“Cameron made a baron of Argyll?”
“Aye, and Conall promised a reward as well,” Gabriel answered as Magdalene held out her hands to the girls, “though King Robert said he had tae think upon it for a while about what tae grant him. They saved his life after all when the fighting began—”
“And you did not?” Magdalene couldn’t help interjecting. “You cut his chains and freed him, husband. If you hadna heeded my plea, King Robert would be dead—”
“Who’s King Robert?” piped up Rhona, tugging on Magdalene’s hand and glancing from her to Gabriel.
“Robert the Bruce,” Keira cut in with a knowing nod. “Our enemy—is that not right, Uncle?”
“No, he’s our friend now and our rightful king. Soon we’ll visit the castle he gave me—”
“A castle?” both girls chimed in at once, their bright blue eyes grown round.
“Aye, right by the sea. I told him this one was fine enough for me, but he insisted upon it—given that he named me earl of the MacLachlans.”
“Earl?” blurted Magdalene, never yet having heard this news.
“Earl is it now?” echoed Finlay while Alun nodded solemnly beside Gabriel.
If she had felt stung before, now Magdalene truly felt hurt that Alun already knew—his loyal captain, aye, but she was his wife! Gabriel had been exhausted last night, true, but couldn’t he have mentioned this great honor to her during their ride home?
“You see, Maggie?” came his voice, which sounded as serious as he had looked all the way back to MacLachlan Castle. “Rewards all around and something for you, too. Forgive me if I waited tae tell you until the girls were with us. As an earl, you’re now my countess—though King Robert didna think a proxy wedding was proper enough for so high a rank. He made me promise tae wed you again when we arrived home.”
Magdalene stared dumbstruck as Gabriel bent down on one knee in front of her, a ruby ring that sparkled in the mid-afternoon sun held between his thumb and forefinger.
“Cora gave me the ring as her gift tae you. You didna have a choice before, but I’m asking you now. Will you marry me, Magdalene?”
Her heart in her throat, she could but nod as Rhona and Keira jumped up and down with excitement beside her.
“Say aye, Maggie—say aye!”
Still stunned, she stared into Gabriel’s dark eyes, his face so handsome, so dear.
“Aye, Gabriel, I will marry you—oh!”
He’d risen to pull her into his arms so suddenly that she lost her footing, but it didn’t matter because he swept her into the air.
Her arms flying around his neck, her feet dangling even as the girls gasped and then giggled, their eyes alight as Gabriel kissed her right there in the bailey for everyone to see.
Fiercely. Possessively…yet with a hint of something she couldn’t name as he hugged her like he would never let her go.
He wasn’t smiling when he deposited her once more upon the ground, though Rhona and Keira were grinning from ear to ear—and only then did Magdalene realize it had been a niggling of fear.
From Gabriel. Her great, towering warrior of a husband looking at her as if agonized inside that somehow he might fail her.
The curse.
Aye, at that moment, what else could it be that tormented him? Mayhap had tormented him all the way back from the fortress—och, why hadn’t she recognized it and done her best to soothe his mind?
She had seen Cora talking with Gabriel right before they left, so surely he must know that Cora had told her what had happened to his grandmother, mother, and poor Anna. Yet they couldn’t speak of it here with the girls so close and so happy, Keira taking Gabriel by the hand and Rhona grabbing Magdalene’s to pull them toward the entrance to the keep.
“The chapel, Uncle!” Keira said breathlessly, then she cried out to a figure standing by the door. “Grania, fetch the priest! Uncle Gabriel and Maggie are getting married—again!”
Magdalene saw the strangest look cross the old nursemaid’s face, though she bowed her head and hastened inside.
A moment later and their little group had entered, too. The girls clambering ahead while Gabriel laced his fingers with Magdalene’s. Together, they climbed the steps to the second floor of the tower opposite the one where they slept, and made their way to the chapel.
“Gabriel, I—”
