Chapter 27
Seven days had passed. Seven long and painful days, which seemed to blend into each other.
Day was night. Night was day. Nothing mattered but the fact that Keira had left, and she had not even said goodbye.
Truth be told, Raphael hadn’t allowed her to.
He had made sure to be out all day, from the early morning till late at night.
So, even if she had wanted to, which he doubted, a goodbye face-to-face was impossible.
That afternoon, he was seated in his study, yet another day of him being unable to focus on anything. But this time, Dallas had decided to keep him company. Both men were sitting with drinks in their hands as if that might soothe the pain.
“Why did ye let her go?” Dallas suddenly asked.
Raphael had known that this question was coming, and he was actually surprised that his loyal friend had not asked it sooner.
Raphael looked into his glass, the amber liquid swirling within, and sighed. “I did it for her safety, Dallas. Ye see what happened with Gresham. She would always be in danger by me side, and I cannae bear the thought of her bein’ harmed because of me.”
Dallas regarded him, his eyes filled with understanding. “Love is always a dangerous affair, m’Laird. But it’s a risk worth takin’.”
Raphael’s gaze remained fixed on his glass. He knew that he had acted out of what he believed was the best course of action, but the pain of separation and the love he held for Keira still gnawed at his heart.
“Maybe some men simply arenae meant to be happy.” He sighed. “We’ve done bad things, Dallas.”
“We’ve atoned for them, m’Laird,” Dallas reminded him.
“Ye’ve saved more people than ye’ve harmed.
When ye set us all free from that bastard and his damned ship, ye found us a land to settle, ye brought our families to live with us…
We are a clan now. A powerful clan. With people who care for each other. We’ve atoned for our sins.”
“Gresham wouldnae agree,” Raphael pointed out.
“People like Gresham dinnae ken to take responsibility for their own lives,” Dallas spoke wisely. “For whatever happened, it would never be his fault. It would always be someone else’s. Some people are like that, but nae us.”
“Nae us.” Raphael nodded musingly.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
“Aye?” Raphael called.
Both men glanced in the direction of the door, which opened momentarily to reveal the face of Raphael’s butler.
“Pardon me, m’Laird, but ye have visitors,” the old man said.
“Who is it?” Raphael asked.
Before the butler could reply, the door opened fully, and Jasper, Joan, Avery, and another man whom Raphael assumed was her husband walked in without even being invited.
The look on the butler’s face was one of shock, and it amused Raphael.
He nodded at the man, signaling that it was all right, and the doors closed momentarily.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of—” Raphale started, but he was swiftly interrupted.
“This,” Joan spoke, at the same time throwing an envelope into Raphael’s lap. He looked down.
The envelope was made from very high-quality parchment, exuding a sense of luxury and durability. It had a smooth and velvety texture, which invited touch, but Raphael refused to entertain that idea. It was of a soft ivory hue, radiating a sense of timeless grace.
Upon a closer look, Raphael noticed intricate patterns on it, a delicate filigree with a floral motif.
It was larger than a standard letter, meaning that there was something important inside, something that needed ample space to be announced.
The flap of the envelope bore a gentle curve, impressed with a wax seal with a family crest he didn’t recognize.
“What is this?” He frowned as his friends stood in somber anticipation.
Joan, with a mixture of sympathy and solemnity, took a deep breath before responding, “It is an invitation to Edward and Keira’s wedding.”
The words hung in the air, heavy with finality. Raphael’s heart skipped a beat, and a complex whirlwind of emotions surged within him. The realization that Keira was marrying another man pierced through his heart like a dagger.
“Ye’ve lost her.” Jasper pointed out something that was slowly becoming obvious to Raphael as well.
During this past week, Raphael had managed to convince himself that he didn’t care, that this was for the best. At least, he had been trying to. But it hadn’t occurred to him that Keira might get married so soon.
Then again, he blamed himself for that as well. It was he who had stained her reputation by inviting her to come to his castle. All she had wanted was a simple kiss, and he had had to make everything too complicated.
At that poignant moment, as the significance of the letter settled in, Raphael was struck with the profound truth—he had lost Keira forever.
The depth of his feelings for her, previously obscured by his sense of duty and protection, was now laid bare.
It was a heavy burden to bear, especially now that he knew that he loved her, that there would never be anyone else for him.
When Gresham kidnapped her, when he was so close to losing her, that was when it all became clear. But it was too late even then.
He took the letter in his hands. He felt the scorching heat emanating from it. His thoughts were a tempest of emotions, regret, and a painful awareness of a love he could have had.
“Nae, m’Laird,” Dallas suddenly spoke. “Naething is lost. There is still time… if ye hurry.”
Raphael locked gazes with Dallas, who was telling him exactly what he needed to hear. At that moment, all his friends realized this need.
“Aye.” Jasper nodded. “Dallas is right. She isnae a married woman yet. Go to her. Dinnae let this opportunity slip through yer fingers, me friend. Sometimes, in love, takin’ a risk is the only way to find happiness.”
“That night at the cèilidh, she told me she was falling in love with you,” Joan admitted, and Raphael stared at her in awe and disbelief. “You should go and talk to her before it really is too late.”
The urgency in her words resonated with him. His hesitation, his fear of endangering Keira, had held him back for far too long. The depth of his feelings could no longer be denied, and the potential for happiness seemed to hang in the balance.
The weight of their advice pressed upon Raphael, but in their words, he found the courage he needed. The path ahead was uncertain, but he realized that he couldn’t let his love for Keira remain unspoken and unexplored any longer.
With a determined nod, he rose from his seat, the letter clutched in his hand, and a new resolve in his heart. The time to confront his feelings, and perhaps change the course of their shared destiny, had arrived.
The days passed by, but in Keira’s opinion, it could all have been just one long, endless day that seemed to stretch into nothingness. And that was what her days would be from now on until the day she drew her last breath.
Nothing would ever be as it was. It was difficult to accept this, mostly because her heart rebelled against the idea. She loved Raphael, and the fact that he didn’t reciprocate her feelings hurt beyond belief.
Only a few days separated her from her wedding to Edward.
She inhaled deeply as she sat at the writing table in her chamber.
Edward was a good man. She knew that. In fact, she was certain that his heart belonged to someone else because he had that same forlorn look in his eyes every time their parents talked about their impending wedding.
She and Edward would exchange glances as if silently saying help me. But there was no help.
It was still early in the afternoon, and Keira was engaged in the quiet solitude of such thoughts. An unexpected and rising commotion from the direction of the drawing room pulled her from her thoughts. Shouts and the sounds of hurried footsteps reached her ears.
A sense of apprehension gripped her as she strained to listen. The muffled voices of men, their tones laden with urgency and concern, carried through the corridor. The words were indistinct, but the tension in the air was unmistakable, and it sent a chill down her spine.
Keira couldn’t stay confined in her chamber, not with the heated commotion unfolding in the drawing room. Gathering her skirts, she hastened down the corridor and descended the grand staircase, her heart pounding with worry.
As she entered the drawing room, she was met with a sight that stopped her in her tracks.
Her father stood with a stern expression, his brows furrowed in frustration.
Her brother, Anthony, who had always been protective, was equally adamant in his stance.
They stood as a united front, their voices raised in disagreement.
Before them, to her utter shock and disbelief, stood Raphael. His eyes, filled with both determination and desperation, were locked in a fierce gaze with her family. It was clear from their expressions that they were at an impasse, each side standing resolutely in their position.
“Raphael?” she called out, her voice on the verge of breaking.
Keira’s presence in the doorway was a moment of tense realization for all of them.
The room was fraught with emotions, and it was evident that her fate was being decided at that very moment.
She felt a surge of conflicting emotions, the heartache of seeing those she loved at odds, and the flicker of hope that her heart had been yearning for.
“Keira, I just need a moment of yer time,” Raphael pleaded. “Please.”
“We kept telling him no.” Anthony was stern in his defense of his sister. “He needs to go.”
“No.” Keira shook her head, to her brother’s surprise. “It’s all right. I left his home without even saying goodbye. And he has come all this way. A moment won’t hurt anyone.”
Anthony approached her. “Keira, are you certain?”
“I am.” She smiled reassuringly, although the thought of remaining alone with Raphael made her both thrilled and afraid at the same time. “Just a moment. Please?”
Her father and brother headed for the door, but then her father lingered in the doorway. “I am not closing the door.”
Keira nodded, watching them leave. Then, she turned to Raphael, letting her confusion show. “Why are you here, Raphael? I thought you made everything clear the night you saved me.”
“Nae.” Raphael shook his head, approaching her. She thought he would take her by the hand, but he didn’t, almost as if he was afraid that she might wince and pull away from him. “I lied, Keira. I had to. It was the only way to keep ye safe.”
“Keep me safe? Is marrying another man safe enough for you?” she said with a pained expression.
A flash of anger and hurt flashed in Raphael’s eyes, but he recollected himself quickly.
“Keira, please, listen to me. I wouldnae be able to live with meself if something happened to ye because of me. I am nae proud of me past as a pirate. I did things I dinnae like to talk about. I created enemies that I fear might be breathin’ down me neck for the rest of me days.
People I’ve cared for have been hurt in the past because of me.
Of who I was. I couldnae let the same happen to ye.
Not ye, Keira.” He let out a sigh and stepped closer to her, slowly, carefully. As if he feared she might vanish.
Keira listened intently, incredulous at what she was hearing. Was it possible? Or was she only dreaming?
“But the truth is, I’m a selfish bastard.
” He gave a bitter smile. “I ken marrying Edward might be better for ye, but… Keira, I’ve wanted ye from the moment I laid me eyes on ye.
Ye need to know this before ye decide. I love ye.
Every moment we’ve spent apart broke me heart, dirty as it may be.
Because no matter what I did or why I did it, I’d lost ye anyway.
To live without ye was the worst thing that had ever happened to me.
I just… I dinnae want to be without ye anymore. I cannae.”
Keira blinked, trying to process everything that was happening. Raphael was here. He wanted her. He loved her. The weight of his words hung in the air, a testament to the depth of his feelings. Keira’s heart soared with both relief and elation as she heard the words she had so longed to hear.
But what if he decides he doesn’t want you again?
“I love you, too, Raphael. But…” She turned his back to him. “I don’t know what you’re asking me. What if another enemy shows up in a month or a year? Would you send me away again? My heart can’t take it, Raphael.”
She felt him approach, and he gently touched her arm and turned her around. He was close now, too close, and Keira didn’t want to think anymore. She wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him like she had always wanted to. But she needed this reassurance.
“Keira, please,” Raphael said with a pained expression. “I vow to protect ye, always. But I want ye at me side. I need ye at me side. We would never be apart again. Unless ye get sick of me, which I really hope ye won’t.”
He held his breath as he softly stroked her cheek. Keira leaned into his touch. God she had missed his warmth.
“Be me wife, Keira. If ye can forgive me, I promise to make ye happy. At least, I’ll try.
” The way he was looking at her was enough reassurance.
“I cannae imagine a life without ye.” His thumb softly traced her lips.
“Will ye do me the honor of becomin’ me wife?
Will ye marry me and share yer life with me… there, in the middle of nowhere?”
She locked eyes with him, and they both smiled.
“I thought you would never ask,” she whispered, and then his lips pressed gently to hers. “I love you, Raphael. I always have. I can’t imagine my life without you either. Or rather I can, and it seems terrible,” she added when he pulled away.
Raphael laughed, relieved, and he pulled her close in a hug that mended all the broken pieces of her heart. But it was not hers anymore, she’d already given it to him, and he could do whatever he wanted with it.
“And I love ye.” Raphael smiled warmly and kissed her again, in a promise of a love that would last forever.