Epilogue
Brighit and Darragh met Sean in the bailey when he arrived bright and early the next day. Her father pulled her away from Darragh and embraced her as if he’d not seen her for years rather than a mere few weeks.
“How have ye fared?”
Her face nearly buried in her father’s burly chest, she managed to say, “I am fine, Father.”
He pulled back to look her in the face, a hand on each shoulder. “And ye’d tell me if ye weren’t?”
The cough behind him certainly sounded forced, but neither Sean nor Brighit turned to Darragh.
“I am well cared for by both my husband and my new clan.”
Sean’s expression relaxed into a beaming smile. “And that’s what I wanted to hear.” He finally reached out to take Darragh’s hand. “How have ye fared, son? My daughter not too much for ye?”
There was the slightest hint of a challenge in the question and Brighit turned to hide her grin.
“I find her just enough for me. Kind of ye to ask.”
“Sean.” Tadhg crossed the open bailey to his friend, whom he embraced. “Glad I am ye’re the first to arrive.”
“And why would that be?”
Brighit’s heart started racing. Would he insist that she and Darragh tell the story of how she’d put herself in harm’s way to reveal Seigine? But Tadhg wrapped a firm hand around Sean’s shoulders, turning him toward the castle and away from the couple. “We’ve a few things to discuss.”
Brighit and Darragh exchanged a relieved look. She had not looked forward to breaking the news to her father and it was clear her husband felt the same way.
“WHAT?”
As one, they turned toward Sean and Tadhg. Her father’s outrage was not something she’d seen very often. He was level-headed and seldom became this irate, but the look he sent her way made it difficult to swallow.
“Should I speak to him?” Darragh spoke quietly to her, neither of them daring to move.
“Probably not.” Brighit had no idea what to do, but she was thankful Tadhg was still leading him toward the castle. If anyone could get through to her father, it was his oldest friend. Though he seemed reluctant, Sean eventually allowed himself to be herded within.
“Praise God I did not have to explain how it all came to pass,” Darragh said.
Brighit turned her wide eyes on him. “Are ye that intimidated by my father?”
“When it comes to his only daughter, Sean is not reasonable.”
From the way he averted his eyes, Brighit knew there was something he was not sharing with her.
“He is an extremely reasonable man,” she said, countering his assertion in the hopes she’d convince him to talk.
Darragh threw his hands up in surrender. “Shall I share with ye how I was to take ye the first time?”
Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open.
“Aye, he was extremely concerned that ye experience no pain.”
Brighit reddened. “Oh my.”
“He explained his first time with yer mother.”
Brighit covered her mouth.
“And had some very specific pointers for me.”
“Oh, Darragh, I am very sorry.”
Darragh shrugged. “It may have been intended only as a man-to-man talk but being that he is yer father… ye understand.”
She nodded, her lips pressed tight to keep from smiling.
“Besides—” Darragh wrapped his arms about her, pulling her into his warm embrace, “—it made me more determined to be sure our joining was without witnesses, making my bride very happy.”
“Very happy indeed.” Brighit offered her lips to his, still amazed at his ability to make her feel safe and secure when everything around them was dangerous and unknown. “Forgiveness please for hurting ye.”
He tipped her chin up with a gentle touch, looking into her eyes. “My love, ye had been through a horrible ordeal. I wish only that ye could have shared it with me.”
“I should have trusted ye.” She nodded. “I did not trust Terrence over ye. Some of the powder had rubbed off. He saw the bruises.”
“Thank ye for that. Terrence told me ye refused to give him any details. I am pleased ye’ve decided ye could trust me.” He brushed her cheek. “We have come a long way with trust, have we not?”
“Indeed.”
“Good.” Darragh bent over to lift her from the ground, tossing her over his shoulder.
“What are ye about?” she squealed.
Heading to the left of the main entrance, where Tadhg was no doubt still soothing her father’s temper, Darragh climbed the steps that ran along the outside of the building, taking them two at a time.
“I’ve a powerful need for my wife.”
“Now?” Brighit gripped his body as she tried to pick her head up, forcing herself to resist any thrashing about or loud carrying on despite her desire to be put down.
“I can think of no better time.”
“But my father is here,” she said, and even to her ears it sounded like a lame excuse.
“And he’ll have to wait.”
She refused to laugh. “But—”
He halted whatever she was about to say with a firm slap to her bottom, his hand remaining where it fell. When he started caressing her lightly, setting off her own need, Brighit decided there were definitely worst ways they could spend this time.
The council convened, and the proof brought forth before the panel of nobles included the testimony of the three witnesses who had heard everything Seigine had said to Brighit—Darragh, Tadhg, and Francis.
Since Seigine himself confessed what he had done, there was little need for more discussion.
The kings and others from the line of kings deemed worthy to be on this council were not insensitive to her plight, but it did become necessary for Brighit to tell her side of what had happened.
As was the custom, the meeting was held outside in plain view of any who wished to come and bear witness and most did.
Brighit handled herself with a dignity rarely seen in any of the warriors who addressed the council.
Although Sean’s outrage was barely contained as she told her story with little emotion, Darragh could only feel an amazing sense of pride in his wife.
Seigine was determined to be guilty of murdering his own brother.
The condition of the body, stabbed repeatedly by an enraged man, brought him little sympathy.
The fact that he had killed the very man he had pledged to protect only made it a more horrific crime, requiring nothing less than Seigine’s death.
Cathair had believed the warriors sneaking onto MacCochlain land that night were the ones who’d killed their livestock, ruined their grain, and mayhap even attacked their women.
The warriors had lain in wait to defend what was theirs.
The sorrow of the rest of the MacCochlain warriors was only deepened by the realization that Seigine had been murdering their leader while they were off fighting the intruders.
These same warriors had traveled with Seigine because they’d believed he wished to find his brother’s murderer.
Cathair’s closest friend, Garbhán, had stepped up to promise personal protection to Seigine.
As a sign of his commitment, he’d added a braided lock of the man’s hair to his black arm band, which all of the warriors wore as a symbol of mourning for the loss of their king.
Once he had heard the witnesses, including Brighit? Garbhán stepped out from the crowd, ripped the lock of hair from his arm to drop it on the ground and crushed it beneath his heal. Seigine averted his eyes when the men who had served him lined up beside Garbhán and turned their back to him.
The execution of Seigine was to take place in a fortnight, giving enough time for his entire clan to be present to witness the punishment.
At the urging of the council, and with the agreement of the other warriors including Garbhán, the joining of Clan MacCochlain to Clan Dubhshláine was completed as Cathair had planned.
It was the very thing that had enraged Seigine enough to murder his own brother. Prayers were offered for Cathair.
Darragh considered this a good time to take Brighit on a trek back to visit their friends, Gwen and William.
He did not want her to have to see the man chained in the bailey every day or to have to witness his execution.
It would be too much. And if the weather was rough as they traveled, he felt certain they would manage.
The couple took the news about their nephews very hard.
They’d never had their own children and the brothers had been like sons to them.
Gwen was beside herself to learn how Seigine had threatened Brighit, especially since she herself had unknowingly played a part in it.
William privately admitted to Darragh that he’d always had his own concerns about the rivalry between the boys.
The parting was hard for both couples, but Brighit and Darragh promised to come visit again in the spring.
“Ye’ve been very quiet.” Darragh glanced at Brighit riding beside him, dressed in her trews and tunic. “Do ye have concerns about the council’s declaration?”
“Oh no, I believe they were more than fair.”
“Difficult decisions to make.”
And selecting who would live and who would die was the hardest duty for any leader. Battle required a warrior be put in harm’s way. Some survived and some did not. Darragh had faced his fair share of such choices.
“Is that one of the reasons ye’d prefer not to be named ri?”
His perceptive wife.
“I would prefer not to have to leave ye and our children as my father always did. He could be gone for years. A warrior does battle, sometimes long, drawn-out battles, but then he returns home. It is the king who stays behind after the fighting is done to settle things.” Dreading her answer a lot less than he had earlier, he asked, “Does this change yer opinion of me?”
“It does not. I will always hold ye in the highest regard whatever ye choose for us.”
“Did ye see yer uncle when they described what had transpired? He was unable to remain present.”
“I did speak with him.” She turned to him, her eyes rounded with concern. “I did not want him to feel guilty.”
“So ye did not tell him everything?”
“I tried to tell him.” She frowned, glancing away. “Lachlann finally had to spit it out in that way that only my brother has.”
“Brighit. It was his fault ye were there at all. His and yer brothers.”
“I know ye feel that way, but mayhap ye do not understand exactly how persuasive I can be.”
“Ye say this to me?” Darragh put his hands to his hips and quirked a brow. “So ye believe ye bullied them into allowing ye to come?”
“No.” She had the grace to blush. “Mayhap ye do know, but my uncle has been through so much. He just lost his wife.”
“I understand that and I have great sympathy for the man, but he put my wife in harm’s way and I do not take that lightly. I had trusted him to protect ye, not drag ye into the dark of night where ye—”
“I know what happened, Darragh, I was there.”
He slammed his mouth shut. She had been correct to not allow him to come with her when she spoke to Niall. Darragh would not have been able to hide his irritation with the man, even though he would have been right.
“He offered to pay his honor price to Clan Dubhshláine for his part in the untimely raid. They refused him.” Brighit sighed. “My uncle is a good man.”
“I do not dispute that.”
“Clan Dubhshláine wants only good will with their neighbors, including yer clan and my father’s clan.”
“It did help clear the tension when Seigine admitted he was the one killing the deer on our land and his own.” Darragh rubbed at his face. “A tiresome ordeal, this whole thing.”
“And it was that outlaw Black Oengus who attacked the women in his clan, did my father tell ye that?”
Darragh nodded.
“Seigine’s wife was so damaged from the attack, she is no longer right in the head.”
“Garbhán assured me the man was a cruel husband even before that.” He pulled back on his horse’s reins, stopping just within the tree line near a small clearing. “This seems like a good place to rest for the night.”
Brighit dismounted and pulled her bag down with her as she came toward Darragh. He took the sack and dropped it on the ground beside them to take her in his arms. “Have I told ye how pleased I am with ye as my wife?”
“I believe ye show me every night.”
“Ah, our passion is indisputable, but do not underestimate how much ye impress me with yer bravery and intelligence.”
She held his gaze for a long moment before she finally answered. “No other man would have accepted me just as I am. They would have needed to break me to their will.”
“And it would have been their loss.”
Brighit swallowed, her gaze intense. “That ye do accept me as I am means everything to me.”
“My she-warrior.” He kissed her again then nuzzled into the crook of her neck. “I have married a warrior who also pleasures me in bed.”
“Have I told ye how pleased I am with ye as my husband?”
“I believe ye have shown me as much.” He tugged at the opening of her tunic to nip at her shoulder.
“And is that yer appreciation pressing against me now?”
“Hmm, appreciation for all that ye are. Now let us see to these trews and tunics.”
He reached to assist her, but she stepped out of his arms. “Ye said ye liked me in these.”
“Ah, but I like ye without them even better.”
She smiled and moved closer. “Ah, then I give ye permission to have yer way with me.”
And he did.
The End