Eva gently pressed her fingertips over the coldness of the silver coins. There was a good many in the coffer—likely a bloody fortune. Her father had never told her about his gift and she hadn’t expected that he would give her riches upon her marriage. She was lost in thoughts of her life, how when her father left on his travels, she’d spent many a day by herself with only the servants to see to her needs.Her brothers had all gone off, seeking their lives, albeit in war, religion, or other manly pursuits. If she could have traded this wealth for his company, she would have done so in a heartbeat. Living simply with Breckin and his clan had taught her that things were nice to have, but not important. Or necessary.
“Eva?” Breckin handed her the parchment.
Sadness welled in her eyes as she accepted it from him. “I cannot believe he gave this to me. Should I give it to you? I know not what to do with such a vast amount of coin and have no need of it now, do I?” She tried to lift the heavy box to press into Breckin’s hands, but he shook his head, so she set it in the “keep” pile.
“I told ye, lass, we do not need that kind of wealth here in the Highlands. Och, we have what we need and ’tis given to us by the land. Keep your coins. In fact, come with me. I have another surprise for ye.” Breckin took her hand and guided her into the longhouse.
She trailed along, curious about where he was taking her. At their bedchamber, he opened the door and guided her inside. Eva entered and turned to face him. “’Tis not the time to seek pleasure, Breckin. Surely, you can await the night.” She giggled lightly.
“Though that sounds like a winsome notion, I wanted to give you this.” He motioned to a chest that sat at the end of the bed.
It was the same beautiful chest that was at his aunt’s home, the one with the beautiful flowers etched along the trim—the one she’d thought belonged to a woman. In fact, it was probably his betrothed’s.
She couldn’t breathe as the weight of his thoughtless gift reminded her that he had once loved another. Eva did not want what belonged to his former betrothed; instead, she wanted to burn the beautiful, wretched chest. “I thank you for thinking of me…but I do not want it.” Eva turned and hastened from the room.
Without considering where she was going, she crossed the bridge, passed the church, and kept walking until she reached the summit where the lit torch stuck in the ground. She ambled close to the edgeof the land and peered down the cliff’s depth. The beauty of the spot was not lost on her. There was a ruggedness about the land, but a sereneness too, and a sense of calmness overtook her.
“Wait!” She heard Breckin call, and turned to see him rushing toward her. Before she could move, he reached her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her back from the edge of the land. “If ye jump, I jump.”
“Have you gone addled? Why would I jump?” Eva pulled away from him and dislodged his hold. As she turned to peer at him, she saw his face and realized he was seriously afraid. Even now, he was reaching to tug her back from the edge. Realization dawned. “Oh, was it…? It was how she…died. Breckin! Fear not! I was not going to jump.”
His eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head to the side. The fear on his face drained away as he studied her, and he dropped his arms by his side. “Ye were not? I thought ye were going to…Well, ye are my wife and… Eva, what is bothering ye? Care to explain why ye fled and why ye were distraught about the chest?” Breckin stood beside her but he made no move to touch her again.
“I will not accept what belonged to another… The trunk…you should leave it at Clare’s—”
Breckin cut her off as he folded his arms across his chest and stared hard at her. “I thought ye might want to use it and one day give it to our daughter.”
She gasped. “You want me touseit? I find it dispiriting, Breckin, that you want me to give your heartless gift to our daughter too. But I refuse to use your former betrothed’s trunk and need not be reminded that you once gave your heart to another.” Eva’s body tensed as she admitted such jealousy.
His brows furrowed even lower before they rose in surprise. He stared at her with his brilliant green eyes wide. “Former betrotheds? I deem there is something amiss here, lass. That chest belonged to mysister Marian.”
His sister?Her heart rose with joy, then plummeted as she realized she’d probably brought her warrior more pain, making him relive the death of his sister and then talk about it.Oh no.“Marian is your…sister? You told me she was a former betrothed.”
He shook his head. “When ye asked, I thought ye meant who she was to William Stewart. My sister washisbetrothed before she…died.”
She’d been so mistaken. This was terrible! “Oh. So then… you were not betrothed?”
“I was betrothed a long time ago, to the woman who is now William Stewart’s current wife… Danella was supposed to marry me but her family called an end to our treaty and she married Willian right after my sister passed.”
“Oh…” She shook her head as she tried to put together the relationships. “So Marian was intended for William but when she died, he married Danella, your former betrothed? I see.” Eva stepped closer to the torch and admired the carved wood of the holder. He’d obviously had it made; that he kept it burning for his sister showed how very much he’d loved her. “I’m so sorry, Breckin,” she said softly, then turned to look at him. “I want to know…if you can tell me…how did Marian die? Did she jump? If so,” she said and pressed her hands to her chest, “that saddens me.”
Breckin rounded the torch and stood on the other side. “Nay, she did not jump. We had just buried our parents not more than half a year before… I was attending to matters of the clan and had taken over the duty as laird, as well as raising my brothers and seeing to Marian’s well-being… I fear I paid little attention to what was happening in her life. Now that I think back on it, she must have been quite melancholy to take her life.”
“She took her life?” Eva hadn’t meant to sound so shocked but she couldn’t fathom anyone going to such lengths for any reason. Endingyour life was a sin and poor Marian would’ve condemned her soul to the very depths of Hell. It meant she could not be given a mass at her death, and no prayers could be offered up for her in church. It meant she couldn’t be buried in consecrated ground. The thought of it brought tears to her eyes.
It also meant her family could be held in ill-regard by the rest of the community, unjustly stained by her sin. She supposed since Breckin was the Buchanan laird, his clansmen and women couldn’t shun him or his family.
“Aye, Willa said she drank poison, a potion, for she smelled it in the cup found near my sister’s body and also on her lips. Marian did not jump but was found here, on this spot which is why I erected this torch. I doubt my sister would take her life and I vow to find out what really happened to her. In honor of her life, I keep the torch lit, and only when I find out the truth shall I douse the flame.”
“Oh, Breckin, I am sorry. That is all so disheartening and it saddens me that you lost her in such a way.”
“I fight many other clans’ battles to try to win favor with God so he will accept Marian in Heaven.” He lowered his gaze to the ground and she couldn’t see his eyes.
Eva stepped toward him and took his arm until she was able to clasp his hand. “Breckin, that is commendable of you to care for your sister’s soul. But she is gone now and you should not fear for her or yourself. I understand that you have suffered loss and your heart is despaired.”
“I fear nothing, Eva, and my heart is intact. One day, I shall prove that Marian did not take her life but until then, I must seek to appease God.”
She sighed and felt the pain he must be suffering in the deepest part of her heart. “So now you shield yourself and your heart because you have lost those you cared about and you hope to gain solace by making promises to God?”
