Page 70 of Highland Flame

“What if I willna go?”

“Don’t tempt me to include what you did in that letter to the MacKeefe lairds.”

“Ye wouldna! I am of yer own bluid, Gillies. Please, dinna do it. Ye’ll ruin both my and Cam’s lives. Just let us go in peace.”

“You have both put me at great risk. If the bishop finds out what is going on here, I’ll lose my position at the priory. I worked so hard to get where I am. I will not have it all taken away.”

“So, what if ye do? Is that really so bad?” she asked him.

“This is all I’ve ever wanted, Yvaine. No one is going to take it from me.”

“Oh, ye mean the way ye took Cam’s daughter away from him?”

“Don’t get involved,” Gillies warned her.

“I am involved, because this includes me. I want to be Cam’s wife, and raise Avianca and my bairn as our children together. We will be a family. A real family.”

“Forget about the girl. There is someone else who wants Avianca more than Cam, and she is with them now.”

“The peasants named Wood? They have enough children of their own. Why did ye let them have her? Avianca is Cam’s only child.”

His head snapped around at hearing her mention the Woods. “I’ll have Sister Edna saying penance forever for telling you that. What else did she say?”

Yvaine felt terrible for speaking up now. She didn’t want the nun to get into trouble. Still, she didn’t want her own brother to tell the MacKeefe lairds her secret and send her to prison either.

“Please, Gillies. Keep this to yerself, and dinna send a missive to Hermitage Castle, I beg ye. Please, dinna tell them I killed Dun.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.” He stormed out the door and Yvaine ran after him.

“Gillies, nay! Dinna do it.” She reached out to grab him as he started down the steep, stone stairs. He was angry, and jerked his arm away from her. Yvaine’s sleeve got caught on him, and his motion set her off balance. “Gillies! Help me,” she cried, reaching out for her brother.

His hand went out to her but it was too late. Her sleeve ripped. Yvaine fell, tumbling down the stairs, until she landed sprawled out in a heap at the bottom. Pain seared through her, and she felt warm liquid gush from between her legs. Her head dizzied and she looked up to see Gillies running down the stairs after her. As if in a dream, she heard Davita’s voice, and then Cam’s from afar. The sound of thundering footsteps over the ground rumbled in her ears as they all came running toward her.

“Yvaine, I’m so sorry,” cried Gillies, kneeling down next to her. “Oh, God, nay,” he said, his face becoming pale. He quickly blessed himself and started to pray.

“I – I’m all right,” she said, then followed his gaze. That’s when she noticed blood staining her gown. The pain in her belly became unbearable, and she realized just what had happened. “Oh, nay. Nay!” she cried. “Gillies, please help me,” she begged her brother. “I dinna want to lose my baby.”