“Please take me with you to Dunbarton... Take us,” she said, looking down at Craig.
“Anice, yer father said...”
“I have no father. Will that matter to you? I know it does to most men. If I come to you without dowry or name, will you have me?”
“Ye ken I did no’ offer for ye to gain those things, Anice. I’m afraid I canna offer ye the protection of marriage, lass. Not now that ye ken the truth about me.”
“Did Father Cleirach know the truth when he heard our vows?”
Robert nodded his answer. So Robert had not deceived the priest.
“Then if my father goes through with the annulment, we will ask him to hear our vows again. Or I will live with you and bear your children without the bond of marriage, Robert.” She stepped closer and knelt in the dirt at his feet. “If you will have me, Robert. Please?”
He grabbed her and dragged her to her feet. “Anice, as much as I want ye, as much as I love ye, I canna let ye throw away all that should be yers. And, yer faither will no’ stand for this. He seeks a suitable marriage for his daughter.”
“I cannot marry someone else, Robert, for I gave you my heart when we took our vows.” Tears filled her eyes and she cried out to him once more. “For, annulment or not, we are already married in our hearts.”
He recognized his own words and took her, took them, in his embrace. “Will ye regret this later? Will ye wish for the title ye give up now in order to do this?”
“My only regret would be in letting you leave here without me.”
He drew her near and touched his lips to hers. Just when she would have opened to him, the crowd that had gathered around them parted and her parents, Struan, Father MacIntyre, and some of the clan elders came through.
“What is this talk of leaving, Robert? Ye canna leave,” one of the elders called out to him.
Father MacIntyre approached, carrying several parchments.
“’Twould seem that Struan haes discovered a problem with the original betrothal and the old laird’s will. Both refer to Struan’s eldest son and heir. When this wording is used, rather than referring to the male issue of a legitimate marriage, all sons were considered, not just legitimate ones. If Struan kenned of the existence of another, older son when he contracted with the MacNab, then he entered into this agreement fraudulently. Since Robert was older than Alesander, he and not Alesander should have married the MacNab heiress. And been named tanist as is the custom here.”
Anice looked in confusion at Robert, not quite understanding what had just been established. Her father interrupted.
“So ye are saying that if Struan kenned of Robert then Anice’s marriage to Sandy was invalid?” Her father snorted and huffed, not used to having anyone interfere with his plans.
“Aye. And Struan haes already signed a statement attesting to that prior knowledge. Although it will take some time to file the papers with the courts and with the church, it appears that Anice’s first marriage was invalid. That is, of course, if Struan acknowledges Robert as his heir before the clan.”
Anice did not dare to hope that everything could be settled this easily. If Struan was going to call him son, why wait until now? Why not do it earlier? How could Struan punish Robert with exile and then wait through all of this?
“No, Struan,” Robert said, surprising her with his vehemence. He shook his finger at Struan, who looked very tired. “’Tis too late to hear the words from ye.”
“Come, Robert, let us speak in private. Please hear me out before ye decide.” Struan’s voice was roughened with emotions.
“Anice, come with me? For this is about ye and yer son as well.”
Robert held out his hand to her and she followed him and Struan into Robena’s cottage. When she shifted the babe to a more comfortable spot on her hip, Robert lifted him from her and placed him on his shoulder. She looked at Struan, but not before catching sight of Robert rubbing Craig’s head and placing a tender kiss on the babe’s forehead. What a fool she had been to ever doubt him.
She caught his gaze and he smiled at her, embarrassed a bit by being seen in that tender moment. Then Struan cleared his throat.
“When yer maither came and told me she was carrying ye, Robert, she made me swear never to openly acknowledge ye as mine. In spite of the love we shared, she did not want Dougal hurt by our affair. I did no’ see her again as her lover and we did no’ speak again until the night she bore ye and died. She begged me once again to keep yer parentage a secret to protect Dougal and I held to our bargain.” Struan paused and took a deep breath.
“I was faithful in my heart to Edana for our whole marriage except that brief time with Glynnis. When Edana discovered the truth, as women always seem to, it destroyed her. The only thing that would begin to heal the rift between us was my promise to never let ye inherit over her son. Alesander had been born a few months after yer birth and the fact that Glynnis had given me a son first ate at Edana. Through the years, I watched ye grow into a man and kenned that others saw the resemblance. Somehow, Edana found out and confronted me that night over nine years ago. Once Dougal found out, he treated ye differently. I could no’ openly accept ye, so I arranged with Duncan to foster ye there.”
“So you kept the promises made to everyone else and abandoned your own flesh and blood?” Anice asked. Robert looked at her in surprise.
“’Twould seem so,” Struan answered in a strangled voice.
“Robert, you do not need him. Duncan will make us welcome there.” She was furious upon learning the truth. How Robert had grown into such a loving and wonderful man, under circumstances like these, she could not imagine. Then she realized that Duncan and Margaret were the answer to that.
“Anice, ye have the most to gain or lose by his words. If he acknowledges me and yer marriage to Sandy is invalidated, I gain title and position, but yer son loses it. If we refuse his words, ye will lose title and position and must be contented to live outside the bonds of marriage, but yer son will inherit.”
