Chapter 15 #2
But Ronan’s body was warm, the breeze was gentle, and she was still floating on that balmy sea. Despite her efforts, sleep pulled her under.
RONAN LAY ON HIS SIDE, propped on one elbow, watching Elodie sleep.
Her breathing was slow and even, one hand curled beneath her cheek, a strand of brown hair dancing gently across her face whenever the breeze stirred.
She had never looked more beautiful. Carefully, so as not to wake her, he brushed the stray lock behind her ear. She murmured something unintelligible and shifted closer instead of away, her hand coming to rest lightly against his chest.
It was such a small thing. Yet no one had touched him with such unconscious trust in...he couldn’t remember. He covered her hand with his own. It felt so tiny in his and yet it was full of a quiet strength, just like the woman herself.
A woman who was from another century, he reminded himself. He still couldn’t quite believe it. In fact, he still couldn’t quite believe anything that had happened since she’d literally fallen into his life. It felt like a dream.
He remembered the first time she’d spoken to him like it had happened only moments ago.
She’d walked into his smithy, her mannerisms and turn of speech so unlike anyone he’d ever met that he’d not known what to make of her.
Now he understood why. What he still didn’t understand was why she loved him.
But she did. Somehow, she did. And that was a greater gift than he’d ever dared to dream of being given.
They’d told each other everything. He hadn’t realized until now how good it felt to finally be free. To be unburdened by secrets he’d tried so hard to hide.
She knew about Bryce and the feud between them. About the knife thrust into his own brother. About the shame that had driven him into exile. Even Faye didn’t know all of that.
But Elodie did.
She knew about the blood on his hands. About the guilt that drove him and his attempts to make up for all the things he’d done wrong in his life. And still she had looked him in the eye and told him she loved him.
“I dinna deserve ye,” he whispered.
“No,” came a sleepy voice. Elodie’s eyes opened lazily. “You deserve to stop saying that.”
“How long have ye been awake?”
She smiled drowsily. “Oh at least half a minute.”
She laughed, the sound low and warm, before pushing herself upright and stretching. The movement loosened her hair until it spilled around her shoulders. Ronan found himself staring. He couldn’t help himself. Her every movement seemed to mesmerize him.
He felt desire stirring to life in him again. He remembered the feel of her beneath him, the exquisite pleasure of being inside her. He wanted to feel that again. He wanted to make her feel it again.
“What are you going to do?” she asked him quietly.
He knew exactly what she was referring to and the question brought him crashing back down. He looked out across the glade instead of answering immediately.
“I’ve spent years believing I could hide,” he said at last. “Faye is right. The Steading has protected us. But it canna protect us any longer.”
He turned and met her gaze. “It’s time to go home.”
Elodie smiled. “Faye will be pleased.”
Despite everything, he laughed. “Aye. She’ll love being proven right.”
Elodie’s smile faded. “But how do you go about reclaiming your lands?”
Ah, that was the question, wasn’t it? “I’ll speak to Bryce. Make him see sense.”
“And if he doesn’t? See sense, I mean?”
He was silent for a long moment. He would be lucky if his brother didn’t shoot him on sight. Yet he let none of his worry show on his face. He would find a way. He had to.
He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “I’ll figure it out.”
Elodie took his hand. “We’ll figure it out.”
God, he loved her. He loved everything about her, from her quiet strength to her determination, to her wry sense of humor and strange way of speaking.
He curled his fingers through hers. “Aye, we’ll figure it out. Mayhap we should be getting back, before someone finds us like this.”
Elodie blushed, suddenly seeming to realize she was naked. “Oh God! Quickly, pass me my clothes will you?”
Ronan laughed and did just that. Elodie quickly scrambled into them and Ronan followed her example a bit more slowly.
She brushed the bits of grass and twigs from her dress and sighed. “There’s a saying where I come from that seems apt. It’s time to go and face the music.”
Ronan snorted. “There’s a saying where I’m from too. It’s time to go and stick our finger in a hornet’s nest.”
Elodie laughed. “Very appropriate.”
Ronan couldn’t help pulling Elodie in for a long, slow kiss before they turned and made their slow way back towards the Steading.
...
When they reached the village, the familiar sights struck Ronan harder than usual. Someone was singing while splitting firewood. A group of women were gossiping as they hung out washing.
His gut clenched. How many frightened strangers had become friends? This place had become more than a refuge. It had become home.
And now he was asking everyone to leave it behind.
“There ye are!”
Faye was hurrying towards them down the street, her gaze flicking between the two of them. She glanced at their clasped hands and smiled in understanding. “Well, it’s about bloody time!”
Ronan felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth but didn’t address her comment. Instead, he said, “Ye were right, old friend. It’s time.”
Her expression shifted as his words sunk in. “Wait. Do ye mean—?”
“Aye. Call everyone together. The whole Steading needs to hear this.”
Faye hesitated only a moment, glancing between him and Elodie and back again, then hurried off and bellowed at the top of her voice, calling everyone to a meeting.
In response doors opened. People emerged.
Children came running. A low murmur spread through the streets as people discussed amongst themselves what this might be about.
Within minutes nearly everyone had gathered in the open space before the smithy.
Children sat cross-legged near the front.
Older folk leaned on walking sticks. The newest arrivals stood beside those who had lived here for years.
As Ronan and Elodie arrived, everyone turned towards him, their expressions expectant. He swallowed. God help him. He had never wanted this. How was he supposed to tell them he wanted them to abandon the only place that had ever offered them refuge?
Elodie gave him the smallest nod. You can do this, that looked seemed to say. He only wished he shared her conviction.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward.
“I’ve got something important to say and no easy way to say it,” he announced.
Everyone fell silent, all eyes turned towards him.
“I know that the Steading has protected us so far. But no longer. The men who attacked David, the folk who tried to infiltrate us at the waymeet, the bandits who jumped Thomas in the woods. These aren’t random encounters.
They are organized and they are looking for one thing: us.
Those people are led by a Lord and Lady Murdoch.
If they find us, they will claim the Steading as their own and, I suspect, put all of us to work on their land, paying their taxes, giving half of what we grow to them. ”
“Then we’ll fight!” Eamon cried to murmurs of agreement from some of the younger members of the Steading. “Isnae that what we’ve been training for?”
Ronan shook his head. “We’ve been training to keep a few bandits from finding out where we are. We’ve not been training to keep out a trained militia. This place was meant to be a refuge, a place where we were safe. It isnae that anymore. I’ll not gamble with yer lives.”
Silence settled.
It was Eamon who spoke first. “Then what do we do?”
Ronan drew a breath. “We leave.”
The words landed like a stone thrown into a still pond. Shock rippled through the gathering, incredulous murmuring breaking out like the sound of susurrating leaves.
“Leave?”
“This is our home.”
“Where would we go?”
“We don’t have anywhere else!”
Ronan raised a hand for silence. “There is somewhere we can go.” The noise died away and all eyes fixed on him again.
He swallowed. “Like everyone here, I have a past that I’ve not shared with most of ye.
Now I realize it’s time I did.” He glanced at Faye, the only one who’d known the truth down these long years.
The healer was watching him intently. She gave him the slightest of nods.