The Bride

  “Yes—I mean, no. You see, it wasn’t Justin I felled. It was Philip. It was an easy mistake to make, sir, because I didn’t know Harold’s sons were identical twins, until Alec told me.”

  “After you hit Philip?”

  “Sir, this isn’t the time to laugh. Nay, this is a serious matter.”

  “I do apologize, my lady,” the soldier returned. “And then what happened?”

  “Alec picked up the laird’s son and sent him flying, just like a caber.”

  “He threw Philip?”

  “No, no,” Jamie countered. “Do pay attention,” she suggested. “It was Justin he threw. He shouldn’t have done it, but I can’t really be angry with him.”

  “Justin?”

  “Alec,” she countered again. She gave him a look that showed her displeasure over his short attention span, then said, “Alec shouldn’t have tossed Justin, and he ruined my surprise.”

  She suddenly started crying again. “How did Alec ruin your—”

  “Alec didn’t ruin anything,” she wailed. “If you want to hear this story, I beg you to try to concentrate on what I’m saying. Do you know what the worst of it is? I wanted to kneel before Edgar and recite my pledge of loyalty in Gaelic. Alec didn’t know I could speak his language, you see. Then he heard me shouting at Justin in Gaelic, and of course he knew. I dressed in his plaid, but I can’t fashion these pleats to save my soul. I wanted everything to be perfect when I knelt before my king. I was going to tell him I loved him, too.”

  “Your king?”

  “No, my Alec,” Jamie answered. “I honor my king, sir, but I love my husband. Surely you can see the rightness in that, can’t you?”

  “Alec will right the damage you believe you’ve done,” the soldier stated. “Why don’t you show me how you were going to give your king this pledge?”

  Jamie thought that was a rather odd suggestion. She didn’t want to offend the kind gentleman, though. He’d patiently listened to her trouble. “I do suppose I could use the practice,” she admitted aloud. “He might want me to recite my pledge before he has me flogged.”

  She knelt down and bowed her head. “I wasn’t certain if I should put my hand over my heart or not,” she admitted.

  “He wouldn’t have a preference,” the soldier stated.

  Jamie closed her eyes and recited the words of loyalty. The soldier helped her stand again. He looked very pleased with her effort.

  “And now I shall help you adjust your plaid,” the soldier announced.

  Jamie smiled her appreciation and turned around so he could get to the task.

  Alec leaned against the arch of the entrance, a soft smile on his face as he watched the king of Scotland adjust his wife’s plaid.

  Chapter Seventeen

  He knew he really should tell her who the man she’d wept all over was, yet he didn’t have the heart to upset her again.

  Jamie was in much better spirits once her plaid had been adjusted for her. She sounded happy, too, when she again offered her appreciation. When she spotted her husband lounging against the entrance, she gave him a wide smile. Alec was so pleased she wasn’t crying that he smiled back.

  No, he wouldn’t upset her now. He’d wait until they were alone and no one else could witness her embarrassment.

  Jamie walked up the steps, her hands folded demurely in front of her pleats, drawing her husband’s full attention. She stopped in front of him, bowed her head, and whispered in Gaelic, “I love you, Alec.”

  “I love you too, Jamie.”

  He tried to take her into his arms but she backed up a step and shook her head. “We have a guest,” she reminded him.

  “So I must wait until later to . . . paw you?”

  “You heard it all, didn’t you?”

  “I did,” he admitted. “You don’t look too distressed with me, though.”

  “Your king is a very kind man.”

  His mouth dropped open in astonishment. “Then you knew, all the while?”

  “Do you honestly believe I would have instructed the man to pay attention to what I was saying if I’d known all the while?” she whispered. “I’m a little slow, Alec, but I’m not completely ignorant. I realized who he was when I was kneeling.”

  Alec started laughing. “You mustn’t tell him I know,” she whispered.

  “Why?”

  “It would hurt his feelings.”

  “It would?”

  Jamie nodded. “He thinks he’s protecting my feelings, Alec. We mustn’t disappoint him.”

  She’d bowed and left the hall before he could make a comment to that ridiculous remark. His king called out to him then, drawing his full attention.

  Alec said, “Do you think I’ll try to challenge you, Edgar, or thank you for forcing me to marry her?”

  “You’ll thank me, of course,” Edgar returned. “And we’ll both be challenged by Henry if he realizes what a gem he’s given us.”

  Both Alec and Edgar laughed over their own cunning. “We won’t have long to wait,” Alec predicted. “My wife will probably start a war with England in another week or two. There was a moment when I thought she was Henry’s secret weapon,” he admitted.

  Jamie could hear the howls of laughter coming through the doors. She wondered what jest Alec had just told the king, then decided it was probably that foul story about the dead Englishwoman.

  She’d nearly collapsed to her knees the minute the doors had closed behind her. All the horrible comments she’d made to Edgar were screaming inside her head. Heaven help her, she’d actually cried in front of the man.

  And he’d given her his understanding. That sudden thought made her heart warm with gratitude. He really was a kind man.

  “Jamie, what are you doing out here by yourself?” Gavin asked.

  “Why do you ask such a question, Gavin? Am I to have an escort all the time?”

  “You are,” the soldier admitted before he could stop himself.

  “By Alec’s order?”

  He turned the topic rather than answering her. “One of our cooks has burned her hand, Jamie. She’d like you to look at it.”

  Jamie’s attention was immediately swayed. “Oh, the poor woman,” she said. “Take me to her at once, Gavin, and I shall see what I can do.”

  The next two hours were spent ministering to the sick woman. The woman’s burn really wasn’t too severe, but Jamie ended up having a nice visit with the cook’s large family.

  Gavin stayed by her side all the while. When they started back toward the main house, Jamie said, “I’d like to put fresh flowers on Helena’s grave, Gavin. Will you walk with me?”

  “I will,” he agreed. He called out their errand to Marcus when they passed the stables and saw him readying his mount.

  Jamie and Gavin maintained a tranquil silence as she picked wildflowers. When her arms were brimming with her collection, they started up the hill to Helena’s grave. They passed the consecrated cemetery, squared off by old pine slats, and continued on.

  “Gavin? Were you here when Helena died?”

  “I was,” he replied.

  “I was told she killed herself,” Jamie went on. “Father Murdock said she jumped off one of the cliffs.”

  Gavin nodded. He motioned to the rise to the left of Helena’s grave. “It happened over there.”

  “Did anyone see her jump?”

  Gavin nodded. “Yes, Jamie.”

  “Where were you? Did you see—”

  “Jamie, must we speak of this?”

  Jamie knelt down beside Helena’s grave and brushed the old flowers away. “I’m just trying to understand, Gavin,” she whispered. “Would you think me daft if I admitted that I think Helena wants me to understand?”

  “I probably would,” Gavin replied, trying to make his tone light. “Someone has already put flowers on her grave,” he remarked in an attempt to change the subject.

  “I did,” Jamie explained. “The day before yesterday.”

  She didn’t speak a
gain until she’d finished blanketing the grave with the colorful flowers.

  Gavin waited until she turned back to him before questioning her. “Jamie? Will you explain what you meant about Helena wanting you to understand?” He knelt on one knee and began to twirl one of the flowers between his fingers while he waited for her to answer. He noticed then that Jamie was patting the grave.

  “It doesn’t make sense,” Jamie suddenly blurted out. “How can I make Mary Kathleen understand when the time comes for her to be told? I have to understand first.”

  “What is there to understand? Helena was in despair. She—”

  “But did you see this despair, Gavin?”

  He shook his head. “I didn’t know the woman well enough to make such a judgment. I admit I was . . . surprised when she . . .”

  “Then you didn’t see this terrible unhappiness. Father Murdock was just as surprised as you were. She seemed content to him. She was anxious to bring her baby here. If she was afraid of Alec, or if she hated him, she wouldn’t have wanted to bring her daughter here.”

  “Perhaps she didn’t think she had a choice,” Gavin remarked.

  Jamie stood up and started toward the ridge where Helena had jumped. “She could have fallen. Yes, it could have been an accident. Why was she damned by everyone?”

  She stopped when she neared the edge. A shiver passed down her arms. She rubbed them to take the sudden chill away. “When I first met Alec, I was a little afraid of him. It took me less than a day to realize what a good man he was, and I knew, from the very beginning, that he’d take care of me, Gavin. Helena would have felt the same, I’m sure of it.”

  Gavin nodded. “You must remember, Jamie, that Helena didn’t know Alec well. He was called away—”

  “Did she die quickly?” Jamie whispered.

  “No,” Gavin returned. “She landed on that ledge down there,” he told her, pointing toward the jagged stone. “When Alec arrived home, they’d already dragged her back up. You couldn’t have saved her. No one could. Her back was broken.”

  “She wasn’t dead?”

  “She died two days later,” Gavin answered. “She never opened her eyes, and I don’t think she was in pain, Jamie.”

  “She lost her footing,” Jamie insisted, trying to believe that possibility.

  “We should go back now, Jamie,” Gavin announced, trying to change the subject. “Alec will be looking for you. Now that the king has left—”

  “He’s gone?” Jamie interrupted. “When, Gavin? He only just arrived.”

  “He was taking his leave while you were collecting your flowers, Jamie.”

  “Well, spit,” Jamie muttered. “I didn’t get to say good-bye.”

  “He’ll come back soon,” Gavin promised her. “Alec is like a son to him. He visits regularly.”

  A sudden sound drew Gavin’s attention. Just as he turned around, he was struck on the side of the head by a large rock. Gavin saw only blinding light before he staggered backward.

  Jamie turned just as Gavin began to fall. A stone hit her forehead, gouging a deep cut. She cried out as she grabbed Gavin from behind. She was desperately trying to keep the soldier from falling over the ledge.

  Something sharp hit her shoulder. Jamie screamed in pain. Gavin’s weight was too much for her. She knew they were going to fall, but she remembered that the ridge sloped sharply to the left . . . or was it the right? “Please, God, help us,” she whimpered as she tightened her hold around the warrior’s waist. She used every ounce of strength to push the two of them toward the low overhang.

  The eerie sound of laughter followed them over the ledge. Jamie tried to protect Gavin’s head by pushing his face into the crook of her shoulder. Sharp pain radiated throughout her body from the stones they rolled over, and when they finally reached the ledge, Gavin’s body took most of the impact.

  The laughter was getting closer. Blood poured over Jamie’s left eye, blocking her vision. She wiped the blood away with the back of her hand and then pulled Gavin back against the rock wall. She was desperately trying to hide them from their enemy. Gavin groaned when she was tucking him under the overhang. She slapped her hand over his mouth and then flattened herself on top of him.

  Long minutes passed before she realized the hideous laughter had stopped. Her shoulder and upper arm were throbbing. Jamie reached up to try to rub the ache away. She whimpered when she felt the hilt of the dagger protruding from her arm, and let her hand drop back to her side. She realized that the sharp object had been her dagger—someone had thrown her own dagger at her!

  She heard someone calling to her, but did not answer until she recognized the voice. “Marcus! We’re here, on the ledge,” Jamie shouted then, though her relief was so great it weakened her voice.

  “My God, Jamie, what—” Marcus asked when he leaned over the edge of the cliff and saw Jamie’s bloody face peering up at him. “Give me your hand, lass.”

  “Be careful, Marcus. Don’t kneel so close to the edge. Someone tried to hurt Gavin and me. Look behind you to make certain it’s safe.”

  Marcus did as she ordered, and when he turned back to her, the look on his face began to frighten her. “Gavin’s injured,” she rushed out, ignoring his outstretched hand again. “If I leave him, he might roll off the ledge.”

  Marcus nodded. When he started to withdraw his hand, Jamie suddenly reached up and grabbed hold. “I want Alec,” she cried. “But I don’t want you to leave us here, Marcus. Please don’t leave us.”

  The warrior gave her hand a good squeeze. “Hold on to Gavin, Jamie. I won’t leave you. I’ll shout for help.”

  She thought that was the most wonderful idea she’d ever heard and told him so in long, rambling sentences. Her mind was so filled with pain now, she could barely make any sense. “Jamie, let go of my hand. I know you trust me.”

  “You do?”

  He gave her a tender smile. “’Tis the reason you grabbed hold of me,” he told her. “Now you must let go of me. Hold Gavin.”

  He’d kept his voice soft, soothing. “Yes,” she agreed, trying to keep her concentration on what he’d told her. “Hold Gavin. I will, Marcus. I’ll protect him.”

  She finally let go of his hand. “That’s a good lass,” she heard him say as she scooted back to Gavin. She put Gavin’s head in her lap. “Alec will be here in just a few minutes, Gavin. Marcus will keep us safe until he arrives.”

  Marcus’s deep bellow sent several pebbles cascading down the slope. Jamie closed her eyes against the noise. The ledge suddenly started spinning around and around until all her thoughts began to whirl together.

  And then she couldn’t think at all.

  Jamie didn’t wake up until she felt someone pulling on her hands. She opened her eyes and saw Alec bending over her. “Alec,” she whispered in wonder. She tried to reach out to him, but the pain in her upper arm stopped her. She managed a weak smile instead, as she noticed she was still on the ledge.

  His expression was grim. When she noticed that, she began to frown. “Don’t build me a box. Promise me, Alec. Don’t build me a box.”

  She could tell by his puzzled look that he didn’t know what she was talking about. “You were going to build Angus a box,” she reminded him. “Please . . .”

  “I won’t build you a box, love,” Alec whispered.

  She smiled again. “I’m so happy to see you.”

  His hands shook. “I’m happy to see you, too,” he told her in a gruff voice.

  “I lost my dagger.”

  She looked as though she was having as much difficulty as he was believing that statement. She frowned up at him while he gently brushed her hair away from her face, trying to remember the other question she wanted to ask him.

  She gave up after a minute. “Alec, the dagger—”

  “Don’t worry about your dagger, love,” Alec soothed. “Can you move your legs, Jamie? I want to take you into my arms and lift you up to my men. Sweetheart, let go of Gavin now. Let me—”

>   “Gavin?”

  “Yes, love, Gavin,” he explained.

  Jamie looked down when Alec started prying her hands away from Gavin’s chest. She remembered everything then. “He was hit by a rock,” she said. “The blow knocked him backwards, Alec. He was going to fall over the steep edge. I got behind him,” she rushed on. “He was so heavy. I couldn’t keep him from falling, so I put my arms around his waist and pushed us both down toward the slope.”

  She smiled at her husband, ignoring his worried grimace. “I couldn’t remember which direction, but I guessed the right way, didn’t I?”

  “You did,” he told her in a hoarse whisper.

  “You have to take him up first,” she ordered. Her voice was surprisingly clear now; she was so blissfully relieved to have Alec taking charge she wanted to weep.

  Alec decided not to argue with her. He eased Gavin up, over his shoulders in much the same way a woman would wear a shawl, and then stood up. His legs were braced apart for balance as he slowly lifted the sleeping soldier high above his head.

  “We’ve got his hands,” Marcus shouted down.

  Alec moved Gavin’s legs away from the rock once the weight was taken away. He knelt down beside Jamie again. His eyes looked suspiciously misty to her. She realized then that she must have caused him considerable worry. “I’m going to be fine, Alec. I told you I wouldn’t leave you.”

  He couldn’t believe she was trying to comfort him. “No, you’re not going to leave me,” he muttered affectionately. “I can see the blood on your face is all bluster,” he added, remembering those words from her remarks about Angus’s chest wound.

  “My dagger’s in my shoulder,” she blurted out.

  He didn’t show any reaction to that statement. Jamie immediately decided the injury wasn’t as horrible as she imagined. Still, she needed to have him tell her so before she quit her worrying. “Is it awful, Alec?”

  “No,” he answered. “It isn’t in your shoulder, either, Jamie.”

  “I can feel it,” she argued. She tried to turn her head to look for herself, but Alec grabbed hold of her chin. “It’s in your upper arm,” he explained. “You’re most fortunate. It went through the fat.”