Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
Still wanting to find some peace of mind, Isla moved to the gardens.
They were not the neatly trimmed, well-kept gardens she was used to at Inverdane Hall but rather a rough area where flowers of various types had been planted.
They were protected from the elements by low walls and shelters.
Climbing plants had arches upon which they could twine around.
Isla enjoyed the scent of flowers and strolled at a slow pace. She reached out her fingers and brushed them against the petals, feeling the different textures. The flowers seemed to reach towards her, as though they had been starved of attention.
She picked a few of them and held them together in her hand, combining pale blue flowers with yellow ones and adding a red one for flair. She stopped for a moment, startled, when she saw a patch of yellow and white flowers. They reminded her of Iain.
She bowed her head and found it hard to swallow.
She didn’t pick one of these out of respect.
Then she came upon some orange flowers and placed them in her hands.
They nestled next to the red flower and again she stopped for a moment, struck by the predominant colors of the Sinclair and MacLaren Clans.
She quickly rearranged the flowers, placing the blue ones between them.
Isla’s solace was disturbed by some heavy breathing and frantic footsteps. A bush rustled and then Rowena poked her head out, her long hair straggling with sweat. There was an amiable smile upon her crimson cheeks, and sweat glistened on her skin.
“Ach, there ye are. I hae been looking for ye,” she said.
“Me? Why?” Isla asked. She had barely spoken to Rowena, so her suspicions were aroused. “Did Kirsty put ye up tae this?”
Rowena chuckled and waved a dismissive hand in the air. Then, she nodded to the flowers.
“Nice wee collection ye hae there. Looks as though ye hae picked all the pretty ones. I consider Stormhaven my home now, but their flowers are nae a patch on the ones back in Caeloch Glen. ’Tis stones ye want tae look at, that’s what they’re proudest of up here.”
“Stones?”
“Aye, dinnae tell me why, but ye get a bunch of them standing in front of a few stones and they’ll be able to tell ye the difference between them, even if they all look grey tae me,” she said.
Her manner was easy and she fell into step with Isla. Without asking, she plucked a flower from Isla’s hands and placed it in her hair, fluttering her eyelashes as she did so.
“I’m trying tae make the best of the situation, although walking through this garden reminds me of the one at home. I imagine all those flowers hae been turned tae ash. I planted some of them myself.”
“Aye, what lives must die. It’s just the way of things.”
Isla frowned. “That hardly seems like a comforting attitude.”
Rowena rolled her shoulders. “When hae life ever been comforting? Perhaps when ye were still in yer Ma’s belly. Anyway, I came tae talk tae ye.”
Isla rolled her eyes.
“Sae Kirsty did put ye up tae this,” she started to stride away, but Rowena made an effort to catch up with her.
“Nae. But I couldn’t help but notice. I asked Coll more about yer situation. Apparently ye think Gavin killed yer husband. Is that the truth of it?”
“Aye,” Isla muttered.
Rowena exhaled deeply. “Look, I cannae claim I’m an expert about the situation, but I dae hae some insight intae the matter.”
“Och aye, and why is that?”
Rowena arched an eyebrow and bore an expression that looked particularly wolfish. “Perhaps news dinnae reach Inverdane Hall, but I was framed for murder as well. By yer Father,” she lowered her voice here so that it rumbled like a snarl.
The air turned cold and Isla’s cheeks paled.
“Aye, well… Da hurt a lot of people. I’m sorry ye hae tae gae through that.”
Rowena pressed her lips together, forming a thin line.
“My point is that I ken what it’s like tae be framed for something I dinnae dae.
Sae many people dinnae believe me. I thought I was gaeing tae die because of it, but then Coll saw the truth.
He saw me. He risked everything tae save me and I’m glad he did because if he dinnae then I would hae died.
Whatever happened, ye need tae ken the truth.
Dinnae blame him just because it makes sense or because it’s easy. ”
Isla laughed out loud and shook her head. “Ye think this is easy?”
“I think it’s easier for ye than it is for him.
Ye cannae ken what it’s like tae hae someone look at ye like ye are a monster, and if it was the person I loved?
If they doubted me?” Rowena sucked in her breath and winced.
“I dinnae ken if I could bear that. Nae wonder he’s leaving for Dunrath, or what’s left of it anyway. ”
“There’s naething for us tae say tae each other. He believes I hae already made up my mind, sae he will nae tell me what happened anyway.”
“And hae ye? Made up yer mind?”
Isla paused.
She hadn’t. Not really.
It was easy to blame Gavin because that meant she didn’t have to blame herself, but that wasn’t fair to him. A thoughtful look came upon her face and Rowena stared at her.
“Dae ye really want tae live the rest of yer life nae knowing what happened? Gavin is about tae leave, and he’s gaeing tae take the truth with him. He’s already saddling his horse. I thought ye would want tae ken.”
Rowena had barely uttered the words before Isla started moving away. She walked briskly at first but then broke into a sprint.
She was fine pushing Gavin away when she knew that he would still be around, but if he left for Dunrath then Rowena was right; she might never see him again, and that thought was too painful to bear.
A few flowers blew out of her hand and she did not stop to pick them up. Her cheeks were rosy by the time she reached the stables. Gavin was standing beside a powerful horse. Saddlebags were draped over its flanks. Gavin was stroking its mane.
Isla reached him and stopped, panting, not entirely sure what to say now that she had found him. Gavin turned slowly, his brow tightening as he stared at her.
“Isla.”
It was a question, a regret, a hope, a promise, and so much more all encapsulated in a single utterance.
He turned fully towards her, squaring his shoulders.
He was standing straighter now than he had done when imprisoned in Inverdane Hall, which accentuated the height difference between them.
Isla stared up, arching her neck back. Her hair had come loose during her run, and now the locks flew about her face wildly.
“What are ye daeing here?” he asked.
“What ye said before, about me nae believing ye… it’s nae about that. Nae entirely, anyway. Gavin, it’s hard tae understand…”
Gavin bowed his head. “See, ye hae already condemned me. I hae accepted that. I dinnae need ye tae hammer it intae my mind again, even if it makes ye feel better.”
“It dinnae make me feel better!” she exclaimed, frustrated that he wasn’t understanding what she said. “Just let me finish. If I was a better wife tae him, then maybe he would hae stayed in bed. I’m angry with ye because I’m angry with myself.”
“That dinnae make any sense.”
Isla lifted her gaze to the sky. “It dinnae hae tae make sense. It’s just the way I feel.
It’s how I hae been trying tae make sense of all this.
But I ken ye are nae a murderer. I… I should nae hae gotten angry with ye, but I needed tae be angry with someone and ye were there.
Before ye gae I just wanted tae apologize for that.
If anyone is tae blame for Iain’s death then it’s me.
Sae just gae back tae Dunrath Keep and take this with ye. I hope that it leads ye tae peace.”
She thrust the remaining flower in her hand towards him. He stared at it for a moment and then took it. His fingers slid across hers and heat suddenly spread up her arm.
She stared at his lips, his jaws, his chin… all of him because he filled the world before her and she could not turn away. It was as though she was in a trance.
He didn’t take the flower, though. He took her hand instead.
His fingers circled her wrist and then he pulled her towards him. She crashed into his chest like the waves upon the mountain. She was just as tumultuous as the sea but in that moment she knew exactly what she wanted.
Breath left her and her heartbeat thumped in her skull.
She was so sensitive to the world in that moment that she could feel her blood fizzing through her veins, and she could feel him.
She could feel his strength, but also his vulnerability, and she was taken back to that night in the village when she thought anything was possible.
“Dae ye need wine?” he whispered.
Isla shook her head, for she could not summon the strength to reply.
Suddenly his lips thundered against hers and she was ripped apart from the inside out. He kissed her like a man who would have died without her, and she kissed him right back with the same passion.
Her hands twitched and her fingers opened. The wildflower dropped to the ground as she reached up and stroked the back of his neck, feeling his body tremble as all of his intense emotions were poured into that kiss.
He pulled back and they both gathered their breath. Still with his hand on her wrist, he led her away from the stables. They crept down a stony trail that led to an inlet. It was framed with rocks, a perfect spot to hide away.
They left a trail of footprints in the sand, but Isla didn’t believe anyone would come looking for them. They could steal the night for themselves.
The air was infused with tension and spray flowed from the rocks. The light had dimmed quickly, and now the moon was shining above, bright and sensual.
Gavin kissed her again. He cupped her cheek and she yielded to him. They sank to the soft sand and writhed together. Limbs snaked together and fingers roamed, sliding beneath clothes, over flesh, eliciting sharp gasps and frantic shudders.