“Why did ye decide to stay with me?” he asked. Might as well find out the inner workings of her mind.
The horse sauntered along the dirt road, easily following the familiar path home. Reade’s fingers held the reins lightly, letting his steed walk his way toward the tower. They swayed along with the horse’s steady gait as he waited for her answer.
Blair was still, contemplative, he presumed. She exhaled before she spoke.
“When my fate was in limbo, the MacDonalds opened their gates and their arms to me, offering me security, a safe harbor. Even ye. Whilst our start was no’ what one might desire, and ye had good reason for no’ having a wedding to a Gordon forced upon ye, ye yet did what ye could to put your own heartache to the side. Ye may be rash and strong-headed, as your mother often says, but those can be good traits under the right circumstances. And ye have other traits, ones that are fine and reflect what a Highlander and son of a Laird and a husband should be. My chances of feeling accepted and safe are much more likely with ye and yours than on my own.”
Reade swallowed. She didn’t stay because she loved him, but after all they had been through, had he truly expected her to claim she choose him out of love?
Nay, but her reasoning was sound, and her words were flattering to him when perchance he hadn’t been deserving of such accolades. He kissed the top of her head.
“Those are fine reasons, lass. Let me take ye home, then.”
Home.
When had Blair heard that word and known it to mean a place of love, security, or care? His sentiment reassured her, and she relaxed into his steady arms.
She still hadn’t mentioned the babe. The time didn’t seem right, atop a horse with Reade injured and her stomach sour. And she didn’t know how he might react. He did believe her barren. After the events of the day settled and Reade’s arm had been treated, when they were in the quiet of his chambers (their chambers!she reminded herself), then she would reveal the existence of his bairn, and tell him how much she had come to care for him.
Her answer must have sufficed because his upper arms closed in on her a bit more, protectively sinking her into his chest.
A place she had come to enjoy and grown to love, and that brought a thrill of excitement to her.
This marriage was so unlike the one with her first husband, who valued her little and used her for his own needs. Blair was grateful for this new marriage, and that her dead husband hadn’t embroiled her in any of his vile deeds. If he had, she would have been a spy no matter what, and she might never have ended up in this odd wedding arrangement.
Blair smiled to herself at that peculiar thought. She could actually thank the dreary Mungo Gordon for something – for keeping her unaware so when the MacDonalds brought her back to Glenachulish, she came with clean hands and a clear conscience. Who would have believed she might thank that old lecher for anything?
Flickering light from the tower windows and torches along the walls served as beacons, guiding them. The keep didn’t look nearly as fearsome as it had that first day she’d arrived, where it was naught but a stone monolith that was to be her prison. Now it was a welcoming home.
Blair slipped her arm gently down to Reade’s right hand and gripped it on his thigh with her hand. His breath puffed in her hair, and his fingers moved slightly to twine with hers.
Glenachulish was not her prison. It was the place that had set her free.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Reade increased hisspeed as the Glenachulish tower appeared, his hands growing weak and his body starting to slump. He required food and aid for his wound, but he had to make sure Blair was well and in his mother’s capable care before he took care of his own needs.
