Eve’s head was spinning.She’d somehow hoped Adam was some obscure and distant Rivenloch relative the laird barely knew.
“Are you all right?”Deirdre asked in concern.“Ian, give her your stool.”
He brought the stool, and Deirdre helped her to sit.“And bring her a cup of water.Isabel, stay here with her.I’m going to fetch the scribe.”
When Deirdre was gone, Eve dared to ask Isabel, “Adam is the laird’s nephew?”
“Aye.”
“And do ye know where is he now?”She hoped he hadn’t returned to Rivenloch.
“No one e’er knows,” she said, “though the real question iswhois he now?”
Ian brought the cup of water, and she took a long drink.
Isabel asked, “Why are you so interested in Adam?”
Eve choked on the water.
Before she could answer, Isabel made her own guess.“Och!Have you met him?If you know Hew, maybe you’ve crossed paths with Adam?”
The water made a long, cold path into the pit of Eve’s stomach.
Isabel continued.“With him being a sometimes monk, and you being a sometimes nun…”
Isabel stared at her now, and Eve got the feeling she had some gift of sight that let her peer into a person’s soul.
“Youdoknow him, don’t you?”she marveled.“You know him.And youcarefor him.”
Eve blanched.Was it written so plainly on her face?
Ian scoffed.“Not everyone is in love, Isabel.”
“Butsheis,” Isabel.“Aren’t you?”
“I’m a nun,” she said stiffly.“I cannot love any man.”
“And yet you do.”Isabel’s voice was full of a sympathy so wistful, it nearly brought Eve to tears.
Deirdre rushed up, followed by a scribe.
“Feeling better?”she asked.
Eve nodded.But she wasn’t feeling better.She was more miserable than ever.
Deirdre nodded.“Then you may return to…” She waved her hand.“Whatever convent allows its nuns to do such mischief.I plan to deliver this myself.I only pray I’m not too late.”
It hadn’t occurred to Eve that the marriage needed to be secured before a bairn was born.But of course it made sense.The laird couldn’t have a Rivenloch heir considered illegitimate.
She trusted Laird Deirdre would do the right thing and secure Dunlop’s seal.
Now all she wanted was to hurry home.The siege was imminent.And safe behind convent walls, maybe she could forget all the foolish things she’d said and done in front of Adam.
She was sure his clan would never forget her.This would make her the laughingstock of Rivenloch.
She’d accidentally beguiled Hew of Rivenloch.
Stolen Gellir of Rivenloch’s bride.
