Chapter 25
Through a thick fog, Spring saw three small boys playing with a chess set on the table of a small cottage.
Spring watched as the redheaded boy picked up a wooden pawn and gave it to her to keep her from crying.
She clutched it in her tiny fist from her position in her basket next to the door.
One of the boys had blond hair and the third had hair of black.
She heard a woman humming and it soothed her soul. The smell of haggis and black bun filled the warm cottage making her feel safe and secure.
A blond woman looked at her from across the room and smiled. She was the most beautiful woman with long, blond braids and bright blue eyes that reminded her of a bird. Her face was friendly and her skin smooth. This was her mother and the boys were her brothers.
Then the door burst open and scared her.
Spring clutched the wooden pawn tightly as the cold breeze blew in with the three rugged men who barged into the cottage.
She felt her mother’s fear, thick in the air.
The men headed across the room toward the three boys, but her mother blocked them with her body.
Then Spring felt the fear of the men when they looked at her brothers’ faces since all three were the same. The men turned to leave but, on their way out the door, one of them spotted her. His eyes were dark and his face was not friendly. He frightened her so much that she started crying.
His big, rough hands picked up the basket, and he took her away from her crying mother and brothers.
Spring longed to be back in the comfort of the warm cabin, listening to her mother humming a happy tune.
She clutched the wooden pawn for comfort and closed her eyes. She was so frightened and so alone!
Spring’s eyes popped open and she sat upright with a start.
“Lass, are ye all right?” asked Shaw from the other side of the room. He was sitting in a chair putting on his shoes. “Ye cried out in yer sleep. Perhaps ye were havin’ a bad dream?”
She looked down to the pawn in her hand and it all became clear now. She wasn’t sure how she was able to have that dream, but it all seemed so real.
“I remember.” She shot up out of bed excitedly. “I had a dream and I remember.”
“Remember what?” He stood and reached for his weapon belt next.
“My mathair. My real mathair – I saw her. She was beautiful. I remember her hummin’ and I remember her cryin’ when Cromwell took me away.”
“Lass, ye were only a bairn at the time. There is no way ye could remember that.”
“But I did, I tell ye. I dinna ken how, but it came to me. It was real. I remember my real family.”
“That’s great,” he said with a nod.
“Take me to Ross.”
“What?” Shaw looked up as he buckled his belt.
“I am ready to talk to him now.”
“Are ye sure?” asked Shaw. “After what ye said last night, mayhap ye need a little more time.”
“Nay! I have wasted too much time already.” She picked up the wooden pawn and kissed it and ran her finger over Ross’ name engraved on the bottom.
“I’ve had this all along and it is the only proof I need.
Somehow, I feel as if Ross has always been with me, though I didna ken it.
I canna imagine how he feels since I shunned him and pushed him away. ”
“Let’s go, Spring,” said Shaw, holding out his hand. “I think ye are about to make yer faither verra happy.”
Shaw gladly took Spring to her father, knowing that she was truly ready now to face her past as well as her future.
He was thankful she’d had a dream, no matter if it was a memory or not.
He had been at such a loss to help her but, being the strong woman that she was, she’d managed to work through her issues by herself. For that, he was ever grateful.
“Where is Ross?” he asked, entering the great hall to find Leod and Baen talking with the lassies.
“I think he went out to the courtyard,” said Baen.
“Is everythin’ all right?” asked Leod, looking first at Spring and then at Shaw.
“Aye, I think it is.” Shaw brought Spring out to the courtyard and over to Ross who was looking out the open gate.
“Faither?” said Spring, causing the man to turn around.
“Spring,” he said, seeming to be careful with his words and actions not to upset his daughter.
There was an awkward moment when no one said anything and Shaw was about to open his mouth when Ross spread his arms wide. Spring pulled away from Shaw and dove into her father’s embrace. Ross closed his arms around her in a hug. She started crying and so did Ross.
“I’m so sorry I didna want to talk to ye,” apologized Spring.
“I am so sorry I wasna there to protect ye from bein’ stolen by Cromwell,” he replied. “I tried to find ye, but I failed.”
“Ye didna fail,” she said, looking up through her tears with a huge smile on her face. Shaw noticed that she had the same green eyes as her father. “Ye did find me, Faither. It doesna matter how long it took because I’m finally home now.”
“Ross?” came a woman’s voice as a horse and cart entered the courtyard. “What’s going on?”
Spring looked up to see the beautiful woman from her dreams sitting on the bench of the wagon as Reed directed the horse into the courtyard. Reed’s hawk cried out and flew in circles overhead. In the wagon were two young women. One had red hair and the other had hair of ebony.
“Mathair,” cried Spring, knowing exactly who the woman was.
Her mother’s jaw dropped open in surprise and she froze. Reed jumped down from the wagon and helped her to the ground.
“S – Spring?” asked the woman. Her hand shook as it went to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears.
“I found her, Annalyse,” said Ross, letting go of Spring. “Our daughter has returned to us at last.”
Annalyse lifted her skirts and ran to them across the cobbled stones. Spring rushed to meet her and threw herself into her mother’s arms, sobbing with tears of joy.
“You’re alive,” said her mother, Annalyse.
“How can this be? This is a miracle of God.” She smoothed her hand over Spring’s hair, kissing her head over and over again.
It felt like heaven to be in her mother’s loving arms. All the comfort and security she needed was here and now.
Nothing had ever felt as good in her life as this.
“Autumn, Winter, come meet your long-lost sister, Spring,” Ross called out to the girls in the wagon.
They hurried over to meet her, embracing her in one big group hug. Ross came over and wrapped his arms around his family.
“Where is my other sister, Summer?” asked Spring, wanting to meet them all. “Is she here, too?”
“Here she comes now, with the baron,” announced Reed, pointing to the drawbridge.
Spring looked up to see a pregnant woman on a horse ride over the drawbridge following a man on a horse of his own. Behind them was a small entourage of soldiers. The man dismounted and stormed over to them.
“What is this all about?” he growled, looking at Reed. “You told me this is important and it better be. I don’t like secrets and never should have come all the way from Suffolk.”
“I think I know what’s going on,” said Summer from atop her horse. “By the tears in my family’s eyes, I’d say they were very happy. Are you – are you our long-lost sister, Spring?” she asked.
“I am,” said Spring, drinking in the glorious sight of one more sister. Her heart was so full of love it was about to burst.
“Wife, get off that horse and get down here, anon,” growled the baron. “Someone is going to pay for this foolishness.”
Spring wanted to punch the baron for being so insensitive to his pregnant, young wife.
He expected Summer to not only ride a horse in her condition but to also dismount by herself.
At one time, Spring wouldn’t have given it a second thought.
But instead of striking out, she ran over to help her sister off the horse.
Reed ran over to help as well. When Summer’s feet were on the ground, she reached out and touched one of Spring’s long braids.
“You have blond hair like me,” she said with a smile. Then she hugged her, just like the others had done.
“Dinna let Rowen ken she has blond hair, as we had a bet goin’,” said Reed, holding out his arm and letting his hawk land upon it.
“Did I hear my name mentioned?” Two more men rode over the drawbridge and Spring knew immediately who they were since they both looked exactly like Reed. The only difference was that one had blond hair and the other had black hair.
“Are ye the bastard triplets of the king?” asked Spring.
“We are,” answered the dark-haired man. A large raven sat on the pommel of his saddle. Another hawk flew in circles above them and Reed’s hawk took off to the sky as well.
“Brathairs, this is our sister, Spring,” said Reed. “Spring, these are two more of yer brathairs, Rowen and Rook.
“Spring?” asked Rook, sliding out of the saddle. “So, where were ye all these years?”
“Never mind that,” said Rowen, dismounting and hurrying over. “She’s got blond hair. Do you see that, Brothers? She looks like me! So, what do you think of that? I was right. I win the bet.”
“Are ye really all my family?” Spring looked at everyone around her and felt so loved. It was something she wasn’t used to and it made her heart swell with joy.
“My brathairs and I are really yer cousins,” said Reed, “but the girls are yer real sisters. Our mathair was Gabrielle – Annalyse’s twin.”
“That’s right,” said Rowen. “Gabrielle was King Edward’s mistress.”
“Where is Gabrielle?” asked Spring. “Did she come along with ye?”
“She’s dead,” said Annalyse, greeting her pregnant daughter, Summer, with a hug as well.
“She died birthin’ the triplets,” Ross explained. “It was her wish that Annalyse raise the boys as if she were their mathair.”
“Aye, and we didna ken until we were twelve that they werena our real parents or that the girls were our cousins and no’ our sisters,” said Reed.
“Then ye are just like me.” Spring no longer felt so alone, since Reed and his brothers had lived a good part of their lives based on a lie as well.
“Spring! Ye finally came out of yer room.” Colina rushed up with Leith right behind her. Donel came out of the great hall with his arm around his new wife, Vika. Spring gathered Shaw’s children to her.
“Mathair and sisters, I’d like ye to meet the children.”
“Children?” asked Summer. “They’re all yours?” She ran a hand over her rounded belly as she spoke.
“You will have more children than she has,” sniffed the baron, glaring at his wife. “Summer, I want a dozen boys and no girls. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, my lord,” said Summer softly, lowering her head, causing Spring’s heart to go out to her sister. In a way, Spring had been a lot like Summer, taking orders from Cromwell at one time. She realized she had a lot in common with her family after all.
“These are my husband, Shaw’s children,” said Spring. “I’m just their new mathair.”
Shaw walked over and put his hand on Spring’s shoulder. “They are our children,” he corrected her. “Everyone, please join us in the great hall. We shall have a feast to celebrate this joyous reunion.”