No, ’twas naught magicalabout this day.
The gurgle of water sounded. Through the breaks in the trees she made out the stream meandering below.
The path angled down.
At the bottom, Aiden halted on a flat rock covered in moss, the churn of watertumbling past.
The subtle scent of ferns, the fragrance of pine, and the tang of moisture filled the air as she halted paces away, the weight of the gold band on her finger like a chainupon her heart.
Brow furrowed, Aiden glanced at her. “I wish to reiterate my regret. You didna ask for any of this, a fact I well understand.”
His sympathy far from eased her anger. “The king bestowing upon you my castle along with your ancestral home, once both are recaptured, along with your father’s title and mine, isquite a boon.”
A muscle worked in his jaw. “Never did I intend for us to wed or seek your home or your father’s title.”
From his surprise as the king had announced his intention, that she believed.
“Neither,” he said, his voice dry, “did your challenging the Bruce to reclaim Latharn Castle help your cause.”
“Challenging?” The flare of anger was sharp and quick. “’Tis my legacy. Nor did I expect him to make the condition for my return that we marry. Condition.” She scoffed.“An ultimatum.”
“One you couldhave refused.”
“And if I had, I would have lost any claim to my home.”
Green eyes darkened, but he remained silent.
Frustrated, she turned, watched a leaf caught within the churn as it floundered down the rock-laden current.
A chill rippled through Gwendolyn, and she rubbed her arms. “Now what?” With her fealty sworn to King Robert, they shared the same loyalty. One her father had given to the Bruce years before, a fact he’d kept hidden.
On a rough sigh, Aiden picked up a flat rock. With a flick of his wrist, he skimmed the thin wedge over the surface of a nearby pool, where twigs spun lazily in the breeze. Droplets splashed into the air as the stone skipped across the surface several times before sinking into the depths.
He glanced at her, his gaze solemn. “We are wed. However unwanted by either of us, ’tis a situation we can make work to favor what we each desire.”
Far from convinced, she arched a doubtfulbrow. “How so?”
“Once Latharn Castle is recaptured, you will remain there. I will leave behind a force large enough to ensure it remains protected. The rest of the men and I will depart to reclaim Thorburn Castle. Once seized, I will rejoin the Bruce.”
It sounded so simple, yet life had taught her to trust little. And this was war… Regardless of how furious she was at him, concern edged through her at the possibility of his never coming back.
Mouth tight, he selected another rock, flipped it in his palm. “If ever you need anything, you have only tocall upon me.”
“But you will visit?” she asked with caution, assuring herself that she was pleased by his generous offer, yet for an unexplainable reason, emptiness clattered inside.
“Not unless you send for me. Or, if I receive news that the situation warrants such.” He paused. “From this day forward, I will be your husband in name only. You shall have the freedom you desire, or as much as Ican give you.”
Heart pounding, she swallowed hard, the unexpected emptiness within swelling to a fierce ache. “You would sacrifice an heir?” she breathed.
His fingers tightened around the stone. “Unless you wish otherwise. Nor is my lineage the only ancestry affected,” he said, his words tight. “Upon our deaths, both our lands and titles will be seized by Scotland’s king to bestow upon another.” He hurled the rock into the middle of the stream. It landed with a loud splash. “The choice of how we proceedis up to you.”
How could he place this upon her without notice, then expect her to decide? “Why are you proposing this?”
For a long moment he held her gaze, the sadness within easy to read. “I offer naught but to return a portion of your old life. As I stated earlier, never were you to be involved or hurt.”
“Yet there were intimacies,” she said, furious he would treat their moments in the cave with such disregard when, during that time, a transformation of what she’d felt for him had occurred. “We were together, some nights more than others.”
“In the cave,” he said, his voice tight, “if I hadna pushed you away, we would have made love. My touching you was wrong; making love to you considering the circumstance would have beenunforgivable.”
