Page 63 of Married to her Kilted Enemy

“Is it nae funny, Odhrán, that ye used tae bring me books then, and ye still bring me books now. And d’ye ken what? I dinnae ken how ye dae it, but ye always pick ones I like. I suppose that’s another one of yer hidden talents.” She smiled as she spoke.

“That’s good tae ken, but I had the devil of a job choosin’ them back then. I used tae spend hours wondering what ye’d like,” he confessed. “So, what now? Have ye worked out a way tae let go of all these bad memories? I’ll burn the dungeons tae the ground if ye wish it.”

“I dinnae think that will be necessary, but I have nae thought of anything yet. I suppose I’m lookin’ fer somethin’ that symbolizes me past captivity here that I can offer up in some sort of ritual that will banish it all for good.”

“I have an idea,” he told her, tucking the book beneath one arm. “D’ye trust me?” He held out his hand.

“What a silly question,” she replied, placing her hand in his.

“Good answer,” he replied, grabbing a lamp. “Follow me.” He led her up the steps and out into the balmy night.

“Where are we going?”

“To a quiet part of the garden,” he told her. After a few minutes, they came to a small, paved arbor surrounded by flowering shrubs at the far end of the garden. “This is perfect.” He halted and knelt down on the stone slabs, drawing her gently down alongside him. She watched curiously as he reached into one of the borders and snapped off a handful of dry twigs from one of the shrubs. Then he made a small pile of them in the middle of a slab. He opened the lantern and stuck another twig inside. When it burst into flame, he used it to light the others, making a small, crackling fire, adding more twigs to make it burn brighter. Then he handed her the book.

“Would ye say this book is a symbol of yer captivity and any lingering resentment ye may have towards me?” he asked.

After a few moments she nodded. “Aye, it is a symbol of me captivity, but I have nae resentment towards ye, Odhrán.”

“Ye say that, but mayhap it could return one day. Now, burn the book. That will be yer ritual for lettin’ go of yer past.”

She nodded. “Aye, that’s a very good idea. I think that could work.” So, page by page, she burned the book on the little fire until it was no more than a small pile of ashes that blew away in the breeze.

“D’ye ken,” she said after she had finished and they were walking back to their chambers arm in arm, “I swear I could feel me soul gettin’ lighter with every page that burned? I feel… liberated, I really dae. Thank ye for helpin’ me, Odhrán.”

He patted her hand, filled with love for her, and a sense of relief too. “I’m glad ye feel that way, Maddy. I ken what ye mean about feelin’ liberated. ’Tis like we were born for others tae rule our lives, and we had nae power tae change it, through no fault of our own, until we met. Then, because of the ghosts of the past, it was a hard fight tae gain love. But by some unknown power, we’re now free tae be our true selves and have the fresh start ye spoke of.”

They had arrived at their chamber and went inside, shutting the door firmly behind them.

“Aye,” Maddison answered as they embraced and kissed tenderly. He sensed something different in her as he held her, as if an underlying tension had finally gone. “’Tis a wonderful feelin’ indeed. But now I’m tired, and I think I need tae sleep.”

“Aye, I’m sleepy too, and ’tis cold. I’ll stoke up the fire, and we’ll get under the covers. Go on, ye get in.” He put a couple of logs on the fire, and once it was crackling nicely, he got into bed with her.

“Odhrán?” she murmured, cuddling up to him.

“Aye, bonny lass,” he replied, pulling her close to his side and wrapping his arm around her, pressing a kiss to her head and silently thanking Dame Fortune for smiling on him at last.

“I was rememberin’ before ye came tae meet me in the dungeons how miserable I was when I was locked up there fer a whole year and how it nearly killed me. I told ye before that, even after I was free and back with me family, I was very sad and ill. I couldnae seem tae get over it.”

“That’s understandable, Maddy. It was a terrible thing tae have tae experience. I hated seein’ ye like that and what it did tae ye.”

“Aye, I ken that now. Ye kept me alive because ye loved me.” She stroked his cheek lovingly. “But the thing is, while I was back there just now, I realized something that’s hard fer me tae take in. I want tae ken what ye think.”

“All right. What is it?”

“Well, if yer faither hadnae taken me prisoner and kept me captive fer so long, I would nae have met ye. So, we wouldnae likely nae have married and found love together. So, though ’tis strange tae say so, in funny way, all that misery I went through, and ye too, because of yer faither, was like a dark cloud with a silver linin’.”

Odhrán thought about that for a few moments. Then he said, “That’s one way of lookin’ at it I suppose. But the snag there is that would mean havin’ tae be a wee bit grateful tae the bastard for bringin’ us together, and I’m nae prepared tae dae that.” He turned on his side, so they were nose to nose. “I prefer tae believe that Fate kent we were meant tae find each other and gave us a helpin’ hand despite me faither. What d'ye say tae that?”

She smiled up at him, looking so exquisitely beautiful that his heart turned over in his chest to think she was truly his.

“I say I like that version much better, me clever, braw husband. A lot more!” They kissed lingeringly and cuddled up, perfectly contented, and soon fell fast asleep in each other’s arms.

The next few days passed in an anxious wait for news from the King. It seemed that everyone was on tenterhooks. She hardly saw Odhrán, for he was so busy and forced to keep late hours. Unfortunately, until they had received a resolution from the King, Rollo still posed a terrible threat and Odhrán had explained to her that he did not want to let their guard down. His men had been coming in from the borders, all needing to be briefed on the new situation and given fresh commands in case of another attack on the castle. Or another attempt to take her.

Nevertheless, he would snatch moments and go to find her whenever he could. Sometimes, they would make frantic, passionate love and others merely talk. And though she missed him terribly and could not wait for it all to be over, he continued to show her he was thinking of her by leaving her little gifts. She would open her wardrobe and discover a bag of the toffee he knew she liked, or a new book would be lying on the nightstand, or she would find a single rose on her pillow.

At those moments she would sigh with longing for him, feeling in her heart that every day she was falling deeper and deeper in love with her husband and convinced she was the luckiest woman alive.