Chapter Twenty #3
This was her Cam.
“No promises,” she said. “And ye know that if ye tattle on me, my retribution shall be swift.”
“I wouldna expect less.”
She smiled and, this time, he smiled in return. Isadora felt a tremendous amount of relief in that small gesture.
“Ye still owe me the bird eggs,” she said. “And not chicken’s eggs, either. I’ll not let ye forget that.”
Cam chuckled in spite of himself. “It has been a long time since I’ve gone hunting for eggs,” he said. “My grandfather gave up keeping birds long ago.”
“Too busy?”
“His smithy stall was always busy. Sometimes we’d work well intae the night.”
“Was yer da a smithy, too?”
“Nay,” he said. “I never knew my da. He was a Northman.”
Isadora blinked in surprise. “A Dane?”
Cam nodded. “He was from a place called Konghelle, a prince of his people. They came tae raid Netherton and he fell in love with my mother, but I never knew him.”
Isadora was fascinated. “I’ve never met anyone with Northman blood in them,” she said. “What a pity ye never knew him.”
“He and my mother were never married.”
The fact that he was a bastard made no difference to Isadora. She was far more interested in the fact that he was the son of a prince.
“And yer mother?” she said. “She must have spoken quite fondly of him. If he loved her, surely she loved him.”
“So I am told,” Cam said. “I never knew my mother, either. She died when I was born. I was raised by her father.”
“Then we have something more in common.”
“What?”
“I never knew my mother, either. She died soon after I was born.”
Cam simply nodded, falling silent as the room around them was a steady chorus of hacking and snoring.
Isadora sat next to him, not wanting to leave him even though it was very late.
She was close enough that she could touch him, discreetly, and she did, running her fingers up and down his forearm in a caressing gesture.
When her fingers drifted down to his hand, he clutched them tightly.
“’Tis strange that I find myself in this life,” she said after a moment.
“What do ye mean?”
“Ye had yer grandfather tae make ye a man,” she said.
“He taught ye a trade and made ye who ye are. But me… I never had a mother tae teach me tae be a lady. I only had a father and older brothers and they taught me the things they knew. They are the ones who taught me tae fight and I learned tae fight better than they do. But as I got older, I realized that lads dunna like a lass who fights.”
Cam’s eyes finally had warmth in them as he squeezed her fingers. “Some lads do.”
Isadora laughed softly. “Not most of them.” She hadn’t meant to speak on the lad she’d been fond of, once, but she didn’t see any harm in it.
“His name was Mitchel dun Machair. He was a distant cousin tae the Keith. Mitchel was big and dark, and he had a way of smiling that set a lass’ heart tae fluttering. ”
“What?” Cam said in mock outrage. “I thought ye said ye’d been true tae me?”
“It was a very long time ago.”
His eyes narrowed. “It had better be. Well? Who is this man who caught yer eye?”
Isadora laughed softly. “He’s but a distant memory, I promise,” she said. “He dinna like a woman who fights. He wanted a lass tae tend his home and bear his children. I’ve no skills in a home, and bairns frighten me, so Mitchel married a pretty lass from another clan.”
Beside her, Cam shifted slightly so that he was closer to her. “Did he tell ye that he dinna want a lass who could fight?”
Isadora looked at him, feeling the heat radiating from his body. It reminded her of the last time they were alone, when he’d made love to her in his tiny cottage. She found herself wishing they could do the same thing tonight. Being this close to the man made her feel hot all over.
“He told me that Pearl would make a better wife because she dinna fight like a man,” she said.
Then she lifted her eyebrows in an ironic gesture.
“Pearl was her name, and she was white and round just like a pearl. I remember wishing I could be just like her, but now I realize that was just foolish. I could have never been happy being a Pearl for the rest of my life.”
Cam smiled faintly. “Now Mitchel is saddled with a round, white Pearl,” he said. “I would wager that she is as bland as her name. If Mitchel had been smart, he would have taken a chance on a redhead who demands bird eggs. But I’m grateful he dinna.”
The flattery brought a flush to Isadora’s cheeks. “Ye prefer a woman who bullies ye for bird eggs?”
That brought a chuckle from Cam. “I would take a woman who bullies me every time,” he said. Then his smile faded. “I like a strong and courageous woman, never afraid tae speak her mind.”
Isadora was genuinely touched. “Ye’re not afraid tae marry her?”
“Ye dunna see me running, do ye?”
She squeezed his fingers, wishing she could do so much more.
“Cam… I want tae say something tae ye, so forgive me if it doesna come out as it should,” she said, stumbling over her words.
“For what happened tae yer grandfather and yer village… I am very sorry. But I’m not sorry that I found ye at the Ludus Caledonia.
If it sounds disrespectful, I dunna mean it that way.
I simply mean that… I thought I’d lost ye when Netherton burned, but when I found ye at The Cal, it was as if my life had begun anew.
I feel strongly that it was fate that brought us together again.
We’re not meant tae be apart, ye and I.”
His eyes had a weary glimmer to them. “Nay, we’re not,” he whispered. “Whatever happens, Isadora… thu fhèin. Remember that.”
She wasn’t quite sure what he meant, but she didn’t ask. In truth, it didn’t really matter to her. He loved her and that was all that mattered.
Only you.
Impulsively, she kissed him, her tender lips against his warm mouth.
It was soft and delicious, but it was a stolen kiss.
Tonight, there could be nothing more and they both knew it.
Quickly, Isadora pulled away and bolted to her feet.
She was halfway across the common room and to the stairs before she turned to look at him, blowing him another kiss before dashing up the steps to her rented chamber.
That night, she slept peaceful dreams of the blond smithy, now warrior, who had captured her heart.