It was late afternoon and the castle was quiet. Callum approached the window casement and peered at the gray sky. A storm would come soon. Clouds billowed high and the sun hadn’t shown all day. The weather mimicked his mood because he felt as dark and gloomy as the sky. He hoped Violet and Dela hadn’t gone out to the garden. The wind picked up and the gale whistled against the stone of the castle. He left his office area and reached the hallway. The door to the rampart was open and the breeze whipped through the narrow passageway.
Callum reached the door and spotted Mor standing near the edge of the wall. “Mor, what are you doing? You promised not to come out here alone. The wind is harsh and it’s too dangerous here. Come inside.” He swore his grandmother must be befuddled because she hadn’t recalled she vowed not to stand on the wall.
His gran faced the sky and shook her head. “The sky calls and has awakened. Aye, the stones are ready for you. It is time for you to go to the stones.”
“I cannot go now, Mor. The stones will have to wait.” He tried to take her arm to get her to return with him, but she yanked from his hold.
“Nay, you must heed the call of the stones, my lad. Please. You must go. Remember, I told you on the night of the storm, you would go. This is the night. When you reach the stones, you’ll need to put a drop of your blood in both your palms and place them on the stone. If you do this, all your questions will be answered. All your troubles will cease.”
“I want to allay this mood. Very well, I will go. Tell me again what I must do.” He wasn’t one to trust in superstition, but his gran never spoke falsely to him, and to appease her, he would visit the stones. Besides, he could do with a brisk walk along the open stretches of land to clear his head.
“Go to the stones. Put a drop of blood in each hand and place them on the stone. Ask your questions and you will gain your answers. All shall be well.”
He kissed her cheek. “I will go, but you must come inside.” She allowed him to guide her through the threshold and safety of the hallway. Callum led her to the hall. Violet sat with Dela by the fire and glanced at him when he entered.
“Where are you off to?”
“I need to take a walk. Hopefully, I won’t be long. Will you look after Mor for me? She went out onto the rampart again and I deem she’s distressed.” Callum didn’t wait for her answer. He left the hall and walked with spry steps toward the lane that led to the stones.
The trail was long and took him over an hour, but he was unhampered in his journey because there were only small bogs that speckled the landscape. He trod carefully as the rains came and made puddles in the wheel trenches where carts rode. His garments soaked through, but he continued onward. The sky pitched to darkness. At the top of an old hillfort near the village of Ulbster, the stones sat in a vast field. The three stones weren’t that tall and they were weathered from years of batter from the sea and winds.
Callum reached the center of the stones and stood and peered at the sky. A flash lit the expanse and brightened it as light as day. He retrieved the dagger he always kept in his boot and pricked the middle of his palm until blood pooled. The dagger fell from his grip as the hilt was slippery from his blood. The storm grew fiercer and the sky continued to light with flashes that seemed to be above him.
He rubbed his hands together, stepped near the tallest stone, and set his hands on the cold surface of the rock. Thunder came every few seconds. The rain teemed down in torrents and sounded loud. He pressed his hands against the rock and ruminated over his questions. But he didn’t have questions. It was more a wonderment of why such woe had happened in the last months. Why so many had to die because his cousin wanted him to be the laird. Such a thing weighed heavily on him.
I am not culpable for Gavin’s death. His brother deceived him and deserved to pay for his perfidy. But Hammond’s death saddened him. He had gotten along with his cousin for the most part. That he was killed because he’d been witness to Clive’s murderous attack on his brother… It shouldn’t have happened, his death. But again, he wasn’t culpable. Then he thought of Hawisa. She had to be maddened to take Lydia’s life and to try to harm Violet. I’m not responsible for her death either.
Then he considered his Uncle Elias’s death. He never held him blamable for the murders and he should have made sure his clan understood. He was too late though because Clive took matters into his own hands. As much as guilt tore at him for Elias’s loss, he wasn’t accountable. I wish I’d forced all to accept your innocence.
As he pondered his words, he realized he needed to let go of the past. A happy life awaited him if he might put the misdeeds of his family’s dysfunction behind him. He had his daughter, his uncles, Ian and Lockie. And of course, he had Mor. He had Violet. A smile tugged at his lips as he thought of her. He wouldn’t allow his mourning to take more life from him. Callum wanted to find peace, to be in the presence of those he cared about without allowing regrets and turmoil to overwhelm him.
Thunder rumbled the ground and shook the stones. He barely kept to his feet as the ground trembled. A fierce flash lit around him and a boom sounded close. The force of it propelled him backward. Callum was thrust through the air and he landed on his back. He slid a foot or so on the ground until he came to a stop and he moaned. It was as though someone punched the back of his head and his body lay lethargic. He didn’t try to move. There was no pain, and yet, he moaned as he lay there in shock.
Callum peered at the ferocious sky above and his head buzzed from an unknown cause. He felt empty and hollow. More flashes came, but he kept his eyes open, even as the rain made him blink.
Then he heard her when Violet’s voice shouted his name. He thought he dreamt of it. Callum groaned and tried to yell, but his voice was muted by the heavy thunder.
“Callum, oh, heavens above.” Violet knelt next to him. “Are you hurt?” She held his face and her eyes widened with fright. “I saw the streak of light hit the stone and then you flew through the air. I vow my heart stopped.”
He closed his eyes briefly until she shook him. Callum groaned. “I’m not hurt.”
“Don’t move. You must stay still.”
“What are you doing here?”
Violet pressed his arms. “Be still while I check your limbs. Mor told me where you were going and I followed. Are you completely senseless to walk about in such a storm? Don’t be ireful, but I took Peter’s horse again. You haven’t flinched at my touch. I don’t think you broke your arms.” She checked his legs, then caressed his face, and smoothed the hair over his forehead.
“I don’t know what happened.”
“You were hit by the light. We should get you to the healer.” She tried to get him to sit up.
“Nay, I don’t need a healer. I need you.”
“I’m here. Why did you come here…in this terrible storm? Have you no sense?” Violet leaned close with a look of concern on her bonny face.
“I needed answers.” He sat up and remarkably didn’t hurt anywhere. No soreness throbbed in his limbs. His head ached a wee bit, but it wasn’t a clash, just a hollowness.
She knelt next to him, took his hand, and turned it with his palm face up. “Oh, you’re bleeding.”
“Don’t be concerned, lass. It’s nothing. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Did you get your answers?”
He grinned. “Aye, I believe I did. The sky agrees with you.”
“It does? What are you talking about?”
He chortled with laughter. “That I’m an arse.”
“Oh, I could’ve told you that. Are you still sad? I don’t know what to do to help you, to get you to cease your mourning.” She clutched his hand in a death grip.
“Nay, I’m not unhappy anymore. I came to an understanding.”
“Good, I deem that light knocked some sense into you. There’s something I need to ask you, but if you’re hurting…”
“What is it, Violet? You can ask me anything.” He leaned close to her and set his hands on her shoulders. When she didn’t continue, he slid his hands down her arms.
She gazed at her lap. “I know your marriage to Lydia was awful, and you probably don’t want to give your heart again. But I care for you and want a life with you. I must ask… Will you marry me?”
He raised her chin with the tips of his fingers but kept his face serene. “You’re proposing…at a time like this?”
Violet nodded, but her eyes scrunched with mirth. “Maybe you were knocked a little too hard on the head. But yes, I am asking you to be my husband. If you say no―”
“Aye.”
“Yes? You’ll marry me?”
“Of course I will. I love you, Violet. You are the sweetest, most giving woman I ever laid eyes on. I want no other woman but you and should have asked you to wed me long ago. I will marry you. On the morrow, we’ll find Father Fitch.”
She slid her hand over his chest and settled it on his shoulder. “Thank God, because there’s something else I must tell you.”
He wouldn’t let her speak, but pulled her body over his and kissed her with as much passion as he could dole. She clutched him in her arms and returned the kiss. The rain came down on them, but the rumbles of thunder subsided. Flashes of light seemed to be off in the distance. The storm retreated. When Callum pulled back, he grinned. No one pleased him as much as Violet.
“If you don’t cease kissing me, I’ll never get it told.”
He leaned his head against hers. “What is it? Don’t tell me Henry convinced you to return to England? Because if he did―”
“No, that’s not it. Come this winter, we’ll have another mouth to feed.”
He frowned as the words sunk in his head. “Another mouth to feed… A bairn? Truly, do you mean it, lass? You will have our bairn?”
“I will. There’s only one thing that saddens me and that’s Cora. I wish she returned to me. I despair at my happiness when she’s not here, and I fear what’s happened to her.”
Callum hugged her close. “I know, Violet, how it must hurt you. Let us hope Henry finds her. We won’t cease our search for her, and I pledge we shall search every inch of England if we must.”
He got to his feet, took her hand, and helped her to rise. “Come, we’ll return home. We’re soaked through. I didn’t bring a horse, but we can ride yours. I cannot believe you took Peter’s horse again. When I see that lad, he’ll get an earful.”
“It wasn’t his fault. I took his horse without his permission. You must give my apology to him and don’t punish him. If you’re able, I’d rather walk home.” She clutched his hand as if she was afraid to let him go. “The sky is clearing and the moon will give us light.”
He laughed and squeezed her fingers. “Aye, I can walk, but I still intend to give Peter hell for leaving his horse by the gate. Are you certain you wish to walk? We’ll reach home after the supper hour. Mor probably won’t await us and will have supper served.”
“You must be hungry for you to be dejected at that. It’s good to know your appetite returns. When we get home, I shall get us food and we shall go straight to bed. I long to lie in your arms. You won’t avoid me anymore?”
Callum pulled her against him. “Nay, lass, I won’t.”
“And you’ll tell me when something bothers you?”
He pressed a kiss on her forehead. “Aye, I promise to, as long as you promise never to cease trying to seduce me.” Callum grinned when she slapped his shoulder.
Violet wrapped her arm around his and leaned against him. “I cannot believe I told you about my plan to get you to let me stay. You’ll never forget that, will you?”
“Nay, never, lass. I’ll hold you to it until you are old and gray.”