She nodded, miserable. “I was afraid to tell you, afraid you would confront Roderick, who could ruin you further and do even more damage than I have done. I am s-so sorry,” she gasped.
He stood still, cool, out of reach, absorbing all this, just when she desperately needed his arms around her, needed his reassurance.
“That blasted pig,” he muttered under his breath. Taking a step, he pulled her into his arms. “Hush,” he murmured. “I cannot apologize enough for leaving you. All this time, you bore this alone—an unmarried mother, not even sure who the father was. I am not upset with you. I am angry at myself for letting this happen.”
“But you tried to find me,” She tipped her head up. “You did not just let it happen.”
“I came to the island more than once, but you must have been on the mainland, and I knew nothing of the baroness then.I could hardly go about asking who that beautiful girl was out on the rock one stormy night. Then, when the chance came to build a lighthouse on Sgeir Caran, I came back. Something kept pulling me back there,” he said low.
“I should have told you sooner, but at the time, I only wanted to throw something at you.”
He chuckled, kissed her hair, her brow, and released her. “You were not happy with me, but now I see why.”
“What should we do now? What do you want to do?”
“I would never take him away from you. Know that. And I think we can fix this easily.”
“How?” She stared up at him.
“Well, I ought to marry you,” he whispered, tipping her chin up with his fingers. “As soon as possible.”
She laughed, a watery burble, sheer relief once the truth was out. “What about Roderick?”
He gathered her into his arms again, silent, thoughtful. Then he drew back. “Why, Mrs. Stewart,” he said, “I believe we were married seven years ago.”
Meg gaped at him. “Oh! The rings!”
“The rings and all the rest. There is an old tradition of self-declared marriage in Scotland.”
“I know of it. A couple only needs to declare their love, exchange rings, and consummate their relationship.” She felt a blush heat her cheeks. “And they are considered married without benefit of clergy or witnesses. But we did not declare our love then.”
“I rather think we did.” He dipped down to kiss her. “Sean is the proof.”
“And we have declared it since,” she pointed out.
“An old married couple already,” he agreed with a soft laugh.
“Then I will tell Roderick the truth—I cannot marry him because I am already wed.”
“Aye, secretly married years ago to Mr. Stewart, and so we have a son. We had a rift, you see. A separation. Very secret, and lately resolved. There.” He brushed her hair back. “In fact, let me be the one to tell him.”
“You would do that?”
“I would be delighted.” He gathered her close.
Eyes closed, she lingered in his arms, close and warm, loved and vastly relieved. The future was good now. The future glowed with hope and resolution. With love and happiness too, all she had ever dared dream. Resting her head against his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart, she rocked with him for a few moments.
“As for what we will do now,” he whispered, his lips close to her ear, “is that door locked?”
She broke away, hurried to the narrow door to click the latch, and turned. “It is now.”
*
“You discarded someof these things in the library,” he murmured, his hands sliding down her ribs to her waist. “What about the rest of it?”
Freedom. She longed for it, feeling caged as the baroness. Her fingers flew to the neck of her gown, loosening the prim collar, working the long line of buttons down the front. Dougal began to help, fingers slowly working the buttons, his knuckles grazing over her skin, now over the swell of her breast.
She tipped her had back, closed her eyes, sighed as she let him loosen the rest of the buttons to open the bodice, drawing away the separate blouse, looking for the fastening on the skirt—she helped him find the tapes so that both pieces slid away to expose the corset cover, the bothersome stays, the ruched chemise. The snug room was warm, his hands warmer as heturned her to work the laces at the small of her back, drawing away the stiff whale-boned canvas. Then he spun her to face him, and she came willingly into his arms, feeling free in chemise and knickers, feeling sensuous and secret and private in the small room, in the haven of his arms, where hope, love, and forgiveness resided.
