Isadora simply shook her head. “Ye’re the healthiest dying man I’ve ever seen,” she said. “Off with ye, now. We must finish packing if we are tae be ready on the morrow.”
“Can I at least come in and keep ye company?”
Isadora was going to deny him, but considering she really didn’t know how long it would be before she saw him again, she relented.
“Come in, then,” she said.
As Cam headed back into the cottage, Isadora caught a glimpse of the old couple in the distance as they headed to their cottage. Niall stood next to her, seeing where his daughter’s attention lay.
“What is it?” he asked softly. “Why do ye look like that?”
Isadora shook her head. “I’m not sure,” she murmured. “I feel as if… as if this is the last time that I will see Aunt Clova alive. I dunna know why, but I do.”
Niall put his hand on her shoulder. “I dunna know why ye worry,” he said. “She never liked ye.”
Isadora looked at him sharply before breaking down into laughter. “She’s a contented woman now ever since Nikolaus returned tae her. I dunna think I’ve seen a bad day with her since. Did she ever tell ye the full story of her and Nikolaus?”
Niall nodded. “When ye married Cam, she felt as if she finally could. With my grandfather dead, there was no reason tae keep her secret. It was quite a story. Nikolaus is quite a man.”
Isadora smiled faintly. “So is his grandson.”
They headed back into the cottage shared by Isadora and Cam, and as Niall perched himself on a stool by the hearth, the pair finished their packing listening to Niall tell stories of the first time he ever saw Isadora’s mother and how proud the woman would have been of her daughter. Speaking of Isadora’s mother wasn’t something Niall did very often, so it made Isadora quite emotional.
When the packing was finished, Isadora and her father stayed up long into the night speaking of Isadora’s mother.
Your mother would have been proud of ye, lass.
She believed her father. But the one thing Isadora was most proud of in her own life was the blond warrior sitting by the hearth, sharpening a dirk on a whetstone. Cam sat silently through Niall’s reflections, looking up once in a while to smile at his wife, who would smile in return. Isadora was certain her mother would have adored Cam, as they all did.
The best thing she’d ever done in her life.
Thu fhèin.
Words spoken from his heart to hers.
EPILOGUE
The Ludus Caledonia
“The horse andthe sword are in excellent condition,” Clegg said, a hint of satisfaction in his tone. “I am glad to see all three of you, Cam. I must say that I am also surprised.”
It was a warm autumn day as Cam stood in the bailey of Caelian Hill. Axel was there, also, as was Luther, who had seen Cam ride in with Isadora, Ewan, and Ossian. They were more than astonished to see Cam, who had the strangest feeling as he stood there in the dusty bailey.
He felt as if he’d come home again.
It was difficult to describe… camaraderie, comfort, familiarity… all of it was present. But so was the innate sense of satisfaction. Satisfaction that he’d kept his promise and returned the items to Clegg. Cam was a man of his word, in all things.
“I realize ye werena expecting tae see me so soon, m’laird,” he said. “But the situation has presented itself and so I’ve come. I hope I still have a place here.”
Clegg nodded. “Indeed, you do,” he said. “But I must ask you why you have returned so soon. When you came to me, you were very clear that you sought vengeance for the death of your grandfather. Has that changed?”
Cam shook his head. “Nay, m’laird,” he said. “Vengeance was mine in the most unexpected way possible. ’Twill take time tae explain. Suffice it tae say that my burden has been lifted and I am a free man, free in more ways than ye know. Ye did this for me, m’laird. It was because of ye that I had the opportunity. But there is something ye should know.”
“What?”
There was a dull glimmer in Cam’s eyes. “I had tae defeat The Beast one last time before my vengeance was satisfied,” he said. “Ye sold the man’s services tae the enemy I was sworn tae punish.”
Clegg looked amused while Axel appeared astounded. “The Beast?” Axel repeated, aghast. “You fought him again?”
