Troubled questions flooded his mind. Had she wed Davin? Was he with her now? Though he had not seen his former master, it didn’t mean that Iseult was free to speak with him.
He wanted to talk to her. Even if he couldn’t touch her, just to look upon her face would be enough. The rim of the sun edged the horizon, the sky growing darker.
He held his position, surprised when she walked toward the forest. When she reached the base of the hill, she stopped before the grove and held a small dagger in her hand. So close, his heartbeat quickened.
“I know someone is there,” she called out. “Show yourself.”
He didn’t move. A long moment passed before she entered the trees. Her braid hung down her back, her skirts dragging upon the ground. She clenched the dagger, her eyes discerning.
Then her gaze fell upon him and the dagger slipped from her palm, striking the dirt.
“You came back.”
His hand curled around a birch sapling, to keep himself from walking toward her. She stood no more than a few arm lengths from him, but neither moved. He wanted to embrace her, to show her how much he’d missed her. But he remained in place, for she might be another man’s wife. He’d wanted that for her, a safe home and a husband who loved her in the way she deserved.
“I may have found Aidan,” he said at last.
Iseult’s hand went to her mouth, her eyes filling with tears. A mixture of hope and terror masked her face, but she managed to gather her composure. “Is he alive?”
“I believe he is. But I cannot know whether it is him for certain.”
The tears spilled over her cheeks then, her hands shaking. He wanted so badly to hold her, but his feet remained rooted.
“Take me to him,” she begged. “We can go now.”
“It’s too far, and we’ll lose daylight soon. Dawn at the earliest.”
A curse fell from her lips, her mouth tight with a frown. “If we must.” She sheathed the dagger and pulled the edges of herbratcloser for warmth. “Come and share an evening meal with my family. I don’t know where you’ve taken shelter, but we could—“
“Don’t worry about me, Iseult. My camp is here.” He still didn’t know whether Davin had accompanied her, and he had no desire to lay eyes upon the man.
She touched his shoulder. “Kieran, don’t turn me away. I haven’t seen you in so long.”
Her fingertips seared him. He was half-witted to believe that time would diminish his need for her. Even now, he wanted to ravage her, to clasp her slender body against his own, until she understood his fierce desires.
But not if she belonged to another man.
“Did you marry him?” The words escaped him with the desperate need to know.
She shook her head. “I couldn’t. Not after what I felt for you.”
Hope and elation blazed through him. A fleeting second later, she kissed his mouth. It was so sudden, he might have imagined the warmth of her mouth. “Meet me in the blacksmith’s hut later,” she murmured.
Before he could say a word, she hurried back to the ringfort. Kieran lowered his head against the birch, knowing he was about to make the gravest of mistakes. Did he really believe he could spend a night alone with her, without joining his body with hers?
She deserved a far better man than himself. The problem was convincing her to accept the truth.
Iseultwaitedintheblacksmith’s hut, a fire flickering against the twilight. She had told her father not to expect her home for several days.
Rory had reddened. “I don’t like it, Iseult. Whether or not this man Kieran has news of Aidan, I don’t want you traveling alone with him.”
“He saved my life from the Norse raiders.” She laid her hands upon his arm. “I trust him, Da. And you needn’t worry about me.”
He grunted, passing her the basket of food she’d packed. “He’s the reason you didn’t marry Davin, isn’t he?”
She could not meet his gaze. “One of many reasons. He . . . means a great deal to me.”
Her father sighed and shook his head. “You always did follow your heart, Iseult.” He opened the door for her and added, “Take two of our horses, if you have the need.”
