Chapter 13 #2
Suddenly, a tapping sound came from the closed wooden shutters over the window. Morag jumped but quickly got herself under control. It must have been the wind or the rain drumming harder, reflecting her mood as her remaining time dwindled. But then the tapping came again, harder and more insistent.
Morag frowned and moved toward the shutters, then pulled them open. She gasped as she took in what was on the other side.
"What are ye doin'?" she half-shrieked. "Are ye tryin' tae kill yerself?"
Christopher grinned at her from the windowsill, his blond hair darkened and slicked to his face by the rain, his white shirt practically see-through.
Morag felt dizzy just looking at him, her heart racing in panic at the thought of how easy it would be for him to have slipped on the wet stone and fallen to his death.
She quickly reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him inside.
The second that Christopher's feet touched the stone floor, he pulled Morag into the tightest hug that she had ever experienced in her life.
She leaned against him, breathing in his scent, not minding at all that he was getting her dress wet.
Despite how cold he was, she felt warmed by his very presence, and for the first time since her father had locked her in this room, Morag fully felt like she could breathe.
He pulled back, though he kept his hands on her arms as he critically looked her over, frowning as his eyes lingered on what she knew must be a bruise on her cheek.
"What happened? Mary said ye were in trouble. Who hurt ye? Was it yer father?" His eyes darkened. "I'll kill him."
"Dinnae do anythin' stupid," Morag said.
She glanced at the window and amended, "More stupid, anyway.
" Christopher's gaze did not falter, and she sighed.
"He discovered the map. It was me own fault.
I'd meant tae take it back down tae the library when I got a chance, but… well, he obviously questioned me."
Christopher paled. "He kens about me? Dinnae fear. I'll deal with it. What did ye tell him?"
"Tell him?" Morag shook her head. "Nay. I told him nothin'. As far as me father kens, I'm the traitor. I'm the one who stole the map for me own reasons. I kept yer name out of it."
The expression on Christopher's face flickered through so many variations that Morag found it hard to keep up. Eventually, he settled on a face she'd only seen worn by the devout at church as he gazed at her, eyes wide.
"Why would ye do that for me? Morag, he hurt ye. Ye—"
She shook her head. "Dinnae," she said gently. "I did what I had tae."
"Ye're wrong. I wouldnae have blamed ye if ye'd have turned me in. I could never have hated ye for protectin' yerself," he replied. His eyes settled on her cheek, and he frowned tightly. "It's a mess and a heavy responsibility, but they're mine, nae yers. Ye need tae be safe."
"Ye're wrong," she protested. "There was nae other choice for me. I'd have lied for ye a thousand times, Christopher, nae matter the consequences. What ye're doin' is right. It's taken me too long tae understand it, but I do now. Ye need tae keep goin'. Ye're what's important."
Suddenly, his hands moved from her arms to cup her face.
In one swift move, his lips crashed against hers, and she melted into the kiss with every part of her.
Morag gasped against his mouth, and he whispered her name, his hands slipping to twist in her hair.
She wrapped her arms around him, kissing him back with all the emotion that had been overwhelming her, showing him through that kiss how much he had come to mean to her and feeling the same back from him.
At last, Christopher ended the kiss, pressing another light peck to her forehead. He drew her close for another hug and said, "Ye are what's important. More important than me. More important than what I'm doin' here. More important than anythin'."
She leaned against his chest, hearing his heart beating steadily in time with her own, her cheek damp from the wetness on his shirt and her own tears.
"I—"
"Let's run away," Christopher murmured. "Let me take ye away from here."
Her heart stuttered in her chest. "The mission—"
"I told ye. Ye're me mission. Ye're all I care about. Let me take ye somewhere safe or I'll never be able tae focus. Maybe once I ken for sure, I can come back—though I doubt it. It doesnae matter. I need tae get ye out of here. Ian's away, so now's the best time tae act."
Christopher released her from the hug and kissed her lightly once more.
"I think there may still be good in his heart, but I've nae time now tae find it."
"How am I more important than all this?" Morag asked. "He's yer brother!"
"And ye're the woman I love," Christopher replied quietly.
The words, though spoken barely in a whisper, rang as loud as a church bell through Morag's mind, pulsing in her mind and her heart and her soul.
Love?
How could it be? She had thought of him endlessly these last days, dreamed of him, been consumed by him, but she hadn't even thought it would be returned.
Morag had long since accepted there would never be love in her life, and so to hear those words from Christopher's lips was almost enough to undo her entirely.
"Christopher," she breathed.
"I mean it," he told her in an earnest, steady voice. "I love ye. Tell me ye'll come away with me."
"Aye," she said immediately, caught up in the moment. "Aye, I'll go wherever ye want. Let's get away from here."
The smile that unfolded on Christopher's face was like the sun emerging from behind the clouds after a storm. He kissed her unbruised cheek.
"Me Morag," he told her. "Me love. Give me just a few hours. I need tae try tae gather as much information as I can tae help me family and our allies and tae sabotage what I can before we flee. I swear tae ye, I'll be back before first light. Can ye hold out until then?"
"I can. I will," she swore. "But Christopher, please. Promise me ye'll be careful. I cannae bear tae think of ye bein' hurt."
"I'll see ye soon," he promised.
He reached into his belt and drew out a sheathed dagger, then handed it over. Morag accepted it in her shaking hand, feeling the balanced weight of the weapon in her hand. It was easier to handle than the swords she'd been practicing with, and she tucked it away quickly.
"Be safe, for me."
"I will," she said.
A thrill of fear went through her at the thought, but she knew that if she had to, she would easily use this dagger. If the choice was between Christopher or Campbell's men, then she'd choose him every time.
He smiled, then moved back to the window. She helped him out, reminding him again to be careful. Just before his head disappeared below the frame, she called out his name once more.
"Christopher?"
"What is it?" he called back up.
Morag's heart burned like a hearth, and the warmth flooded her whole body. "I love ye, too."
She couldn't see Christopher, but she heard the smile in his voice.
"I ken. Stay strong, me love."
Then he was gone. Morag closed the shutters and took a deep breath. A strange calm flooded through her, and she nodded to herself.
Yes. She could stay strong.
And soon, she'd be free.