Chapter 27

 

 

Grace set her basket on her arm and walked out of the cottage. “Thank you, Aunty Ganny. See you tomorrow.”

The lady’s voice drifted through the open cottage door as Grace walked away. “Aye, lass. See ye tomorrow.”

Grace headed up the brae. The wind blew in her hair, and the sun warmed her skin. She loved this place more than ever now. She knew everyone in the village, down to the cows and horses and dogs.

She passed the time with everyone she met. They smiled and bobbed their heads in greeting. She was welcome in every doorway. She helped the women with their laundry and played with the children when they asked.

She turned her footsteps up the brae to the path leading to the castle. As happy as she always was to visit the village and catch up with her friends, she was equally happy to go back to the castle she shared with Jamie.

Her heart skipped a beat when she thought about seeing Jamie again. She settled into the life of the castle, now that she knew for certain she would never go back to America. This life enfolded her in peace and contentment, exactly the way she always dreamed since she first came here.

She hiked up the long road, but when she passed into the castle yard, she slowed her pace. A strange man stood on the steps and examined every detail with sharp eyes. He turned around when Grace approached.

At first glance, she recognized that mysterious power under the surface of his skin. He was a lot bigger than Jamie, taller and more powerfully built around the shoulders. His eyes snapped from one thing to the next. His curly brown hair smoothed off his high forehead, and he scanned Grace up and down as bold as you please.

She stopped at the base of the steps. “Can I help you?”

He walked up to meet her. “Ye mun’ be Grace.”

“That’s right. Are you here to see Jamie?”

“Aye. Is he ’ere?”

“He’s here somewhere. Did you knock?”

“I knocked, but he doesnae come.”

She scrutinized him. “Who are you?”

He thrust out his hand. “I’m Rob. I heard ye were ’ere and ye might need some help.”

“Who told you that?”

“Clyde McLean told me brother Angus. Lachlan sent him tae tell us, so I decided tae come alaing and see fer meself, but it looks all quiet tae me.”

“It’s quiet now,” Grace told him, “but I’m sure Jamie will be happy to see you. He misses his family.”

“Why has he no come home, then?” Robbie asked.

“He can’t fly. He injured his wing fighting…. well, fighting the curse. I guess you understand what that means.”

“Aye. I understand’t. So it’s ye and him as fought ’em alone? Is that it?”

“Pretty much. We had some help from the McLeans, and Piper helped, too. He’s the local wizard, but I guess you know that, too. In the end, I found one of the missing women, and she got rid of ’em for us.”

“Where is she?” he asked.

“I have no idea. She disappeared again. I can only hope she went out to Mull. That’s where the curse is concentrating right now, so that’s the best place for her right now.”

Robbie nodded. He swept his eyes over the castle one more time. “It’s just the way I remember it, ainly much quieter.”

“That’s what Jamie says,” she murmured.

At that moment, Jamie himself strode around the corner. He took one look at Robbie standing there and nodded. “Rob?”

“Lad,” Robbie returned. He looked Jamie over with that practiced eye that measured him in an instant.

“What brings ye out ’ere?” Jamie asked.

“Ye,” Robbie replied. “Ye and Grace bring me out ’ere. I heard ye might ha’e need o’ me, so I came.”

“Ye’re aboot a week late,” Jamie returned. “The fightin’s all o’er now.”

“So I hear,” Robbie replied, “and yet ’ere ye still are. Ye ha’e no come home where ye belaing, so I can only guess ye ha’e summat that still needs help wi’.”

“Is that so?” Jamie pushed open the big entrance door. “Weel, come inside tae yer tea, nonetheless. Ye ha’e no call tae stand out ’ere on the doorstep when there’s tea a-brewin’.”

He marched inside. Grace hung back and waited for Robbie to go inside first. He radiated power like no man she ever met. Supreme confidence informed every move he made. No one could stand up to a guy like that.

He followed Jamie inside. Jamie opened the grand parlor off to one side of the entrance hall. Grace only saw it once since she came to stay in this castle. She and Jamie never used it themselves.

Robbie paced around while Jamie brought the tea tray from the kitchen. Neither man sat down or made themselves comfortable. Grace kept her distance and prepared herself for a confrontation.

Jamie handed Robbie a tea cup and took one for himself. Grace never drank tea. She couldn’t get used to it, but these guys lived and breathed the stuff four or five times a day.

“Weel, Rob?” Jamie began. “Ye can see all’s weel around here. Ye can go back and tell Angus so.”

“What will I tell him aboot ye, lad?” Robbie asked. “What will I tell him aboot when ye’ll be comin’ home?”

“I’ll come,” Jamie replied. “I’ll come when I come. Ye should ken that.”

“If it’s yer wing as bothers ye,” Robbie told him, “ye needn’t tarry alaing ’ere fer all that. I’ll take ye home, and ye can heal in yer own room wi’ yer own people tae tend ye.”

“Ye’ll no carry me home like a bairn,” Jamie replied. “I can fly there meself.”

Robbie glanced at Grace. “Oh?”

Grace’s eyes flew open. “You never told me that.”

Jamie shrugged. “It’s true.”

“What are we hanging around here for then?” Grace asked. “Why can’t we go?”

Jamie rounded on Robbie. “Ye see, Rob? We’re all weel, so ye can scoot alaing home tae Angus and gi’e him a full report. We’ll be back when we’re ready tae leave and not afore.”

Robbie glanced back and forth between the two. “Weel, I can see that, so I guess I’ll be getting’ alaing.”

He set his tea cup down. As far as Grace saw, he hadn’t tasted a drop. He headed out of the parlor. Grace rushed up to Jamie and hissed in his face. “What are you doing? You can’t let him just walk out of here.”

“No? Why no?” he asked.

“He’s your brother,” she shot back. “He flew all the way here to help you. You can’t just turn him out.”

“He came ’ere to help us, but there’s naught tae help wi’,” he replied. “We’ll ha’e enough o’ ’em tae nag us day and night when we get back. I dinnae want tae spoil our honeymoon wi’ him hangin’ around.”

She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him. Honeymoon? Is that what he thought this was?

He walked away from her and followed Robbie outside. The two men must have stood outside together for a good two minutes before Grace shook herself out of her trance and ran to the entrance to see them.

She got as far as the front door when a flash of brilliant green flickered across the doorway and vanished. Grace leapt for the steps in time to see a huge green dragon swoop over the trees heading west. He disappeared into the clouds and was gone.

Jamie stood on the ground with his back to her. He scraped his dirk across a strip of leather in perfect serenity. No one would ever know his brother just arrived and left in the space of five minutes.

Grace stormed up to him. “What did you do? What did you say to him to make him leave like that? I certainly hope you didn’t offend him.”

“I didnae offend him,” Jamie replied. “He understands.”

“He understands what?” Grace demanded. “What did you say to him?”

He raised his eyes to her face. “I told him I wanted tae spend this time alone wi’ ye. He understands that. He understands better than anyone.”

Jamie walked away somewhere. She didn’t see where he went. She was too stunned. He wanted to spend this time alone with her. That’s why he prolonged going home. All this time, she thought he didn’t want to overtax his wing. Maybe that had something to do with it, but he harbored another reason in that heart of his.

He wanted to enjoy the time alone together before he took her back. Once they got back, his duties as Angus’s brother would pull him away from her. Her friends would pull her away from him. They would never get this time back, and he wanted to enjoy it as long as he could.

She turned to face this castle she knew so well. She might never return here, but it was all hers—hers and Jamie’s. The others would probably never come back here. Even if they did, they could never make it a home the way Grace and Jamie did. They had it first. It would always be their own place.

Her heart enfolded the place the same way it enfolded the village and all the country roundabout. She and Jamie could always come back here anytime they wanted to be alone. They could always fly here and hide when the pressures of court life and the castle populace got too much. They could be alone here with no one to answer to but themselves.

She blinked and saw the basket sitting on the front step where she put it when she first found Robbie standing there. She picked it up and carried it to the kitchen. She put the food away and hung the basket on its hook by the door.

She could stay here, in this same comfortable groove, as long as Jamie wanted to. She couldn’t imagine a life different than this. One day welded into the next. Decades could pass like this. They could live in this castle, in the quiet of their own company, until they both went grey and stooped with age.

Maybe that’s what Jamie wanted. Maybe he never intended to go home at all. Maybe he wanted to make his home here with her. She could live with that. She wanted to go to Urlu, but even that wasn’t as important as this sweet peace and belonging. If she couldn’t get this in Urlu, she wouldn’t want to stay there long.

She went about her chores. They gave her exquisite pleasure at every moment of the day. She didn’t need anything more.

She went down the passage to the bedroom to put away the clean laundry. She found Jamie lying on their bed. He crossed his legs and crooked his elbow under his head to gaze out the window at the leafy forest all around.

“What are you doing in here?” she asked. “I thought you were outside somewhere.”

“I was just thinkin’,” he replied.

“What were you thinking about?” she asked.

“Aboot Rob.”

“I’ve been thinking about that, too,” she replied. “We don’t have to go back if you don’t want to. If you want to stay here, I’m happy with that. I could be perfectly happy here with you. I don’t mind if we stay.”

He shook his head. “Ye would mind it after a time. Ye want tae leave, don’t ye?”

“Sure. You know I want to leave more than anything. I want to see Urlu, and my friends, and your brothers, and everything. You know that. I’m happy here, too, though. That’s all I’m saying. I’m happy staying here alone with you as long as you want.”

“You wouldnae be after a time,” he replied. “Ye’d grow tae hate’t, and I cinnae abide that. Ye want tae go, and ye will if I ha’e naught tae say aboot it.”

She cracked a huge grin. “If we’re going, why are you lying there like that? Your wing doesn’t hurt anymore, does it?”

“No. It doesnae hurt anymore.”

“Maybe it will when you try to put any strain on it. Is that what you’re worried about?”

“It doesnae hurt when I put a strain on’t,” he replied. “I can fly as weel as anyone.”

Grace’s head whipped around. “How do you know that?”

“I tried it out. I went fer a wee spin, just tae make sure.”

Grace gasped. “When did you do that? Why didn’t you tell me? How could you sit there all this time, knowing your wing was perfectly good, and not tell me? Here I thought you were worried about it.”

“I wasnae worried aboot me wing, lassie,” he replied. “I was worried aboot ye.”

“Me! What were you worried about me for? You know I want to go there.”

“Aye.”

She stopped folding the laundry to look down at him. He gazed back into her eyes with that direct, determined expression of his. He wanted to stay here with her, just a little longer, before he shared her with the rest of the world. He wanted to savor her in peace before life came back to claim them.

He read the truth in her face. He held out his hand. “Come tae me, lassie.”

She put down the laundry and crossed to the bed. She sat down next to him and laid her head on his chest. His big arms enveloped her in that blissful warmth and protection she loved so much.

She closed her eyes and buried her face in his shirt. All of a sudden, she didn’t want to leave, either. She never wanted to leave this room. She wanted to be alone with him, just the two of them. She wanted to protect this fledgling love of theirs against any intrusion, no matter how benign.

Even Robbie couldn’t touch them here. That’s what Jamie must have told him, and Robbie understood. Whatever Jamie said, Robbie must have gone through the same thing with Elle. Living together in a castle with four other couples might have its advantages, but a couple had to get off alone together sometimes, somewhere no one could find them and no one could comment or intervene.

Jamie pressed his mouth into her hair and whispered to her soul, “Lassie. Me own lassie.”

That voice touched her heart. Under his big strong self, a tender heart beat against her ear. She cradled that heart in her hands. She alone caressed it and soothed it and gave it the home it needed—no one else.

His skin shone under his clothes. She alone touched it and kissed it and loved it the way it needed. She alone eased his aching hunger and answered his prayers.