When she looked into his eyes, Kieran felt as if he’d been struck across the head with abata. His lips moved, but no sound came forth. All the air seemed to leave his lungs, his heart pounding.
A child. His own flesh and blood growing inside of her womb.
Kieran was moved by the sudden urge to touch her again, as though he could feel the life growing within her body. “Our child.” He repeated the words, unable to believe them. He couldn’t get his mind around it, though he knew she spoke the truth.
“Yes. Ours.” She kept her hand in his, her other hand linked in Aidan’s. Kieran suddenly realized he’d forgotten completely about the children. Glancing around, he saw Shannon lurking near the palisade wall.
“Come here,” he said to the young girl.
She bit her lip, a wary expression in her eyes. When she reached his side, he introduced her to Iseult as Aidan’s foster sister. Shannon greeted Iseult, but kept her gaze downward. The worried crease upon her mouth didn’t relax. “Was I a good girl?”
He didn’t know what she was talking about. “Good enough for what?”
Her hopeful eyes met his. When he didn’t understand what she was hinting at, she broke free of his hand. “It doesn’t matter.”
With a little shrug, she went over to stand by the gate. Lost and lonely, it struck him suddenly what she meant. KIeran crossed the ringfort, leaving Iseult with her son. Crouching down, he rested his wrist upon his knee. “You should know, I’m not good at telling stories. I’ve never been around children much. I’d make a terrible foster father.”
Hope swelled in her eyes. “You might get better.”
He kept silent, as though thinking about it. “We’d need someone to help us with Aidan. I don’t suppose you—“
She flew into his arms, gripping him as though he were the last man in the world. And the most startling warmth spread over him. He gave her a slight squeeze before leading her back to Iseult.
“Shannon has agreed to help us with Aidan.”
Iseult exchanged a knowing glance with him, but he didn’t care. It had been so long since he’d taken care of others. Now he’d gone from no children to nearly three.
Iseult carried Aidan on her hip, while he led Shannon with his other hand. Side by side, they walked to the church.
“I’m surprised Davin didn’t come,” Iseult remarked. “But glad of it.”
A man coughed from near the church, and Kieran suddenly spied Rory. His broad face brightened. “I see you found each other.”
“I’m going to wed her and take her back to Duncarrick,” Kieran said.
Rory nodded with approval. “And she’ll be more than a woodcarver’s bride, I imagine.”
“She’s a princess,” Shannon piped in.
At Iseult’s blush, Kieran agreed. “One day, perhaps.”
To Rory, he added, “My thanks for delaying the wedding.”
The older man looked guilty, all of a sudden. “Well, you’d best give your thanks to Niamh. It was her doing, what with Davin and all.”
Iseult stared hard at her father. “What do you mean, ‘with Davin and all’?”
Rory failed to look innocent. “I won’t say I’m sorry for it. You’re far happier with this man than with Davin. Niamh and I simply did what was necessary to keep you from wedding the wrong man.”
Iseult was horrified. “Da, what did you do?”
Davinawokeinthestables with the worst headache he’d ever had. Woozy and sick, he tried to clear his head but couldn’t make sense of a single thought.
His first vision was of a woman’s skirts. He blinked hard and then recognized Niamh sitting across from him. Her hands were folded, her mouth moving rapidly in prayer.
When she spied him, she crossed herself. “Oh, thank God. I was afraid I’d killed you.”
He struggled to sit up, and just then realized that his hands and feet were trussed with rope. “What is going on?”
