Annaleigh had come to love that room, and that view, deeply.
“You should be safe for tonight,” William said, looking around at a chamber that had been cleaned and stocked with wine and fruit and bread. There was a fire burning brightly in the hearth. “Do you require anything before I go?”
Annaleigh shook her head. “I dunna think so,” she said. “But I do want tae thank ye, William. Were it not for ye, none of this would have happened. I owe ye my very happiness.”
The way she said it made William take a second look at her. Something suggested that she knew the secret that War and William had kept buried and, God willing, always would. William wouldn’t have been surprised if War had told her, because that was War’s prerogative. Annaleigh was now his wife and, by all rights, should know everything about him. William looked at War, a hint of puzzlement in his expression, and War nodded his head in confirmation.
“She knows, William,” he said softly. “I told her.”
William looked at Annaleigh, who nodded, smiling. “I will take the secret tae my grave,” she said. “For Jane’s sake, I wouldna want it tae become gossip. Ye needna worry about me.”
William smiled faintly. “I would never worry about you,” he said. “You’ve proven yourself too many times, Annie. You know we consider you part of our family. But just so you are aware, my wife is taking credit for this marriage. She says that she arranged it.”
Annaleigh laughed softly. “If that is her wish, then I’ll allow her tae believe it,” she said. “But know that I’m grateful for everything. Ye’ve been so kind tae me.”
“Does that mean you’ll let Penny visit you here at Bamburgh for long periods of time?”
Annaleigh burst out laughing. “Ye’d miss her too much,” she said. “Ye can hardly stand tae be away from her even now.”
William grinned, conceding the point. “True enough,” he said. Then he held up a finger as if he’d just rememberedsomething. “Before I go, I have something for you. War, I was going to give it to you in private but if Annie knows the nature of our relations, then I will present this to you both.”
With that, he pulled forth a gold nugget from a pocket in his fine tunic, only it wasn’t a nugget at all. It simply gleamed like one. He put it in War’s palm, giving both War and Annaleigh a complete view of what it was.
A golden brooch gleamed in the weak light, some kind of flower design, and Annaleigh gasped at the beauty of it. There were fine, yellow stones on it.
It was absolutely magnificent.
“What is this?” she said, plucking it off War’s palm. “It looks like a flower.”
“It is,” William said, watching Annaleigh inspect it closely. “That belonged to my mother, Adalira, and she got it from her own mother. The flower is native to the country she was born in, a sort of thorny bloom. I do believe the brooch is hundreds of years old because my mother’s family was quite old, all the way back to the beginning of the world she used to say.”
Annaleigh flipped it over, seeing that something was etched on the back of it. “What is this writing?” she asked. “I dunna recognize it.”
William watched her examine the brooch. “That is because it is written in a language that is as old as time itself,” he said. “You see, my mother’s mother was born in the lands beyond The Levant. Very ancient lands. She was Saracen, meaning my mother was half-Saracen. The blood of ancient warriors flows through my veins, and War’s veins, because of her. The writing on the back says ‘Love is the beginning of forever’.”
“What a lovely sentiment,” Annaleigh said. “And what a great and valuable treasure this is.”
William nodded. “Sentimentally, it is,” he said. “My mother died when I was quite young and that is all I ever had of her.My father gave it to me. He told me that the women in my mother’s family passed it from mother to daughter but because my mother only had sons, my father gave it to me and told me to give it to a daughter.”
Annaleigh was listening seriously. “But you dinna,” she said. “Why not?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure,” he said. “Katheryn and Evelyn received so much on their wedding day that one more token would not have made a difference. They’re not shallow women, mind you, but mayhap I simply wanted to save it since it is all I have of my mother. But I want you to have it, Annie. War is my firstborn son and I feel as if it belongs to you now. You will pass it to your daughter.”
Annaleigh hugged him fiercely. “Thank ye,” she said sincerely. “I shall treasure it always.”
He smiled at her. “I know you will, lass,” he said. Then he took a deep breath as if to shake off the sentiment that was clinging, something that made him sad when it pertained to his mother. “And with that, I will bid you both a good eve. Do not open this door for any reason unless you want a room full of drunken knights. They’ll climb into bed with you and make your lives miserable.”
Annaleigh giggled as War shook his head. “Nay, they willnot,” he said. “I will throw them from the windows if they try and it is a long way down.”
William fought off a smile. “It is,” he agreed. “But they might try regardless. Oh, and do not worry about the posts for the night, War. Kieran and I have seen to it. We will make sure Bamburgh’s walls are protected since you are occupied.”
War was deeply grateful. “I appreciate it,” he said. “And speaking of walls, thank you for keeping Clement at Castle Questing. Not having that man around Bamburgh any longer is agreat relief. I was growing weary of looking over my shoulder at every turn.”
William’s smile broke through. “It was my pleasure to accept his fealty, forced though it was,” he said. “The man never had a choice in the matter, though it is good to have him as a replacement for Talus. He has been quite competent so far.”
“He is competent, indeed,” War said. “Just not here. Not with me. Alexei and Monty are like my brothers, but Clement… he simply never fit in with us.”
“I do hope we are able to meet your real brothers one of these days.”
