Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“ S o, are ye still goin’ tae attack the castle tonight?” Isla asked Ewan as they sat at the table eating their supper later that evening.
“I’m nae sure. With all that’s happened between us, I need some time tae think about what is best tae dae. I’ll wait until I find an answer,” he replied.
Isla put a hand to her chest and sighed with relief. “Thank ye Ewan,” she said with feeling, sensing their bond was now sealed by a love so strong, nothing could ever break it, not even death.
That night, they lay in the cot, contentedly wrapped in each other’s arms, telling little secrets, and waking in the wee small hours to make love again, slowly, tenderly this time, lip to lip, skin to skin, until, happily sated, they fell asleep again, limbs tangled, foreheads pressed together like babes in the wood.
The next morning, they reluctantly rose and dressed, eating breakfast together, preparing with few words for the unknown challenges of the day ahead. Isla’s heart ached in her chest as she tucked her hair beneath her old cap, knowing she was going to have to leave Ewan again.
“I havetae go back tae the castle, Ewan,” she told him, her hands resting on his forearms as they shared an embrace.
“What fer?” he asked, his eyes darkening with worry. “I’d rather ye stayed here. I dinnae want ye tae get caught up in the fightin’ durin’ me attack.”
“I want ye tae postpone the attack until I’ve had another chance tae try tae change Gregory’s mind. I cannae give up, I’ll nae give up until the very end, nae with so much at stake,” she replied, looking anxiously into his eyes. “Will ye wait fer me tae come back?”
“Aye, I’ll wait. But be very careful, Isla. I dinnae ken what I’ll dae if anythin’ happens tae ye.”
“Naethin’ will, I promise.” She kissed him and said, “But before I go back, there’s somethin’ I want tae tell ye, just in case.”
“Aye, what is it?”
“I want tae tell ye the way intae the castle by the secret route, so that if anythin’ happens and ye need tae find me, ye’ll ken how tae get tae me chambers without alerting anyone.” She proceeded to draw a little map for him on a piece of paper, explaining about the entrance to the tunnels in the woods and which way to go to come out through the secret passage leading to her rooms. “Ye’ll be quite safe there until I come,” she told him at last, handing him the map.
“Thank ye, Isla, I’ll keep it safe,” he promised tucking it into the inside pocket of his jerkin.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Wish me luck.”
“I wish ye love,” he said simply, releasing her as she pulled away from him. They exchanged a final, loving glance as she left the tent.
Back at the castle, Isla went immediately to find Gregory, but each time she tracked him down and tried to speak with him, he would find some reason to brush her off and hurry away. It soon became obvious to her that he was trying to avoid her, citing his preoccupation with the preparations for the arrival of the reinforcements, clearly unwilling to revisit the troubling argument with her about changing his loyalties.
But with the lives of the two people she loved most in the world riding on her ability to convince him to abandon Allan, she stubbornly refused to give up while she still had time. Somehow, she would find the right words tae break through his defenses, she vowed to herself silently as he slipped from her grasp yet again. I havetae.
When Gregory evaded her on her fourth attempt to capture his attention, she decided to return to her chambers for a while and regroup. She had to come up with a new argument, one so convincing, it would finally change his mind and clinch his agreement to ditch Allan and combine his forces against the corrupt laird with Ewan’s. What that might be, she was wracking her brains to pin down, when she opened the door to her chambers and stepped inside, completely unprepared for what she found there. Or rather, who.
“Ewan!” Isla exclaimed softly, checking the hallway behind her was empty before entering and locking the door. He was sitting on her bed, propped against her pillows, his arms behind his head, his long legs crossed. As soon as she went in, he sat up.
“Ah, there ye are at last,” he said, relief noticeable in his voice as he swung his legs off the bed and went to greet her, casting an admiring glance over her. “And wearin’ a gown too! Ye look a proper lady.”
Shocked to see him there, Isla hardly took in his remark. She was frozen to the spot, her heart starting to pound with fear, “Why have ye come so soon? Has somethin’ happened?” she asked anxiously as he approached her and took her in his arms.
“Nay,” he replied, looking down at her, a mixture of tension and yearning on his face. “But I couldnae stop thinkin’ about ye. I had tae come and make sure ye’re all right.”
Isla scrutinized his expression and found a hunt of deception there. The truth suddenly dawned on her. “That’s nae it at all,” she said slowly, stepping out of his arms, feeling a surge of defensiveness. “Ye came… because ye dinnae trust me.”
“Nay, Isla, nay, of course I trust ye. It was just that…” His voice trailed off, and she glimpsed a flash of guilt in his eyes.
“Ye still have doubts about me,” she said accusingly, hurt by his distrust after they had shared so much and been so intimate. “There’s nay other reason ye would come like this. Ye came tae see if I was tellin’ ye the truth.”
“Well, all right, but can ye blame me fer still havin’ a few reservations about trustin’ ye after all the lies ye’ve told me?”
She bristled. “I explained tae ye why I had tae lie. I didnae like daein’ it. Ye said ye loved me. That means trustin’ me. And ye’ve shown me now by comin’ here without good reason that ye dinnae.”
“Isla, that’s hardly fair,” he argued gently. “I dae love ye. I just had tae make sure what ye told me was the truth, the lives of all me men depend on it. Ye must understand me responsibility. And I was nae lyin’, I really couldnae stop thinkin’ about ye.”
Perhaps it was the strain she was under, but she could not deny the crushing disappointment she felt. “Maybe ye should leave then if yer doubts are so strong,” she said, feeling she could cry.
“Isla, listen tae me, ye’re makin’ somethin’ out of naethin’. Fergive me like I fergave ye.” He moved towards her and tried to take her hands.
She moved back. “Maybe I’m nae in a fergivin’ mood, maybe?—”
She was interrupted abruptly by the ominous sound of church bells ringing nearby.
“Allan!” Ewan gasped, his expression hardening. “The reinforcements are here!” He crossed rapidly to the window and looked outside. Isla watched him, frozen with fear to the spot, her heart hammering in her chest. “Aye, ’tis him all right.” He returned to her and took her by the shoulders as he looked into her eyes. “This is it, Isla, me love. The time fer the final battle is here. I must return tae the camp and rally me troops.”
With the threat hanging over them so tangible now, Isla snapped into life. She ran to him, grabbing a lighted lamp from the dresser as she followed him to the secret door in the paneling. “Be careful, please, Ewan,” she implored him, handing it to him as the door sprang open and he stepped inside.
“I love ye, Isla, truly I dae. I’ll hope I’ll see ye when ’tis all over,” he said softly, kissing her lips quickly before hurrying away down the passage. When she could see the light no more, she shut the door and leaned against it, finding it hard to breathe as his last words rang in her ears. Then, she ran to the window and looked down, horrified to see mounted soldiers in Allan’s livery pouring into the castle courtyard below.
Will I see him when the battle is over?
With Allan’s troops amassing outside, the notion terrified her more than it ever had. Determined to try one last, desperate time to save everyone from further bloodshed and misery, she rushed from the room in search of her brother, with one final plea in her heart.
She cornered him in the vestibule of the keep and dragged him protesting into the chapel nearby, barring the door, her arms outstretched. “Ye’ll havetae kill yer own sister before ye leave this room without hearin’ me out,” she warned him passionately.
“Isla, stop this madness and get out of me way! The reinforcements are here at last, the siege is over, and I’ve men out there waitin’ fer me tae command them in battle,” he exclaimed, already dressed for the fray. “Ye’ve caused me enough trouble as it is. Get out of me way!”
She shook her head vehemently. “I’m nae movin’ until ye promise tae listen tae me.”
He threw up his hands in exasperation. “All right, say what ye’ve got tae say, and then let me out of here tae dae me duty by our clan!”
“Gregory, d’ye remember when ye and I were small, and I saved yer life?”
He looked puzzled. “Aye, of course I dae. What’s that got tae dae with anythin’?” he asked impatiently.
“When those men came intae the castle and murdered Ma and Da, and I took ye and hid with ye in the wardrobe, tae keep ye safe, ye remember that, eh?”
“Aye, I remember, I tell ye. How could I forget? But I still dinnae see what ye’re gettin’ at.”
“I saved yer life then. De ye trust me when I tell ye that I can save it again?”
“Jaysus, Isla, have ye gone mad? What’s all this about?”
“I asked ye if ye’d trust me tae save yer life again? Nae just yer life, but many lives?”
“Aye. I’m a grown man now, Isla, and I can take care of mesel’, but aye, I trust ye would try,” he reluctantly agreed. “Can I go now?”
She took him roughly by the arms, looking deeply into his eyes, summoning all her powers of persuasion. “Good. Now, listen well, Gregory. A choice lies before ye now, and if ye make the wrong choice, ye’ll lose everythin’, includin’ yer life. I need tae make ye understand what’s at stake, so ye make the right choice.” She checked to make sure he was listening before continuing. He was frowning but seemed to be paying attention.
Satisfied, she went on, “This alliance with Allan has brought only the cruelty and hardship of war upon our people and Ewan’s people. But so far, only Ewan has had the courage tae stand up tae this evil man, even though he kens well he’s outnumbered and likely tae be defeated and killed today. I’m tellin’ ye now, I love him.”
Gregory’s eyes flew wide and his jaw dropped. “What?!”
“Aye, I’m in love with Ewan Ballentine. And I just want ye tae ken that whatever decision ye make today about who ye’re gonnae fight with, win or lose, I’ll be at his side. ‘Tis nae only because of him but because he fights fer the right cause and kens that the true enemy isnae ye and our clan, Gregory, it’s Allan.”
“Isla, ye cannae… ’tis nae…” He trailed off, staring at her with an expression of shocked amazement.
“That’s all I havetae say tae ye. And now, I must leave ye and return tae Ewan’s camp, so I can be with him durin’ the battle.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I love ye, braither. Whatever happens today, never forget that.” With that, praying she had gotten through him at last, she moved away from the door.
She opened it and stepped out into the vestibule, sensing Gregory following her out. The vestibule was filled with armed men, including Kelvin and Domnhall, who stared at her as she passed. She hurriedly fetched a cloak from the nearby coat cupboard and swung it about her shoulders as she headed down the hallway towards the tunnels once more.
As she went, she heard Gregory’s voice behind her. “Kelvin, Domnhall, order the men tae make ready for battle immediately,” he commanded.
Isla prayed silently as she passed through the secret doorway into the passage, possibly for the last time.
Please, Lord, let him make the right decision.