“He is a good man and I feel he will treat
you well.”
“I feel the same.”
“Then why did you come here?”
She squeezed his hand. ‘To let go of the
past.”
“Do you wish to be alone?”
She shook her head. “Nay, it is not
necessary. We have shared much together, and it is good that you
are here with me now.”
The winter wind whispered a soft melody as
they continued walking.
“Do you believe that love is blind?” Brianna
asked.
Ian laughed. “It is we who are blind. Love
seems to know exactly what it is doing, and I believe it cautions
us when necessary; we, however, do not listen.”
“I think you are right. Looking back when I
first met Arran, there were signs of his selfishness that I chose
to ignore. I made an unwise choice.”
“Now you make a wise choice.”
“Very wise,” Brianna said, hugging her
brother’s arm.
“I must tell you, though that sometimes I
fear I will wake to find this has all been a dream.”
Ian pinched her arm.
“That hurt,” she said, retaliating with her
elbow to his ribs.
“If it hurts you cannot be dreaming.” Ian
rubbed at his side. “It is good to see that once again you are fast
to defend yourself.”
“Your wife was a great help in helping me to
regain my strengths, and I have no intention of ever giving them
away so easily again.”
The wind grew blustery and Brianna shivered
from the sting at her cheeks.
“I think we are in for a storm, for I feel
something brewing,” Ian said, turning them so that they headed back
to the keep.
Brianna was quick to agree. “I feel the same
myself.”
She recited a silent prayer in hopes that it
would help ease her own unease. She could not quite say what caused
the feeling, and it had only recently appeared, shadowing her
excitement.
A yawn warned that she grew tired.
“There will be much merriment this evening.
If you wish to enjoy it, I would suggest a nap.”
“A short one, for I wish to enjoy this
entire day.”
They returned to the keep, and Brianna
retired to her bedchamber to nap. Sleep eluded her, her restless
thoughts keeping her awake. She had not expected to love again, and
she certainly had not expected to realize that she had not truly
loved her husband the way she had thought she did. She wondered if
perhaps she had loved the idea of love.
With Royce it was different, and she could,
after stepping past her stubbornness, understand the depths of the
love she had for him and he for her. Finally life would be good
again.
Her eyes had barely drifted closed when
Moira and Anne rushed into the room.
“Time to get ready,” Anne announced
excitedly.
“You feel well?” Moira asked, concerned.
Brianna sat up with a yawn and a stretch. “I
feel wonderful. How could I not? It is my wedding day.”
Moira hugged her and smiled. “And it will be
a wedding day you will long remember.”
Anne fussed over the white wool dress that
lay draped over the chair. “You should see all the food, and the
great hall is decorated in its finest winter greenery. It will be a
grand celebration.”
The two women helped Brianna to dress, and
when they were finished they stepped back to examine the bride.
Tears welled in their eyes.
“You look beautiful,” Moira said, and Anne
agreed with a vigorous nod while wiping the tears from her
eyes.
She felt beautiful, but it was not the dress
that caused the feeling, it was Royce, for he forever commented on
her beauty until she finally began to believe his words.
Anne scooped up the head wreath fashioned
from winter greenery and dried herbs and hurried over to Brianna to
place it on her head. It was a snug fit and complimented her rich
dark hair that fell past her shoulders in a mass of riotous curls.
Her freshly scrubbed face glowed, her cheeks were tinged soft pink
from her stroll in the crisp winter weather, and her lips glistened
as though touched by the morning dew.
A pounding on the door caused the three
women to jump.
“I am here to escort my sister,” Ian said
proudly.
Moira let him in, though not before she
showered kisses on him and whispered, “I am so thrilled for your
sister.”
Guilt assaulted him and he grabbed his wife
around the waist and hugged her tightly. “I wish our wedding could
have been different.”
She kissed his cheek. “We have each other.
That is all that matters to me.”
“I am a lucky man.”
“That you are,” she agreed, “and I will show
you how lucky tonight.”
He nuzzled her neck. “Promise?”
“Promise,” she whispered softly and sealed
it with a kiss.
Anne and Brianna grinned as the couple
turned their attention to them Ian’s eyes widened when he saw his
sister. “You look radiant, Brianna.”
“I feel radiant,” she said, certain she
would continue to smile the day away.
“All is ready in the hall, and Royce grows
impatient,” Ian said with a chuckle.
Brianna walked up to her brother and slipped
her arm around his. “And I am just as impatient.”
“Then let us go and celebrate this glorious
occasion.”
Moira and Anne preceded them through the
door and hurried ahead of them into the great hall. A fire roared
in the large hearth, the mantel draped with greenery, pines, and
berries. The tables were prepared for a feast with a variety of
foods and drinks. The hall was packed with villagers and Royce’s
men, all scrubbed clean and dressed in their best garments.
The cleric who was to perform the ceremony
stood before the dais in his plain brown robe clutching a book and
staring at Royce. The poor little man looked frightened to death,
and she could not blame him. Royce looked intimidating, dressed in
his finest garments with his shiny sword draped at his side, and
the scar on his face reminding all of his courage and strength.
Royce smiled at her when their eyes met, and
though they were only a few steps apart, she wanted to hurry to his
side, grab hold of his hand, and never let go.
He seemed to feel the same, for he did not
wait, he took the extra steps to her and eagerly took her from her
brother.
“Keep her safe,” Ian said to him before
releasing his sister.
“You have my word,” Royce said and took hold
of Brianna’s hand.
They took their places before the cleric,
ready to exchange vows.
The little man began to speak, but his voice
faltered and he had to take a moment to clear his throat. When he
spoke again, his voice trembled, but this time he was persistent,
and after several minutes his trembling subsided and he spoke the
Lord’s words with confidence.
Brianna barely heard his words, her
attention focused on Royce and the way he looked at her. He loved
her; she could see it in his eyes, it was written on his face, and
she could feel it in her heart. She had never thought to find such
a strong love, and a small part of her continued to fear that this
was all a dream.
Royce seemed to understand and squeezed her
hand, as if letting her know that he was there beside her and that
this was all real and that soon, very soon they would be husband
and wife.
It was, however, not soon enough for
Brianna. She wanted the ceremony done and finished. She wanted to
be his right now this very moment, and she could not say why it was
so very important to her, but it was.
The words were slow in coming from the
cleric, or perhaps it was Brianna’s own impatience that made them
seem so. When finally their vows were exchanged, she wanted to cry
with joy, but there was more to the ceremony and she would need to
be patient.
When it was done, the last word spoken, the
cleric finally quiet, Brianna looked to Royce and her smile grew
wide. He took her into his arms, shouts of joy and cheers filled
the hall, and Royce whispered in her ear, “I love you from the
depths of my soul.”
Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she
pressed close to him, needing to know he was real, this was real,
and that they were husband and wife. “I thank God for you.”
They kissed and the cheers grew louder.
They were briefly lost in their own world,
and then family and friends crowded them, offering congratulations
and demanding that it was time to celebrate.
Royce whispered in her ear so none could
hear, “Later it will be just you and I, and we will love.”
She squeezed his hand in response and
smiled, already impatient for the celebration to be over and yet
looking forward to sharing this joyous time with family and
friends.
A sudden chill descended over her. A strange
chill, for the hall was warm and comfortable, and she could not
understand where the chill came from.
“Are you all right?” Royce asked, drawing
her close to him.
She nodded, feeling foolish. She had nothing
to fear—Royce was now her husband and would protect her. He was,
after all, a legendary warrior, and few would dare go up against
him.
Ale started flowing, music playing, and
people singing—the celebration had begun. The last of well-wishers
drifted off to join in the fun, leaving the newlywed couple to
finally have a moment alone with family.
Ian and Moira and Anne and Blair stood by
the couple talking, their voices rose so they could be heard over
the merriment.
Then suddenly the joyous voices faded until
only murmurs were heard, and all eyes centered on a lone figure
that entered the great hall. A dark hooded cloak covered his
features, and he appeared a shadow in the bright hall.
He moved with steady strides and
confidence.
A chill raced over Brianna, and she moved
closer to Royce as though seeking his protection and not
understanding why she needed it until the figure came to a stop
before them and threw back the hood.
Brianna’s eyes widened in shock and her body
began to tremble.
“Hello, dear wife, I have missed you.”
“Arran,” Brianna said, addressing her
husband she had believed dead.
Her husband.
With Arran alive that meant her marriage to
Royce was not binding. She remained Arran’s wife though she carried
another man’s child. She instinctively covered her stomach with her
hand as if protecting her unborn babe.
Royce wrapped a protective arm around his
wife’s waist and drew her tightly against his side. His actions
made his intentions clear. Brianna belonged to him and no one would
take her from him.
“I missed the ceremony,” Arran said and his
voice turned stern. “I am sorry, I could have saved you time since
you already belong to me.”
Ian stepped forward before anyone could
respond, and Blair moved up alongside him. Ian held his temper,
though his tone warned that his anger sat close to the surface.
“Why have you returned when you know you will be made to pay for
your crimes?”
Arran threw his hands wide in a gesture of
surrender. “I was blinded by greed and power and had foolishly
ignored what was most important, my wife and the clan.”
Brianna grew nauseated, for she knew her
husband well, and he was being deceptively charming, the first step
in convincing everyone of his innocence.
“I ask forgiveness for my ignorance. I did
not think wisely, I thought selfishly. I know I should not be given
another chance. I know that my crimes deserve imprisonment or
death, but I ask for mercy from you, Ian, and I ask for a chance to
make amends. If you cannot grant me this, then I ask that I may be
imprisoned here within the keep so that I may at least make amends
to
my wife
.”
The hall was silent and all waited. Waited
for Ian’s response and waited to see what the legendary warrior
would do.
“You do not deserve my sister,” Ian said,
folding his arms across his chest and tucking his fists out of
sight, fearing he would raise his hand to Arran.
“True, I have been cruel to her in the past,
I will not deny that,” Arran said, sighing as if regretful. “But
this time away from her and the clan made me realize my own
selfishness and the consequences of being so selfish. Not a day has
gone by that I have not regretted my actions.
If only I could go back and change the past,
I would, but I cannot. I can only repent and tell you that whatever
fate you decide for me, I will accept, for I know I deserve
punishment.”
Moira spoke up, to no one’s surprise. “You
have lied before, you do again.”
A chorus of agreements filled the room, but
the unanimous opinion did not dissuade Arran. “I understand your
doubt, especially you, Moira, for I had thought you in the way, and
I foolishly attempted to remove you.”
Ian stepped toward him. “For that alone I
should kill you.”
“And I would feel the same if I were you,”
Arran said, sounding sympathetic. “But I beg you to consider your
sister. I love her and wish to do right by her. I want to make her
happy. I want her to forgive me and see that I am the loving man
she once thought I was.”
Royce could remain silent no longer.
“Brianna no longer belongs to you. She is mine.”
Arran spoke with patience. “I understand how
you must feel, and it is good to know that someone of your strength
and power would look after my wife. But she is my wife and will
remain my wife; therefore she cannot belong to you.”
Royce was adamant, his powerful voice
causing many to cringe. “
She is my wife
,
she belongs to
me
, and—
she carries my child
.”
Arran’s face grew bright red and his eyes
settled on Brianna with a fury that sent a chill through her.
Her old fears surfaced, though she allowed
no one to know. She remained standing beside Royce with her head
high, for she was proud that she carried Royce’s child and she
wished everyone to know.