Chapter 33
Burke maintained his composure though he would have much preferred to repeatedly punch something. He was a fool for even thinking the earl would play fair. Now what choice was left to him?
“That leaves us only one choice,” Storm said.
“Absolutely not. You’re not going into Weighton,” Burke said sternly, and the other men nodded in agreement.
Lady Alaina hurried to Storm’s side, grabbing hold of her hand. “Do you think it could work? Do you think you can really rescue Cullen?”
“I believe that we’d have a fair chance with someone on the inside. Once contact could be made with Cullen, there’d be two who could work together on the escape. The others could secure the outside area so that when we made our break, there’d be no one to stop us.”
“It sounds as if it could work,” Lady Alaina said hopefully.
“It’s too much of a risk,” Burke said, refusing to even give the idea thought and yet knowing that there was no other choice. But how could he condone sending the woman he loved into harm’s way?
“It may be the only way,” Tanin agreed reluctantly.
“Finally, someone who realizes the dire straits of our situation,” Storm said.
“Sending you into Weighton could mean sending you to your death,” Burke said angrily.
He couldn’t help it. He was so frustrated with the circumstances.
He couldn’t see how he would find the strength to stand by and let Storm be captured and dragged off to prison.
He’d want to kill any man who dared lay a hand on her.
“Your brother faces certain death if we don’t. At least with me going in he has a chance, which is more than he has now.”
Reason certainly was her forte, not that the plan made sense, or made it any easier for him.
Burke suddenly got an idea. “There’s no need for you to go into Weighton. I’ll be going in to ransom my brother and that will put me right where I need to be to help expedite the escape.”
Lady Alaina shook her head. “No, my father does not plan for you to ever reach Weighton. He actually took great pleasure in knowing he’d prevent a reunion between you and Cullen.”
“That’s it. I go in,” Storm said emphatically.
“What can I do to help?” Lady Alaina asked eagerly.
Burke stood silent, though he felt the urge to shout out his anger. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to chance losing the woman he loved to save his brother, and yet he knew without a doubt that Storm would advise him that it wasn’t his choice. It was hers.
“Keep listening,” Storm advised. “Let us know of anything you think is of importance. Philip will remain nearby and stay in contact with you. He will also let you know when it is time to join us. You need to make certain your father believes that you are going away to visit friends or something so that he does not become suspicious.”
“I will make a plausible excuse that he will not doubt since he keeps a watchful eye on me, which is why I must return now before he suspects something. Good luck to you all,” Lady Alaina said and walked over to Burke.
“I cannot wait to see the look on Cullen’s face when he lays eyes on his brother for the first time. ”
“I daresay the look in his eyes when he knows that you will be going to America with him will far exceed it.”
She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. Thank you for a chance at happiness.”
Once Philip and Alaina were gone, the group continued discussing the plan in relative silence until near dusk, when they stopped for the night. It wasn’t until later, when all but Burke and Storm were asleep, she taking the first guard as usual, that Burke got a chance alone with her.
“You know I don’t like this,” he said, sitting beside her on a slight rise that allowed a good view of the forest from various angles.
“I know,” Storm said, and slipped her arm around his.
He asked a question he knew the answer to, but he had to voice his concern. “Tell me why I should let you do this.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
“What if I said I love you too much to chance losing you?”
She hesitated, then answered. “I would think I am lucky to have someone who loves me so much, but it would change nothing.”
He took strong hold of her hand. “I will be relieved when this is over and we are sailing home to America.”
Storm sighed. “Burke, you know I cannot go with you.”
He would settle this dilemma once and for all. Actually, she had settled it once she had made the choice to go into the prison to free Cullen. “Do you love me?”
She glanced at him with the most serene blue eyes he had ever seen, and he knew then and there just how much she loved him, though he wished to hear the words.
“I love you very much, Mr. Longton.”
He smiled. “Then it is settled.”
“Burke, please understand my—”
“No,” he snapped. “You understand that now you have no choice in the matter as I have no choice in deciding if you go into Weighton or not.”
“What do you mean?” Storm asked confused.
“You are the infamous outlaw Storm. What do you think will happen once you pull off a successful escape from Weighton? Not only will you have doubled the earl’s wrath, you will most likely have incurred the king’s wrath, and the bounty on your head will surely double, possibly triple.
There will be no safe place for you to hide.
You will have no choice but to leave Scotland.
You sealed your fate, my love, once you made the decision to enter Weighton. ”
Her silence told him that she weighed the impact of his words and knew them to be the truth.
“In my zeal to free your brother, I had not given the consequences thought. You are right. I will be hunted viciously, as will anyone associated with me. No place will be safe.”
“Give it thought now,” he said. “And while you’re thinking on that, think on this.” He brought her hand to his mouth for a kiss. “Storm, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”
She stared at him.
“The choice is yours. I do not want you to feel that you must marry me in order to go to America. If you don’t wish to marry me, I will see you safely to America and I will provide for you until you get on your own feet.
However, you do love me, so it would seem reasonable that you would want to marry me. Would you? Marry me, that is.”
She smiled.
“A smile is a good sign. Let me remind you again of how very wealthy I am, how much you adore my sense of humor and how deeply I am in love with you.”
Her smile grew. “You forgot your leadership qualities.”
“See what a good catch I am.” He grinned.
“There is only one thing that matters,” she said softly.
“What is that?” he asked and leaned his face down near hers.
“Love, that you love me and I love you. Nothing, absolutely nothing else matters. Foolishly, I thought it did.” She shook her head.
“I thought rescuing people was my fate, but I realize it’s not forever.
Life changes. It always does whether we’re ready for it or not.
I admit I’m not ready. I don’t believe I ever would be, but it looks like fate has decided that my life is about to change. ” She kissed him.
The kiss was gentle and Burke favored it for it sealed their future, their fate.
She rested her cheek against his. “I can’t believe I am agreeing to this. What will happen to my men, my group of people who depend on me? There’s so much to consider. Is this really a wise choice?”
“I will offer passage to America for all those who choose to go, and for those who do not, I will give them sufficient coin to go elsewhere.”
“You would do that?”
“I would do that for you, for I know you would worry over their fate and I want you to leave Scotland free of worry for those who choose to remain behind.”
She shivered, and he took her in his arms.
“This has been the only home I’ve known. I had never thought to leave it. It will not be easy.”
“There is nothing left for you here. We will build a new life together in America and you will have friends there to share it with. I would bet that most all of your men and people would go with you to America. In a way, you will be taking part of Scotland with you. I have no doubt Tanin would go.”
“I agree,” Storm said, snuggling against him. “I know he and Ellie yearn for a real home, land to work, children to raise, and of course Janelle would go with them. They are her only family.”
“All of your group is family, and I doubt if any want to be left behind.”
Storm poked his chest. “I never intended to fall in love with you.”
“You couldn’t help yourself. I’m just too wonderful.”
She laughed. “I will not lack laughter being married to you.”
He took hold of her hand and kissed it. “You will never lack love, for I will love you always.”
“You are generous with people and you are generous with your love. I truly am a lucky woman.”
“I keep telling you that.”
She giggled and poked him with her free hand. “Modest you are not.”
“No, I am not,” he said and took hold of her other hand, holding them both together.
“You can always count on me speaking the truth, always count on me admiring you, respecting you, and loving you. And always, always being there for you, no matter the circumstances.” He gave her shoulder a gentle shove with his.
“We can always discuss your faults in private.”
She laughed again. “What of your faults?”
“It’s rare that I’m wrong.”
She continued laughing as she pulled her hands free of his and slipped them around his neck.
Burke wrapped his arms around her, kissing her with an intense passion that let her know just how very much he loved her, wanted her, ached for her.
“I wish we were in my cabin on my ship sailing home,” he whispered in her ear.
“We will be soon enough.”
He brushed his lips faintly across hers. “You don’t know how relieved I am to hear you say that. I didn’t know how I was going to convince you. I only knew that I couldn’t—wouldn’t—leave Scotland without you.”
“I seemed to have made it easy for you.”
He nodded. “You certainly have. You’ve finally admitted you love me. That was all I needed to hear.”
“And if I hadn’t?”
He laughed solid and strong. “I knew you loved me. I was just waiting for you to realize it.”
“You are incorrigible.”
“But I’m right.”
“That’s right, you’re rarely wrong,” she said teasingly.
He patted her hand. “You know your future husband already.”
“Do you know your future wife?” she challenged.
“I know her very well,” he murmured and nuzzled her neck.
She giggled softly and scrunched her neck. “Tell me what you know.”
“She is an extraordinarily brave warrior.” He nibbled at her ear.
“A skilled swordsman.” He tickled her neck with his lips.
“A woman of deep conviction.” He brushed his lips along her warm cheek.
“A woman of honor.” He kissed her lips lightly.
“A beautiful, loving woman whom I shall cherish forever.”
A tear lingered in the corner of her eye and Burke caught it on his finger.
“I had hoped for a smile, not tears.”
She smiled while another tear slipped out. “I have never heard love spoken of so eloquently.”
“I promise you will hear it often from me. Not a day will go by that I won’t express how I feel about you or show you. Who knows, you may even grow tired of hearing it.”
“Never,” she said. “Never will I grow tired of hearing it.”
He rested his forehead on hers. “How lucky I am to have found you. I never would have suspected from our first meeting that a pint-sized woman dressed as a lad and wielding a sword would work her way into my heart. I do believe fate had a heavy hand in it.”
“It had to have been fate for I would never have thought that I could fall in love with a brash, stubborn American, let alone marry him. And go to America?” She shook her head. “That was simply impossible and it was the furthest thought from my mind.”
“I warned you about fate,” Burke reminded with a smile.
“I stubbornly refused to listen, but what difference does it make,” she said with a shrug. “Fate won out as you warned me it would. Let us hope fate once again is on our side when we enter Weighton prison.”
“It has to be,” Burke said, drawing her close in his arms. “Fate couldn’t possibly bring us together only to tear us apart.”
Storm cuddled closer in Burke’s arms, and he knew her thoughts, for he was certain they mirrored his. Fate couldn’t be that cruel.
This time Burke did not intend to leave anything to fate. This time he would be the one in charge. He would determine the outcome. He would make certain the escape plan was foolproof, that nothing would go wrong, and most importantly, that no harm would come to Storm.
He would do anything to keep her safe.
“You’ve traveled all the way from America to fulfill your father’s dream. Don’t let anything stand in the way of freeing your brother,” Storm said, her head resting against his chest.
Burke remained silent. He knew what she meant and he refused to acknowledge it. He would not trade her life for Cullen’s. He would make certain both she and his brother were freed, if he had to die doing it.