Page 23

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Maeve carried a lantern with her as she walked toward the dungeons. The stones were covered in slime, and there was a musty smell that clung to the back of her throat. The way was dark, and the night breeze swept through the grim hallways, whistling and whispering as though the spirits of the damned were still being held prisoner. It was the part of the keep that she visited the least, for there was never anything but misery here. Pain clutched her heart. She had acted through fear and panic without thinking properly about matters.

She reached the dungeon and found Gowan pacing. When he saw the glow of the lantern illuminating her face, he rushed to the bars and wrapped his hands around them. Even his strength was not enough to rip the iron away.

“Maeve, please, ye hae tae believe me. Ye are in danger! I didnae dae anything. I dinnae know what he told ye, but it’s nae me. All I want is for ye tae be safe. I’m yer husband. He is the one who wants yer throne. Ye said it yerself: he was angry when ye were told that ye were tae be made Laird. He’s trying tae come between us, Maeve! It’s all yer uncle. I promise ye that I never would hae done anything like this,” he said. The words poured forth in a cascading torrent. She had never seen him so scared and panicked. “Ye need tae be careful of him, Maeve. Even if ye dinnae see the truth here, dinnae turn yer back on him because he’ll hae a knife ready.”

Even now, he was still trying to protect her, but could she allow herself to give in to the yearnings of her heart?

“I want tae believe ye,” she said, moving closer to the door. The glow of the lantern shone upon his face. “I really dae, but I hae been through sae much. I’m nae sure what I can trust. I hae him saying one thing and ye saying another, and who am I tae believe? My own blood or a man who haes captured my heart? If I make the wrong choice, I am doomed,” she said.

“Please, let me out sae we can get the truth out of yer uncle. I could nae bear it if anything happened tae ye, Maeve. All I hae wanted since the first moment we met was tae take care of ye. The vows I spoke tae ye are still true. I would never want tae hurt ye, and I certainly wouldnae want tae kill ye. I know ye are struggling but just listen tae yer heart. When all else fails, that is all we hae left. It is our one guiding light that shines even when there are no stars,” he said.

She pressed her lips together, for a memory struck her. Her father often said something similar, and she could not push away the bond that had been created between them. She was his wife, and he her husband. He at least deserved the benefit of the doubt. She fetched the key and unlocked the dungeon. Although he stepped away, she had some more words for him.

“If it turns out ye hae betrayed my heart and manipulated my feelings, I will kill ye,” she said.

“I’ll hand ye the sword myself,” Gowan replied.

17

Maeve started for the keep, but Gowan did not feel safe returning to that building when there were so many enemies waiting for him.

“Please dinnae ask me tae gae back there. I dinnae know what yer uncle haes waiting. We should spend the night in the forest where we can be safe,” he said.

“Where ye can take me away and I will hae no way tae defend myself?” Maeve asked.

It pained Gowan that she might even think he would be capable of such an act. He stood still and bowed his head at the mouth of the dungeon, but it was Karl who spoke next.

“I dinnae mean tae cause offense, lass, but hae ye lost yer mind? I know ye hae nae known him long, but I hae known him all my life, and let me tell ye that he haes never felt this way about anyone. All his life, he’s only ever been talking about gaeing away tae find adventure. He’s ridden across the Highlands and thrown himself intae fights with the deadliest men alive, and then he met ye, and now all he talks about is a future with ye filled with wee bairns and nothing like the adventure we shared before. He even told me that I was gaeing tae get the glory myself, and there’s no way he would ever share the glory! If ye dinnae believe that he loves ye, then I dinnae know what else tae tell ye. But if ye are nae gaeing tae believe us, then just let us ride away because I’m nae gaeing tae spend a night in that keep when people are sharpening their swords against us,” Karl said.

The bluntness of his words surprised both Maeve and Gowan. The latter was not sure if it was the finest endorsement of his character, but it seemed to give Maeve pause for thought. She nodded, and they strode through the darkness to the safety of the forest. They reached a small glade, and then Gowan gave Karl a meaningful look.

“Aye, aye, I’ll gae and find somewhere else tae sleep. I must give the married couple some wee peace,” he muttered as he slipped away into the darkness.

Gowan took Maeve’s hand as they sat in the soft moss. She shivered in the cold, so he wrapped his arms around her. Thankfully she didn’t resist.

“What exactly did he tell ye that I did?” Gowan asked.

Maeve explained about the maid and what she had said.

Gowan scowled. “I dinnae know who he roped intae his scheme or how much he paid her, but that is a lie. Who is this woman, and where can we find her? I’ll expose these schemes if I hae tae hold her by her ankles and shake the truth out of her.”

“She’s gone,” Maeve said.

Gowan barked a laugh. “If that doesnae say everything… Aye, yer uncle is a wily one, alright.” He shook his head, but when he looked up, he noticed that Maeve still had a look of trepidation upon her face, and his heart sank. “Ye still dinnae believe me, dae ye? There’s still a trace of doubt in yer eyes.” He relaxed his grip on her, feeling distance growing between them. Upon the beginning of their marriage, he had felt so secure in things, yet now it felt as he was holding on to sand. If things were this uneasy, then perhaps he had allowed himself to fall so easily. He didn’t want to think it, but it was impossible not to consider the truth.

“It’s nae that I dinnae believe ye, it’s just that I’m in an impossible situation. Either my husband is plotting tae kill me, or my uncle is. He’s the last remaining member of my family, Gowan. He’s all I hae left. If I believe ye, then it means I am gaeing tae hae tae lose something precious again…” she said, her words disappearing into a soft sob.

He nodded slowly, understanding the depth of what she was feeling. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to believe him. It was that she didn’t want to accept that her uncle was the sinister presence behind her poisoning.

“I know it’s difficult tae accept, lass, but if he haes done these deeds, then he is nae yer kin. I know ye share blood, but a true family member would never dae this. We need tae know the truth either way. While I cannae promise it will be easy, I can at least promise that I will be by yer side until the end, wherever that may lead us. And I will make sure that we grow a family ourselves.” As he said this, his fingers entwined with hers, and she did not pull away. In fact, it seemed as though she accepted the truth, and as she did so, she collapsed against him.

“I’m sae sorry for thinking this of ye. I dinnae know how ye can ever forgive me,” she said, the sobs coming fast now and soon followed by rivers of tears. He wiped her tears away, kissing the warm sorrow that flowed down her cheeks.

“I dinnae blame ye, Maeve. I may hae done the same in yer position. Ye hae been through sae much recently, and I’m just sorry that there’s some other trouble now. But we will get tae the end of it. I will see tae it. I promise that I will keep ye safe,” he said, and punctuated his words with a soft and tender kiss, one that held all of his love within it. The kiss deepened as she responded to it, their bodies falling into the natural rhythm of love that had blossomed between them.

His hands began to move down her body. She shuddered again, although this time, it was not from the chill of the night but rather from the heat that was swiftly rippling through their bodies. Gowan closed his eyes and took delight in the softness of her lips against his and the gentle way in which she caressed him. He loved the sharp moans that escaped from her throat when he touched her in a certain area, well attuned to the most sensitive areas of her body now. In the darkness, they let their bodies do the talking, she apologizing to him and he reassuring her. They pushed away their clothes, and his hands delved in the wet warmth of her body while her hair fell over his face and the world seemed to tumble around them.