She lifted her chin when he met her eyes and turned back to her friend. “All is as well as it will ever be,” she muttered and walked away from all of them.
She crossed the courtyard and the rear gardens toward the edge of the water, not wishing to be around anyone.
“Leah!”
She kept walking, knowing that he would follow her and that she was powerless to prevent it.
I am sick and tired of men telling me what I can and cannot do.
She wished that she had gotten on the boat and sailed away so that she would not have to deal with her feelings anymore.
She walked out of the gardens through a small opening in the rear wall, which led to a high ledge above the sea. It was a beautiful spot, hidden from view from the rest of the castle. The sun glinted above her and reflected on the water, its fragile warmth beating down on her and clearing her mind.
Magnus stomped through the archway behind her, frowning when he saw her.
“Ye can stay where ye are,” she stated quickly. “I dinnae wish to see ye.”
Magnus advanced nonetheless, coming to stand a few feet away from her. Her eyes were drawn to the bloodied blade in his hand, and he looked down at it before throwing it into a flower bed behind him.
“Are ye alright?” he asked.
She scoffed. “Yes, quite well. Your wife, who was forced upon you, is still alive, much to your chagrin, I’m sure.”
“Leah,” he said in exasperation and then sighed heavily, running his hands through his hair and turning away from her to look out over the water.
A flock of geese flapped by, leisurely and calm in their movements, and they both watched them pass. Leah wished that she were one of them, able to glide away on the water and escape the life she had made for herself.
“Ye’re safe now,” Magnus assured her, looking out at the wide expanse of the hills on the horizon.
“I was stupid, that’s all,” Leah replied stubbornly, and he turned to her, raising his eyebrows.
“And what do ye mean by that?”
“When that servant came to find me, when he told me you wanted to see me, I thought…”
“Well? What did ye think, lass?”
“I thought that you wanted me!” Leah cried. “And then I arrive, and you tell that man that I have trapped you into marriage. That you don’t care what happens to me!”
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
Magnus sighed heavily again as he turned to her, his good eye full of despair as he met her gaze.
“I had to say that to him, Leah. I was lookin’ at the man who had killed Elizabeth and tried to kidnap ye—all because I wouldnae marry his daughter.” He threw his arms wide. “That is what caused all this. I refused to marry his daughter, so he decided to take my wife from me. The man was mad. Crazed.”
He shook his head, looking revolted.
“Elizabeth was innocent, she did nothin’ to him at all, and yet he took her life like it was sport. He would have done the same to ye. He said he had men stationed at the boat, and if anythin’ happened to him, they would scupper it and drown ye. I thought ye were on the lake when he told me that, but then ye arrived, and I was scared he’d kill ye in cold blood. I kenned I would have to keep his attention on me. I needed to get ye away. I thought that if I convinced him that I didnae care what happened to ye, he might leave ye alone.”
Magnus shook his head again, looking at her imploringly. “But the reality is…” He paused, and Leah held her breath. “That couldnae be further from the truth.” His gaze met hers, his jaw set in a hard line. “If ye still wish to return to England, then yewill have to explain to me how I can pass for an Englishman because ye arenae goin’ anywhere without me. Nae as long as ye live.”
Leah stared at him, finally hearing the words that she had never believed he would say.
“Do you really mean that?” she asked.
“I do.”
“And what about my castle?” she asked defiantly.
