Chapter twenty-seven #3
I had known my da and the king were close, but not that close.
“The king,” the messenger continued, “recalls sitting in his solar, drinking wine with yer da while bemoaning the loss of his daughter, and yer da, bemoaning the loss of one of his.” The messenger’s gaze locked on me.
“A lass named Katreine. A cursed lass, according to the late Laird Wallace, who had fled her home in fear of being named a witch.” The last was whispered so low I almost did not hear it, though I was only a hairsbreadth from the messenger.
“The king says to tell ye, ye are safe, so long as he reigns.”
Such relief flooded me that my knees buckled and I began to fall, only to be caught from behind by strong arms I would know anywhere.
James was my strength when mine failed, and if that was not love, I did not know what was.
With his message delivered, the courier straightened, bid me farewell, and rode off with the king’s men, the way they had come.
Before the thunder of hooves had faded, Alec bellowed, “I will go to the king! I will tell him what I ken!”
I whirled toward Alec and, with a look at James, we strode through the line of quiet warriors.
I paused in front of Alec, and I could not help but think what a fool I had been to be desperate for this man to see my worth, when I had been the one who needed to understand it.
Alec had never been worthy of my sister or me.
“Ye can go to the king, but he kens, already about me,” I said.
“Ye lie,” Alec hissed.
Beside me, James stiffened, and I saw his fingers clench the sword in his hand more tightly.
Ah, this man. This man, who became offended on my behalf and rode himself nearly to death to reach me, would defy his king to protect me.
This was a man worthy of me. I was not afraid to bequeath Renfrewshire to Millicent.
I was eager to do so because I believed in James and our love.
“Nay,” I assured Alec. “I do nae. And might I remind ye that ye lied directly to the king? Ye kenned about me and lied. I do nae think the king will like to hear of that, but I will gladly tell him if ye go to him.”
Alec’s face and neck turned a deep red.
James stepped toward Alec, a half head taller, and pressed the tip of his sword to Alec’s chest. Behind us, the hiss of dozens of swords being unsheathed cut the silence, but Alec barked, “Hold!” to his men.
He had to know he was good and stuck in a web of his own making, woven from his greed, his lies, and his cruelty.
I stood right behind James, but his free arm reached back to me, his hand still locked with mine, and he squeezed my hand before speaking to Alec.
“Ye fabricated a betrothal to claim Renfrewshire. Ye have everything to lose, and ye do nae have anything to gain by opening yer mouth. Collect yer horses from the stables and leave now,” James said, “or we can battle.”
I saw the moment Alec realized he had no choice but to comply.
His jaw clenched, his nostrils flared, and then, without another word, he signaled to his men to follow him.
They filed away toward the stables. As the road fell quiet, I relaxed against James.
The Ross warriors sheathed their swords as one, and Munro inclined his head to me.
“Murieall says to tell ye she has missed ye greatly, and can nae wait to see ye and watch ye wed this clot-heid here.”
My eyes widened as I looked at James, and he winked back. “If ye’ll have me,” he said.
If I’d have him? I was still afraid of loving him and losing him, but I was now more afraid of never having the precious years I could with him, though I did hope my curse would break when I fulfilled the final requirement.
“I’ll have ye,” I assured him, and a roar of approval went up from the Ross warriors, making me laugh and James grin.
Munro raised his hands, and his warriors fell silent. “We make camp here tonight,” he called. “At first light, we ride for home.”
As the men began to dismount and move toward the trees at the road’s edge, James looked to Munro. “I appreciate what ye said about the stronghold, but it is nae necessary.”
“I ken it’s nae necessary, James. Ye are family.
Ye have earned it. Ye will become a branch of the clan and make us stronger.
” My heart swelled for James as he and Munro locked forearms. Then Munro said to me, “I’ve heard a great many stories from Murieall about the mischief ye lasses got into as young lasses, and I look forward to hearing more stories and possibly learning a secret or two about Murieall I’ve nae discovered in our many years of marriage. ”
“I’m certain I can recall a tale or two later,” I assured him.
“I look forward to it,” he replied. “I should go help the men make camp.”
“There are at least a dozen empty bedchambers,” I said. “I insist ye take one and give the rest to yer men.”
“Thank ye, I’ll reserve one for James, since the two of ye are nae wed yet,” he said, laughing, then turned to walk toward the Ross warriors.
When he was gone, James and I faced each other, and he cupped my face. “Do ye wish me to sleep in a different chamber tonight? I will. I understand the impropriety of—”
I pressed a finger to James’s lips. “I wish ye to sleep with me,” I assured him.
A wide grin tugged at his lips as he caught my finger and kissed it. His touch sent a thrill down my spine. “The servants may whisper,” he said, kissing the tip of my finger again, making my skin tingle.
I shrugged. “I care naught. I will be leaving here with ye for yer new stronghold after we are wed,” I said, hardly believing the words I’d just uttered.
James twined his hands around my waist and tugged me close, claiming my lips in the tenderest of kisses. When he pulled away, he said, “What is mine is yer, and if ye wish us to split our time between strongholds, I’m happy to oblige.”
Now was the time to tell him the last thing I needed to do and my hope of breaking the curse.
“I need to tell ye something,” I said, pressing my palm to his heart, steady under my fingers.
“I had Princess Mary send a missive to my sister, Millicent, calling her to me. I hope she will come, but if she does nae, I will go to her with ye by my side, if ye will accompany me.”
“Ah, Katreine, if ye still do nae understand, I would follow ye to the ends of the world. I love ye,” he said, kissing me. “Ye are my heart. My soul. And ye will be my wife for all the days of my life.”
Happy tears filled my eyes. “I want all the days I can have with ye, but if I can help it, I’d rather I do nae have to go on without ye for the gods only ken how many endless years after.
When I went to see Morgana, it was to discover if she would break my curse.
” I told him quickly of all Morgana had said to me.
“Se ye see,” I finished, “I do nae need or want Renfrewshire, but I do need the chance to hopefully break my curse.”
He hugged me tightly to him and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I need only ye, Katreine. Ye’re the greatest treasure I could have hoped for. More valuable than land, a title, or a thousand warriors.”
I looked up at him, and he cupped my face. “Together, we will make a home and family,” he said.
“Together,” I agreed, and we sealed our bargain for the future with a kiss of promise for all the days ahead.