Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“ I n all this, everyone else seems to have forgotten ye went missing fer a whole month, but I havenae,” said Edward once Morgana and Freya were gone.
James looked at his brother wearily, reaching up to comb his fingers through his hair. Of course, he would have to explain everything that had happened to his whole family at some point, but the mere thought of it was exhausting.
“There was a storm,” he said. “The ship sank and the current took me to a small beach in Rùm. Freya found me there, half dead, and nursed me back to health, but I had lost me memory.”
Edward looked at him in disbelief, his brown eyes filled with concern. “We had heard news of the shipwreck but were not able to get any other information about the survivors and worried greatly when we got no further news from ye,” he said with a sad smile. Then, he suddenly seemed to register what James had said and added, “But ye remember all now?”
“Aye,” James assured him. “I remember everything. It all came back tae me when we were traveling.”
His brother breathed a sigh of relief. “I cannae believe that happened tae ye.”
“That and much more,” said James. “But I will tell ye all about it later. Now I must speak tae Faither and Maither about marrying Freya.”
“Dae ye plan on marrying that lass?” Edward asked, quick to add, “I’m sure she is lovely, James but ye ken how Maither can be.”
They both knew their mother well and that should have been enough to discourage James from his plan, but his desire to be with Freya was stronger than any apprehension he might have held. She was the love of his life. She was the only thing that mattered.
“Freya saved me life,” James said. “Once ye ken her better, ye’ll see how caring and how brilliant she is. I cannae compromise on this. I love her, Edward. I love her and I willnae sacrifice that fer some alliance.”
There was a time when such an alliance would have been the most important thing for James. There was a time when he would have readily agreed to the proposed marriage with Evelyn, and perhaps he would have even been happy with her by his side. But that was a time when he had not yet known true love. Now, it was as though something inside him had awakened and demanded to be heard. His feelings for Freya, the love he had for her—it could not be suppressed. For once in his life, he wanted something for himself.
Besides, he was certain Freya would step skillfully and proudly into the role expected of her. Who could be better at it than a healer, a woman as compassionate and thoughtful as she was?
For a few moments, Edward was silent, only observing James. When he spoke, his voice was softer than James had ever heard it before.
“Then ye should wed her,” he said. “Perhaps if ye try tae explain all this to Maither and Faither the way ye did tae me, they’ll understand better.”
James could only hope that would happen. The thought of leaving everything behind frightened him, of course, but he was prepared to do anything it took to be with Freya—even if it meant stepping down as the heir of the clan. He didn’t want to do it, he didn’t want to part from his family and his people, but if his parents gave him no other choice…
“Why did they bring the Campbells here?” James asked then, as the question had been bugging him ever since he had seen Evelyn and her uncle. “Why the hurry? They were supposed tae wait fer me tae return. Especially once they found out I might not even be alive.”
“They insisted,” Edward said. “Evelyn was Maither’s first choice and when the Campbells found out, they were very eager tae come here. And once they were here, we couldn’t just send them off after the news of yer possible incident.”
James frowned at that. He didn’t like the sound of it at all, as it could only mean that they had a lot to gain from the union—or perhaps a lot to lose if it didn’t happen. It would only complicate things for him and Freya if Alastair and Evelyn tried to get in the way.
“Dae ye ken why they didnae leave?” James asked.
“Nay,” said Edward. “But I can only assume it’s because Evelyn is the last of them. They need her tae wed and have an heir.”
“Nay braithers? Cousins?”
“Nay one,” said Edward. “Alastair Campbell is the last male of their line. Nay bairns of his own. He’s been acting as the laird of the clan, but the council wants her to find a suitable mate, as far as I ken.”
And who could be more suitable than someone who was raised tae be a laird?
“I see,” James said. There were only so many men who could fill this role for Evelyn and out of all of them, it wouldn’t surprise him if he was her best option. If they had set their sights on him, there was a good chance it would be difficult to get out of the arrangement without throwing both clans into chaos and causing a war no one wanted to fight. If the Campbells felt disrespected by his decision, then they wouldn’t take it lightly.
“Just talk to them,” Edward urged him. “See what they say. There’s still time.”
“I just wish they wouldnae have done this without consulting me first,” James said. “I was out there, lost at sea fer days, and they were planning me wedding. I lost me memory… what if I had never returned? What if I had never remembered who I was?”
Edward only shook his head with a sigh. He had nothing to say to that and neither did James. Had he simply disappeared, the Campbells would have accepted it, eventually, and returned to their home empty-handed. But now, with him there, there was no telling what they would do.
“Will ye come with me?” James asked. Their parents were unlikely to listen to Edward if they didn’t listen to him, but he thought his presence in the room might be calming to everyone involved.
“Sure,” said Edward. “Let us go.”
The keep was larger than anything Freya had ever seen. Even the convent, which had always seemed cavernous and awe-inspiring to her, paled in comparison to this.
As Morgana led her through the hallways, Freya looked around at her surroundings with wide eyes, taking everything in. She could only describe the place as opulent, more so than any other place she had visited. Not only was the castle large in size, with tall, towering ceilings and walls that seemed to stretch forever, but it was also lavishly decorated with tapestries rich in color and embroidery, and paintings so intricate that their subjects may very well have been alive.
“These are all former lairds of the clan,” Morgana said as they walked down a corridor decorated with portraits. “The last one is our grandfaither… but I dinnae like this place very much. I always found it… unsettling.”
Freya could see why. For all its glory and grandeur, there was a certain strangeness to the keep, a severity that caused the guest to feel as though under scrutiny by all those eyes in the paintings, and the effect was nowhere as strong as in that hallway. That was what Freya had always liked about her modest hut—it had been a cozy place, one that had all the warmth a home should have. The keep was not designed for warmth, but rather for making a strong impression and as an exhibition of wealth.
“These will be yer chambers,” Morgana said as they reached a door, its wooden surface intricately carved with floral motifs. When she opened it, revealing the rooms on the other side, Freya breathed out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t their size that caused it, though they were, indeed, large—a sitting room, followed by a spacious bedroom that had everything she could ever need. Rather, it was the fact that unlike the corridors they had passed, the room did feel welcoming, with plush rugs on the stone floors and colorful tapestries that continued the floral theme of the door.
Someone had taken care, it seemed, to make this room as comfortable as possible.
Still, there was something that bothered Freya; something she couldn’t quite get used to.
“This isnae necessary,” she said, though she made sure to give Morgana a grateful smile. “It is truly too large fer me. I am only one person!”
Morgana tilted her head to the side, looking at Freya as though she couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. “It is a normal sized room,” she claimed.
I think me definition of normal and her definition of normal may be different.
“Right. Of course,” said Freya rather than trying to argue with that. She supposed that, for Morgana, at least, this was a normal sized room.
Walking hesitantly inside, Freya looked around, trying to familiarize herself with the space. How long would she spend in that room? James had promised her that she was the only one he wanted to marry, but would he buckle under his parents’ pressure ? Would he change his mind?
“Is it tae yer liking?” Morgana asked, following her inside.
“Aye,” Freya said. “Of course! It’s more than I have ever had in me life.”
As soon as those words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. It was obvious to them all that she was not noble-born. She didn’t have the right clothes, the right mannerisms, the right way of speaking. Even the way she held herself was different. Everyone else around her stood so tall. And yet, admitting it out loud felt like a risky move, one she should have avoided.
She knew nothing about these people, save for the fact that at least some of them didn’t want her there, near James.
“So…” said Morgana, before she let the silence stretch between them once more. Freya could tell she wanted to say something to her. She was nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other, glancing between her and the window that overlooked the courtyard. “Me braither nae wishing tae marry the girl chosen by our parents must have something tae dae with ye,” she then said with a smile.
Freya had been dreading that moment. As long as James was with her, she could withstand the questioning, but now that she was alone, she didn’t know what the right thing to say was. Would Morgana be on their side? Would she support her parents in this? For all Freya knew, she could be good friends with Evelyn.
There was no point in lying, though. There was no point in claiming she was mistaken when James himself had revealed his plan to everyone.
“I understand if ye think it is a mistake but—” Freya said with some hesitation in her voice.
“It isnae me concern,” Morgana said before Freya could finish her sentence. “I mean… I suppose it is, but only tae the extent that I’m concerned about James’ happiness.”
It was more than Freya could have hoped for and she couldn’t help but relax a little, her shoulders dropping as she exhaled. She still couldn’t read Morgana—she seemed sweet but it was as though there was a veil around her, concealing her emotions—but even so, the fact that she cared about James’ happiness more than she did about any arrangements or appearances could only work in their favor.
“How did ye meet?” Morgana asked then, perching on the windowsill. “All this time, he was with ye?”
“Aye,” said Freya. “His boat was caught in a storm and sank. They found him on the shores of me village, unconscious, and I took him in tae care fer him.”
A flash of fear passed over Morgana’s eyes, the first clear sign of emotion that Freya had seen from her. “We had heard there had been a problem with the ship, but we were not sure if he had even made it ontae that ship and there was nay mention about how many people had survived…”
“Och aye,” said Freya. “As far as I ken, he was the only survivor.”
In the silence that followed, Morgana stared out of the window, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. She had paled and a haunted look had taken over her expression, instantly aging her.
“But he’s alright,” Freya assured her, not knowing what else to say. She could hardly imagine how worried Morgana must have been and how jarring it was for her to hear this. “I can assure ye he will make a full recovery.”
Morgana’s head whipped back around to look at Freya. “He hasnae recovered fully yet?”
“Well…” With a sigh, Freya sat on the edge of the bed. The mattress was soft and plush underneath her, the covers as well. “He lost his memory fer quite a while, but he remembers everything now. There are still some wounds that must heal and the journey has surely exhausted him, but it willnae take long fer him tae recover fully.”
After her shocked face when Freya had mentioned his memory loss, her last words seemed to reassure Morgana, though she still toyed nervously with her necklace, fidgeting with the gold chain that held her pendant. With the frown she was sporting, she looked just like James.
“It seems that ye have been through a lot,” she said. “Both of ye.”
“I cannae say that ye’re wrong,” said Freya. Ever since James had come hurtling into her life, she had had more excitement than ever before and not always in a good way.
“And ye love him?” Morgana asked.
At her question, a small smile stretched over Freya’s lips. Her cheeks heated as her gaze dropped to her hands, her fingers fidgeting nervously with the edge of her sleeve.
“Aye,” she said. “Aye, I dae.”