Chapter 20
Bella woke to warmth and the steady rhythm of her husband's heartbeat beneath her ear.
Morning light filtered through the chamber windows, painting everything in amber. She was draped across Boyd's chest, their legs tangled beneath the blankets, his arm wrapped possessively around her waist. They were abed in his bedchamber which was now theirs. She smiled at the thought.
"I can feel ye thinking," Boyd murmured, his voice rough with sleep.
Bella tilted her head back to find him watching her, his blue eyes soft with affection.
"Good morn, husband."
"Good morn, wife." His thumb brushed across her cheekbone. "How's yer head? The ale still affecting yer emotions."
Bella felt her cheeks warm. "No."
Boyd's lips twitched. "I never thought I'd see two grown women weep over a shawl for so long."
"It was a pretty shawl," Bella protested, smiling.
"Aye, love. The bonniest shawl in all of Scotland." Boyd pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Though not as bonnie as the woman who bought it."
They lay in comfortable silence, listening to the Keep come to life around them.
"I have something for ye," Boyd said finally. He reached for a velvet pouch near the bed. "I wanted to give it to ye yesterday, but then ye disappeared to the village."
Bella sat up, pulling the blanket around herself.
Boyd pressed the pouch into her hands.
Bella's fingers trembled as she loosened the drawstring and tipped the contents into her palm.
A gasp escaped her.
It was a necklace, the most beautiful piece of jewelry she'd ever seen. A delicate silver chain with a pendant shaped like half a sun, the rays extending outward in intricate detail. Tiny gemstones of amber were set within the rays, catching the morning light.
"Boyd," she breathed.
"Do ye remember what I told ye?" Boyd asked softly. "When we were young?"
Bella's eyes filled with tears. "We're like two halves of the sun."
"Aye." Boyd's voice was rough with emotion. "Apart, we're incomplete. But together, we burn bright enough to light up the whole sky." He moved behind her to fasten the chain around her neck. "I had this made years ago, Bella. After I became the Monk and had coin to spare. I kept it. Waiting."
"Waiting for what?" Bella whispered.
Boyd pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "For the day I could give it to ye and tell ye that I never stopped loving ye."
The pendant settled just above her heart, warm from his touch.
"I love ye, My Bella," he said fiercely, turning her to face him. "I have loved ye since we were young. I loved ye when I thought I hated ye. And I'll love ye till my very last breath and beyond."
Bella kissed him, pouring all her love into it. When they finally broke apart, she rested her forehead against his.
"I have something for ye as well," she said, her voice shaking.
She retrieved her small purse and pulled out a leather-wrapped package, pressing it into his hands.
"At the market yesterday, I saw this and it felt like fate."
Boyd unwrapped it slowly, then went completely still.
In his palm lay a leather necklace with intricate Celtic knots tooled into the leather. And hanging from it was a pendant. Half a sun. Silver and matching in design to the one now resting against Bella's heart.
For a long moment, Boyd simply stared at it, his throat working, his eyes bright.
"Ye bought this yesterday," he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. "Before ye kenned about mine."
"Aye." Bella's tears were falling freely now. "The silversmith said it represents a bond between two people. I thought of ye, Boyd."
Boyd looked up at her, wonder and love in his expression. "After all these years, we're still connected."
"Two halves of the sun," Bella whispered.
She fastened the leather necklace around his neck with shaking fingers. The silver pendant settled against his chest, right over his heart, the perfect complement to the one she wore.
Boyd held both pendants in his palm. It was symbolic. Two halves finally made whole.
"Perfect," he murmured and kissed her once more.
Then they made love with breathtaking tenderness, wearing nothing but their matching gifts.
***
LATER THAT MORNING after they had washed, dressed and shared a light meal together, Boyd and Bella got ready to begin their day.
Boyd wore the leather necklace beneath his shirt. Bella wore her silver chain openly, the half-sun catching the light as she moved.
"I need to meet with Donahue about the guard rotations," Boyd said as they descended the main staircase. "Will ye join me for the midday meal?"
"Aye, husband. I would not miss it."
Boyd kissed her. "Dinnae start a brawl at any taverns."
Bella laughed. "I promise."
They parted ways. Boyd toward the barracks, Bella toward the stillroom where Mrs. Anders waited. Bella's heart was light, her fingers absently touching the pendant at her throat.
Little did she know that peace was about to shatter.
***
BELLA SPENT THE MORNING cataloging herbs with Mrs. Anders. As the sun reached its zenith, she decided to head to the loch before meeting Boyd for their meal.
"I'm just going to the bothy for a moment," Bella told Mrs. Anders.
"Take a guard with ye, mistress."
"Aye, I'll find them in the courtyard."
But when Bella emerged from the Keep, the courtyard was strangely quiet. No sign of her usual guards. She hesitated. The loch was barely five minutes away, and she'd be visible from the Keep's walls the entire time.
The decision made, Bella headed down the familiar path.
Suddenly a hand clamped over her mouth.
Bella's training kicked in instantly. She drove her elbow back hard into her attacker's stomach. But before she could break free, more hands grabbed her, too many, coming from all sides.
She fought viciously, managing to land a solid punch on one man's jaw. But there were four of them. Rough fabric was shoved between her teeth, gagging her. They bound her wrists.
Then she heard a voice that made her blood run cold.
"Well, well. My dear sister. How lovely to see ye again."
Bryce Sutherland stepped out from behind a tree, and Bella's eyes widened with shock.
He looked nothing like the laird she remembered. His clothes were torn and filthy, his face gaunt and unshaven, his eyes wild with desperation.
"I ken what ye're thinking," Bryce said, moving closer. "How did poor Bryce get free? Well, let's just say even the king's dungeons has flaws."
Bella made a muffled sound of fury behind the gag.
"Ye've taken what's mine, Bella. That inheritance from Grandda, it should have been mine. But ye had to go and marry that bastard blacksmith and ruin everything."
He grabbed her face, his fingers digging painfully. "Do ye ken what I've lost because of ye? Everything. All because ye could not stay hidden in that abbey where ye belonged."
Bella's eyes darted past him, searching desperately for help.
Bryce laughed. "Yer guards? They're taking a wee nap. Now, ye're coming with me. Ye'll petition the king for an annulment, and once the marriage is dissolved—"
"No one is dissolving our marriage," a new voice laced with steel said.
Everyone turned.
Boyd stood at the edge of the clearing, and Bella had never seen him look more dangerous. His face was a mask of cold fury, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his entire body coiled like a spring.
His eyes burned with lethal rage, fixed on Bryce.
"Let. Her. Go." Boyd's voice was deadly quiet.
Behind him, Thamas and several guards emerged from the trees, weapons drawn, fanning out to surround Bryce's men. They found themselves encircled, MacKinnon steel gleaming in the afternoon sun.
"Disarm them," Thamas ordered quietly. The guards moved swiftly, efficiently stripping weapons from Bryce's men and forcing them to their knees.
Bryce laughed, though it sounded forced. "Or what? Ye'll kill me? I dinnae think so, Monk."
"I'll do worse than kill ye." Boyd took a step forward, his focus entirely on Bryce. "I'll make ye wish ye'd remained in the king's dungeon where ye belonged."
Bryce's eyes darted around, seeing his men subdued and disarmed. But desperation made him bold.
He pulled a knife and pressed it to Bella's throat.
"Stay back!" Bryce shouted. "Just annul the marriage. Ye dinnae even want my sister. I ken the king forced ye and—"
"The king did not force me to wed her. I requested your sister as my reward!"
Bella gasped in surprise. Her eyes meeting Boyd's.
"Aye, 'tis true, love. Ye're all I've ever wanted. The king was willing to give me anything I asked for. I only wanted ye."
The expression of Bella's eyes softened at his words.
"So ye kenned about her inheritance? Ye only wanted her for the money!" Bryce chided.
Boyd replied, "I kenned about Bella's inheritance only recently. I ken that her inheritance was held in trust until she wed, but if she did not marry before her thirtieth birthday the funds would transfer to ye."
Bella looked surprised then.
"So ye married her for the money!" Bryce spat.
"No, we were married before I even knew. But I also ken that the steward warned ye that ye had no claim over any of it. That money belongs to my wife, and she alone will decide how to spend it."
Bella was stunned at the information she had gleaned. She believed Boyd completely. She knew he loved her. She trusted in their love enough not to let any doubt set in. So, she simply nodded once.
Boyd stepped closer. "Bryce, let go of my wife or it will not end well for ye."
Bryce shouted, "Stay back or I swear I'll—"
Bella did not give him a chance to finish. She drove her heel down on his instep with all her strength, then threw her head back into his face. His nose crunched. The knife clattered away.
She spun, brought her knee up into his groin, and as he doubled over, she tried to kick the knife away from him.
But Bryce was faster than she expected. His hand shot out and grabbed the blade, his fingers closing around the hilt. Blood dripped from his broken nose as he staggered upright, his eyes wild with madness.