Theo was at her side with a glass of water in a flash. She stared at him, waiting for the answer she dreaded to hear. But his silence was all the confirmation she needed.
“Aye,” he finally answered.
The word rang in her ears like a ball falling down the stone steps. Only, she didn’t know when she’d stop falling.
“How did ye ken?” she asked, trying to figure out how she had missed so many clues.
Really, she wasn’t so naïve, but the past proved otherwise.
“Stephen,” Theo said. “I had him look into a few things for me. About the would-be kidnappers. All of them had ties to yer uncle, and all of them had the mark.”
“I saw him do it,” Lavina murmured, the memory threatening to pull her under once again. “I watched Micah brand a man. I didnae ken what he was doin’ at the time, but I kenned it wasnae good.”
“Do ye remember how long it was until yer family was killed?”
Lavina dropped her shoulders as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Weeks.”
Oh, how many things made sense now that the veil had been lifted. Why Micah was so eager to marry off Maisie.
But why her uncle had kept her around was something Lavina couldn’t figure out. It was almost as if he had done it to torture and torment her.
“Me uncle must pay for what he’s done,” she said after some time.
The words sounded foreign, but they rang truer than anything she had said before.
“Aye,” Theo agreed as he moved to her. “And I’m workin’ on it.”
“Is that right? And what are ye plannin’ to do? Because let me tell ye, me uncle is a cunning man. He’ll see ye comin’ from a mile away. He’ll kill ye before ye can even draw yer sword.”
“I have faced many men like yer uncle me whole life. Ye let me worry about him. Yer job is to care for Amber and Maisie. Do ye understand?”
“Ye’re me husband now, and I worry for ye, too.”
“Since when?” Theo asked, running his fingers through her hair.
She closed her eyes and allowed his touch to soothe her. The mattress sank under his weight as he rested next to her on the bed.
How easy it was for her to succumb to his warm embrace. He was the stronghold she had been looking for her whole life. And now that she had him, she feared losing him.
She clung to him as dreadful images flashed through her mind.
“He’ll stop at nothing to get her back. And now he kens ye’re the one givin’ us sanctuary—we’re all in danger.”
“Yer uncle willnae touch ye, nae while ye’re under me protection,” Theo vowed.
“But ye have to ken that he’ll be comin’ sooner or later.”
“Aye. And when he does, we’ll be ready,” Theo declared, his grip tightening on her. “I swear it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The fire burned low, casting ominous shadows over the wooden beams that held up the ceiling.
Despite the late hour, Theo was wide awake, his troubled mind chasing away sleep. He glanced at the beauty beside him.
Lavina had snuggled up against him as she clung to the fur blankets. Her breathing was slow and even.
As peace encompassed her, she slept soundly beside him without a care in the world. He couldn’t help but admire the few stray curls resting on her face like a veil.
