass, ye’ve a lot to learn. Where have ye been all these years? The two of them can barely manage to spend more than a few minutes together without arguing.”

She looked up at Gavin in the moonlight, but his unreadable expression concentrated on the path ahead of them. Akira turned away, occupied with her thoughts. She wasn’t aware of any problems between her parents. Her mother cried a great deal, but she’d always been overly sentimental and melodramatic. It had always been like that. It didn’t mean that her father was at fault or that they didn’t love each other.

“Ye jest, Gavin,” Akira said, looking up at him. “They’re completely happy with each other. Mither is only sentimental at times.”

“Have ye ever wondered why Mither is like that, Akira?”

She didn’t have a ready answer. Truth be known, her mother’s antics often annoyed her. Akira had never bothered to consider that there might be an underlying cause. She dropped her head as shame crept into her cheeks.

Gavin ignored her silence. “Well, I can remember a time when she was verra different. Before ye were ever born, when she first came to us, Nara was more like the way ye are now. She became unhappy when she realized Da wouldn’t forget my mither’s memory. He even refused to store away her clothes. For the first year of their marriage my mither’s clothes remained in their chamber.”

Akira imagined another woman’s wardrobe in the chamber she shared with Bryce. She shivered at the discomforting thought. It was one thing to respect the dead, and another to reject and ignore the feelings of the living.

“Surely, Da wouldn’t do such a thing?”

“I have no reason to lie. I loved my mither, but Nara is a good woman and the best step-mither I could have ever had outside of my own. I hated to see her so unhappy.”

“Why did she stay?”

“Ye know as well as I that women have few choices.” Gavin shrugged. “I suppose she could have gone back to her family, but she says she loves him.”

Akira grew pensive trying to sort in her mind all that Gavin had told her. Images of Bryce came to mind.

“My situation with Bryce is different, but if I didn’t think my husband returned my love, I wouldn’t live with him.”

“Why is yer situation different, Akira?” Gavin shoved a heavy branch out of their path.

“Because I didn’t wed Bryce expecting him to love me.”

“And neither did yer mither.”

“What do ye mean?”

“I was old enough to remember. Nara was young, and it was a pre-arranged marriage between her parents and Da. He thought Elliot and I needed a mither.”

Arranged? Akira knew arranged marriages were common practice, but she’d never contemplated how her parents met. She had never thought to ask. Memories of her childhood were full of people doting on her, and Akira grew up basking in all the attention. As the only daughter of the MacKenzie chieftain, she had been quite spoiled. The realization of her self-absorption brought a mixture of shame and regret. A new, humbling realization made her want to hie herself off to the nearest chapel.

They walked in silence for a while until Akira began to wonder about her situation with the MacPhearsons. She worked up the courage to ask Gavin about it.

“Why did Da not come for me when Bryce took me? He could have at least inquired of my safety.”

Gavin sighed.

A feeling of foreboding came over her. His reluctance told her more than any words could have.

“Lass, ye have to understand that he felt the marriage might prove to be a valuable alliance for the two clans.”

“More valuable than his only daughter?” Her voice cracked, knowing that her fears were true. Her lips trembled. For all the spoiling and pampering she’d received all these years, she still meant no more to her father than a pawn to be used in negotiations. Aside from fulfilling a promise to his father, Bryce had thought to use their marriage the same way. “I wish I were never born female,” she said bitterly.

Gavin gave her a sharp look for her tone. In the past it would have reprimanded her; now it only infuriated her. “Don’t give me that look, Gavin. Ye know as well as I do that everyone has used me.”

She walked away from him, needing to be alone to vent her frustration. He started after her, grabbing her arm.

“Since when is possibly saving hundreds of lives something to be ashamed of and bitter about?”

She yanked her arm free. “I want my life to matter beyond what’s best for the clan.” She backed away from him. “Is that so much to ask?”

Gavin dropped his arms and looked at her, lowering his voice. “Are ye that unhappy, lass? I’ve seen Bryce treat ye with kindness and respect. Mayhap in time, ye’ll both come to love one another the way God intended between a husband and wife.”

Akira bit her bottom lip as confusion swirled through her mind. “Ye don’t understand, Gavin.”

Gavin raised his hands to his sides and towered over her small figure. “Lass, I want ye to think on this. Sometimes God makes better choices for us than we could have ever made for ourselves.”

The dawn air felt cooler than usual. A slight shiver coursed through Akira, and she wrapped the ends of the long plaid tighter around her slender frame. She finished sewing the two clan colors into one plaid. Her reflection rippled across the water in silent motion. The garment seemed to glow around her image like a mystical rainbow. Her lips curled into a smile, savoring the feel of God’s creation all around her.

A loose piece of hair slipped from its gathered knot at her nape and flew into her eyes, making her blink. She reached up to brush it away when more strands softly brushed against her neck, tickling her. It reminded her of Bryce’s tender touch. Another shiver seized her, and this time it wasn’t due to the cool air. Just the mere thought of him made a flush rise to her cheeks. She looked out across the loch, remembering the day it had rained, and she had nearly drowned.