Page 48 of Highlander’s Quest of Desire

Chapter Nineteen

The day had been so intensely hot it was surprising to Elspeth how cold the night had gotten. Her sudden outburst must have made a deep impression on Bruce because he was extra attentive to her needs. Clearing a place closest to the fire, he placed one of the saddle blankets on her shoulders. He placed the handkerchief of strawberries in her lap and sat close by.

Elspeth didn’t touch the strawberries. She had seen this side of him before, in the clearing within the copse of trees near Loch Lomond. Then he had completely changed and been distant and cold. This was the dilemma of her love. She could trust him to do right by the world and be a great leader of men, but she could not trust him not to break her heart.

“Where should I start?” Bruce said, running his hands through his thick black hair.

“Start at the beginning.”

Bruce sighed and nodded. He rubbed his forehead, and then his shoulders straightened as he began to speak. “Ye’ve met John McLain.”

“The Bishop of Orkney? Aye. He was a regular fixture at the Grant spring festival. I remember when I hurt my hand with that kite string and he helped patch me up. My interest in healing herbs started from that day.”

Bruce smiled a fond smile. “He had that effect on people. Just like he sparked the joy of healing in ye, he sparked a passion for the Honors of Scotland within me.”

“The Honors,” Elspeth said, her forehead wrinkling at a memory. “He told me of them a long time ago.”

“Aye. But for us they were nae legends to be told at bedtime to calm down hyper bairns. He believed in them, and so he taught me to believe in them too. When I went to see him last, he told me that he had found where they were and now was the time to bring the Honors out of hiding and to unite Scotland under its rightful king.”

She observed the change in his facial expressions, the dull uncertainty in his eyes. It seemed like a great shame was attached to this story that Bruce was struggling with. Elspeth wanted to reach out and touch his arm, but she hesitated.

Bruce pulled out the papers they had found at the ruins of Loch Lomond and handed them to her. “These are the instructions to where the Honors are hidden. The Bishop’s last instructions to me were to find them, and I must do so before I leave Scotland.”

Elspeth opened the sheets of paper and ran her fingers across the written words. She couldn’t decipher some of the text, but the illustrations of Arthur’s were beautiful and quite detailed.

“I still don’t understand why ye had to keep it a secret.”

“Because the Honors are the only things that can unite a divided Scotland, and if the English got wind of it, they’d try to steal them. D’ye think they’d let us have any form of sovereignty? They are thieves, and only know how to steal glory and riches from those they conquer. It would have been a humiliation too grave for any of us to face.”

“And this king,” she said carefully. “Did the Bishop say who it should be?”

Bruce swallowed and stared into the distance. A thin film of sweat was on his brow. Elspeth lifted her arm and wiped at it with her hand. Bruce looked startled at the intimate gesture. Then his eyes softened, and he nodded his gratitude.

“I ken this will sound absurd, but the Bishop thought I would be a good choice.”

She noted the change in his body language, how his shoulders hunched, and his neck flushed. He was sweating profusely, even though the flames of the fire were dwindling, and Elspeth felt colder.

“It’s a ridiculous choice,” he said, shaking his head. “And I donnae intend to follow through with his last instruction. But I feel we can restore the monarchy in Scotland that will unite all the clan banners under its sigil and help us oust the English once and for all!”

His passion galvanized her, and she fell more in love with him, if that were possible. But a fear had taken root in her heart as well. Before, he had been a fugitive looking for his family heirlooms, now he was on the run and in the search of Scotland’s most important emblems. She feared that before it was only the English who meant him harm, but if the matter of the Honors were to be spread far and wide he would have Scottish enemies too.

For who wouldn’t want to sit on the throne of Scotland?

Bruce might be modest and declare his intent not to pursue this line, but those who desired it would not see it so. His possession of the Honors would be proof enough of his intent to sit on the throne, and that would make him a target of jealous rivalry and assassination attempts.

But putting her own fears aside, she placed a comforting hand on Bruce’s arm.

“I donnae believe there would be a man more worthy of the throne than ye, Bruce. Why, just the fact that ye donnae want the glory and think only of the responsibility and how ye might fail at it will ensure that ye will rule with fairness and compassion.”

Bruce looked at her like he was looking at her for the first time. The uncertainty in his eyes still remained, but he did not look so forlorn any more.

“I am grateful that ye shared this with me,” she said. “I ken it must nae have been easy for ye to share since ye gave yer vow of secrecy to the Bishop, but I am happy that ye trusted me. I will help ye in every way I can.”

“I’m…” Bruce cleared his throat, hesitant to say what he wanted to say. “I think I’m nae worthy of finding them. So many have gone on the quest of the Honors. What makes me think I’ll be able to find them when others failed?”

“Because ye have the blessing of God,” Elspeth said, and she was convinced of this. “The Bishop sent ye on this quest. God saved us from capture on so many occasions on this journey, and we have met friends more than we’ve met foe. It cannae be by chance.”

“But what if we fail?” Bruce asked, looking agitated.