Chapter 27 #2
It was easier than Rory expected. The thirst for revenge had driven the Mackenzie to act precipitously in anticipation of Sleat’s arrival.
The guardsmen who had accompanied the Mackenzie were waiting for the return of their chief by the secret entrance, only to be surprised by Rory and his men.
When Sleat did arrive, there would be no one left to meet him.
No one left to pass on the location of the secret entrance.
Within a few hours, Rory had secured the keep and returned to his room.
Isabel was waiting with a needle to stitch up his wound.
Later that morning, they sat across a small table that had been set up for Isabel to eat in his chamber.
Rory stretched out his long, muscular legs, sat back in his chair with a goblet of cuirm, and watched her, reluctant to take his eyes off her lest she disappear. He still couldn’t believe she was here.
“I don’t think I have ever seen you enjoy a meal more,” he said, amused.
Isabel looked somewhat shamefaced, aware that she had attacked her platter with a rather unladylike gusto.
“I’m afraid I’m quite ravenous. I’ve been fighting bouts of nausea for the past couple of weeks.
” She wrinkled her nose. “I can’t abide the smells of certain foods, especially herring,” she said with a shudder.
Just like my mother when she was …
Rory froze, forcing himself to stay calm, but his pulse quickened with possibility.
She couldn’t be. But he, more than anyone, knew that she could.
The memory of their night of celebration almost two months ago when he’d lost control and spilled his seed deep inside her.
His heart dropped. Their child. Could Isabel be carrying their child?
Emotion gripped his chest with an intensity that stunned him.
He wanted it with every fiber of his being.
He took a long sip of cuirm, his fingers squeezing the goblet so hard that his knuckles turned white. As casually as he could muster, he asked, “Isabel, do you remember the night after the gathering?”
She looked at him questioningly, her brows a perfect V above her tiny nose. “Of course.”
He held her gaze intently. “Have you had your flux since then?”
She tilted her head, considering. “No, I don’t think so. Why—” She broke off with a sharp intake of breath, and her hand flew over her mouth as understanding dawned. She looked at him, eyes wide with disbelief. “A babe?”
“ ’Tis possible,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.
Her hand dropped to cover her stomach. “Dear God, how could I not have guessed? I’ve been so worried about everything else, I never even considered …”
Rory could have put his face in his hands and wept.
From joy, that something so precious could have been created from their love.
And from regret. I sent her away. I could have lost them both.
Never again. He stood up and pulled her into his arms, cradling her gently against him, overwhelmed by what he could have lost, but had now been returned to him.
“Oh, Rory, I’m sorry,” she sobbed.
He tilted her chin to his, peering deep into tumultuous seas of violet. “What foolishness is this? Why would you be sorry?”
“I know you did not want a child to complicate matters.”
Rory smiled. “A bairn will not complicate anything.” In truth, he could think of nothing more perfect.
“But what of the alliance?”
“There is no longer an alliance with Argyll. I’d decided some time ago that I could not let you go.”
She looked as though he’d handed her the moon. She realized what it could have cost him. “But what of Trotternish?”
Quickly, he explained about the letter he’d received from King James. Rory knew that James would be angry about the Mackenzie’s death, but the king would not fault him for killing a man who’d attacked him in his own bedchamber.
A huge smile spread across her face. “So my letter to Queen Anne helped?”
“Coming on the heels of my letter to the king, I’m sure it did not hurt.
Although with what you’ve brought from your uncle, I think James would have been persuaded to our way of thinking in any event.
” He looked deep into her eyes. “So you see, I knew before you’d arrived that you would not betray me.
” He smiled. “Not that I’m not pleased with what you brought me.
But I’d already made plans to come after you. ”
“You did?”
“I wrote to your father. In fact, I think we can expect him soon.”
“My father, here?”
“I hoped to persuade him that a marriage, a real marriage this time, would be to his benefit. I believe I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”
Her eyebrows drew tight together. “What kind of offer?”
“I offered him my support against the Mackenzies in his defense of Castle Strome.”
She threw her arms around his neck. “You agreed to do that for me?”
Rory grinned. “In truth, ’twas not a very difficult decision. The Mackenzies are no friends of ours, especially today. And with your letter, I may have some influence with the king soon.”
“So by marrying me, you will be able to reclaim the land you’ve sought.”
He knew what she was thinking. “Aye, but that is not why I want to marry you.” He had to tell her how important she was to him. “You are a MacLeod, you are part of my family.” I was lost without you.
Her brows knit together across her nose. “I don’t understand. You repudiated the handfast.”
“Aye, love, I’m sorry for that.” More sorry than she would ever know. Those were dark days indeed. He pressed a soft kiss on her mouth. “But don’t you remember the bard’s tale? Only a MacLeod can touch the Fairy Flag.”
Isabel tossed back her head and laughed. “I wish you had thought of that before you sent me back to my uncle, it would have saved me quite a lot of heartache,” she said sternly, but the amused twinkling in her eyes ruined the effect.
“I must admit, I didn’t think of it until later. But I think I always knew that you belonged to me. From the first moment I saw you.” He smiled at her look of disbelief. “Maybe it didn’t always seem like it, Isabel, but it was there.”
Thank God he’d recognized it before it was too late.
Isabel had opened up a part of him that he hadn’t known existed.
The life of a leader was a lonely one indeed.
Consumed by duty and responsibility, Rory had lost sight of what was truly important.
His sister’s happiness, his brother’s, and his own.
He’d been wrong. Isabel wasn’t his weakness, but his greatest strength.
The intensity of emotion that he felt for this tiny lass humbled him.
Rory drew her into his arms and looked straight into her eyes, so there would be no mistaking his next words—words that would bind them together forever. “I love you, Isabel, with all of my heart.”
Much later that evening, after tearful reunions with Bessie, Margaret, and Alex, Isabel sighed deeply and snuggled back against the warm, solid strength behind her.
Awash in the sensation of happiness so complete, it took her breath away.
She felt his arms tighten instinctively in response—drawing her even closer.
Her bottom slid perfectly into the natural bend of his hips and legs.
One arm slid snugly under her breasts, the other wrapped almost protectively around her still flat stomach.
A babe. Isabel still could not believe it.
The discovery of the tiny life growing inside her had moved her beyond words.
Never could she have imagined the intensity of emotion that had come with the knowledge that she was carrying Rory’s child.
She was bound to this man in a way that she could not have comprehended a year ago.
That such a blessing could spring out of such difficulty was a profound testament to the strength of their love and the power of forgiveness.
Her head still spun with all that had happened.
He’d forgiven her, saved her from death at the hands of a madman, declared his love, and given her the gift of a child.
All in the space of one day. An impressive feat, even for a man like Rory MacLeod.
But it was what he’d almost given up that had struck her to the core.
She’d been astonished when he’d confided that he’d intended to marry her even if the king had refused his request to include Trotternish in her tocher.
He’d risked his duty for her. Knowing what that choice could have cost him humbled her.
Rory had given her so much, more than she’d ever dreamed possible. A place in his family, a new understanding of her own, a child, and, most of all, his love. Without him she would be incomplete—the impressionable, vulnerable child she had been before she came to Dunvegan.
She could feel his even breathing on the back of her neck. Having assumed he was sleeping, Isabel started at the sound of his voice.
“What are you thinking about, my love?”
Isabel smiled. “That I have never felt so gloriously happy. I think I could stay in this position for the rest of my life.”
Rory moved over her, rolling her on her back so that he could look in her eyes.
Gently, he kissed the tip of her nose. “Hmmm,” he murmured, tracing feathery kisses down the side of her cheek.
“Perhaps I have been derelict in my duty, then.” His tongue darted between her parted lips, sweeping the inside of her mouth.
Instantly, she felt the tingling waves of sensation spread through her limbs like a warm caress. Just the arousing taste of his mouth and he could leave her begging for more. “How do you mean?” she managed to ask through the haze of desire already spiraling through her body.
His mouth grew more demanding as he rolled on top of her and began vigorously seducing her with his lips and tongue, leaving her breathless. After a moment, he lifted his head and grinned. “We are not yet married and already you grow content with one position.”
“Rogue. You know that’s not what I meant. And you definitely haven’t been derelict in your duty.” She pushed him away with a laugh. “As to the other, now that I think of it, I don’t recall being asked to marry you.” She cocked a brow. “Are you so sure of my response?”
An endearingly befuddled expression crossed his face, before it was replaced by an arrogant grin.
He sat up against the headboard and folded his arms across his chest. Isabel sucked in her breath.
He was beautiful. All that strength. The smooth, tanned skin stretched taut against the rock hard muscles of his arms and shoulders.
She would never tire of looking at him, delighting in the fact that he was hers.
“You have to marry me,” he pointed out, “for the child.” His gaze slid down her nakedness, resting on the rounded curve of her backside. He frowned. “Your hips are too narrow. I worry that our braw laddie will be too big for you.”
She savored a thought of their child for a moment, before she processed what he’d said. Her brows shot up. “And how can you possibly be sure that the babe will be a boy?”
Rory chuckled. “Of course he will be a boy,” he said, as if any other alternative were impossible. He drew himself up even more proudly. “We will call him John.”
Isabel shook her head. One day he would have to learn that there were just some things even he couldn’t command.
“Are there any other reasons I should marry you?” She was almost afraid to ask.
He’d finished his teasing. The playful arrogance was gone, replaced by a soft expression that warmed her to her toes. He lifted her chin to hold her gaze. “I’ve saved my best argument for last.”
She waited, her breath caught firmly in her chest.
“Because my life would be meaningless without you. You are my light. I made the biggest mistake of my life when I sent you away, and a curtain of darkness descended over my soul. I love you more than I ever thought possible.” He moved his hand over her stomach protectively.
“I vow my eternal devotion to you and our child.”
Isabel was held spellbound by the deep, unerring love she beheld in his tender gaze. The stars at last aligned, shining bright in the twinkle of his eye.
He kissed her mouth softly. “Isabel, you have taught me what it is to love. Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”
Unbridled joy spread through her. Her eyes blurred with tears of happiness. In his sparkling eyes, unveiled and brimming with emotion, she beheld the wondrous promise of a new beginning. A promise of forever.
Their love was not fragile as she’d thought—it was strong enough to weather the slings and arrows of the capricious fates that had brought them together. She would never doubt it again.
She nodded and said simply, “I thought you would never ask.”