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“I dinnae know,” he said.

At least he is being honest.

“Please, please try tae be civil with him. He’s my brother—my twin—and he’s a good man. It’s important tae me that ye dinnae fight.”

“Believe me, I’ve haed enough of fighting for the time being,” Kevan said. There were still moments when he winced in pain, but she knew him well enough now to catch the hesitancy in his voice. Ruairi had killed John, and that was not something that was going to be easily forgotten. She just hoped there was room in Kevan’s heart for forgiveness once this was all over.

15

They had been at the Calbraith clan for little more than a day when a messenger arrived. Kevan had mostly kept to himself to recover, while Maura had been spending time with her family. It was good to be at home again and quite a relief to her spirit. Ruairi was perhaps the happiest to see her, although once he learned of her treatment at McGrory hands, he was just about ready to go to war for her. She had to go to great lengths to calm him down. As yet, he and Kevan had not encountered each other, and Maura was filled with tension at the thought of what might happen when they met again.

As soon as they received the letter, they all gathered in a chamber. Maura noticed how Kevan glared at Ruairi, but he did not say anything further. Niall cleared his throat as he read the letter out loud, which was from Wallace.

“This act of treachery will not go unpunished. There has been some trickery occurring here. I don’t know if Kevan was always a traitor or if his wife has been whispering in his ear, but this brazen act of disrespect will only result in war. Unless Kevan and his wife return, we will attack at dawn. Nobody will be spared and your lands will be ours to conquer.”

The letter was short and blunt, keeping true to the manner of the man who had written it. Tension hung in the air as Maura looked around to see the same pensiveness and anxiety etched on the faces of those around her.

“War, again? Does it always hae tae come down tae war?” Maura wondered aloud. “This whole thing began because I wanted tae avoid war! It was the whole reason why I married Kevan in the first place! How can it still come down tae this?”

Nobody gave her an answer. Niall and Ruairi glanced at each other.

“It seems the simple solution is for ye tae return,” Niall said, looking at Kevan. He was about to say something else when Maura interrupted.

“Ye cannae mean that, Da! Ye hae seen what they did tae him! We live in fear there. That castle is filled with wretches. We cannae gae back,” Maura said.

Niall’s eyes were filled with sorrow. “Ye must,” he said in a raspy whisper. “A laird’s place is with his clan, even if they dinnae care for him. Staying here will only make them more suspicious.”

“But we are only here because they hae driven us away!” Maura cried. “It’s all sae unfair. It’s all a mess.” Her face fell and she looked sullen. Moira came to her and tried to comfort her, but there was nothing that could alleviate the sorrow inside Maura’s heart. She had acted with the best of intentions, and she had sacrificed her own prospects to marry into the McGrory clan, but her sacrifices had been for nothing. Would anything have truly been different if she had stayed at home and not run off recklessly to make Wallace the proposal?

“They hae given us warning. If Kevan and Maura want tae stay, we could prepare our defenses. We could fight them and protect our lands, drive them back swiftly sae they know never tae attack us again,” Ruairi said.

“It’s tae risky. Tae many lives are at stake. There are already bandits prowling the land. We dinnae need the villages tae become battlefields as well. If this holds, they would hae the right tae war and we cannae deflect their skirmishes forever. We hae a lot tae lose, and if we called in allies, it would only be a slaughter. I never intended tae turn out like my da. I cannae entertain a thought of war when there is a peaceful solution tae take,” Niall said in his slow and wise way. “What dae ye think?” He turned towards Kevan.

Kevan had been silent after he heard the letter. Now he stroked his chin and looked older than his years.

“Ye are right. We should return. It was foolish tae come here. I shouldnae hae left,” he said. Maura felt betrayed. She looked at him with wide eyes, and her words were like arrows as they flew from her mouth.

“Foolish?” she squealed. “What dae ye mean foolish? Ye were almost beaten tae death by yer own men. What choice did we hae? And now ye want tae return? Ye are the fool here. All of ye. Aye, I dinnae want war just as much as the rest of ye. That is why I wanted the marriage in the first place, but none of ye are thinking about what will change. There is always gaeing tae be the threat of war. If we gae back now, like this, we are always gaeing tae be hounded and taunted and beaten. They’ll always want revenge and eventually, they’ll get it, either by attacking our lands or by killing us. There will be blood, there’s just no telling whose.”

“Then what dae ye suggest?” Niall asked.

Maura breathed through her anger, hoping that her frantic heartbeat would slow. She paced around the room to try and ease some of her intense energy. “I dinnae know right now, but the only way there will be peace is if they accept Kevan as their laird. But if he surrenders meekly now, then he’s accepting guilt. Sae what can we dae?”

The men glanced at each other, and she could tell what was going to happen. She was just surprised that the words came from Kevan’s mouth first.

“The only way tae prevent war right now is tae return home. It’s only fair. It’s where I belong. The last thing I want is for innocent people tae be in danger. If they wish tae punish me, then I must face them and try tae convince them otherwise. I hae tae earn the right tae be their laird, and I cannae dae that from here. Thank ye for yer hospitality and yer shelter. Ye are kind people, and I can see where Maura gets her spirit from.” He turned to his wife. “Maura, I know this is dangerous. If ye wish tae stay here, I wilnae stop ye. It may be enough that I return. There is no need for ye tae suffer.”

Maura’s eyes filled with tears at the gesture. “I’m coming with ye, Kevan. Ye are my husband, and I cannae let ye suffer alone,” she said.

16

Preparations were being made for Kevan and Maura to leave. The homecoming had been brief, and she was not ready to leave, yet she must. She was gathering a few things when the door opened and Ruairi came in.

“I came tae say goodbye again,” Ruairi said. Upon seeing him, Maura released her emotions and ran towards him, flinging her arms around him in a tight embrace. “I wish ye would stay, Maura. The McGrorys sound like a heartless lot.”

“Aye, they can be,” Maura said, reflecting on her treatment at their hands. “But it is my home, and my place is with my husband. That is what marriage is about. Everyone must face the consequences of their actions. I hae tried tae save every man possible, but perhaps I cannae save myself.”

“Ye saved me,” Ruairi said. “Without ye, they would hae called for my head, or there would hae been war. I need tae make it up tae ye, Maura. I can give myself up. Perhaps my blood will slake their thirst.”