“Nay. If me aunt sees me, she’ll beat me for sure.”
Let her try! In the mood Maggie was in, she was sure the woman stood no chance whatsoever. But it was obvious the boy had seen enough violence in his life.
What he needed now was protection, and she would keep him safe no matter what.
“Then, I’ll make sure she doesn’t see you.”
Maggie kept his icy hand inside hers as she changed directions and led him behind the castle, and up the back stairs to the small room Ceana had given her for the night.
It was a very cool evening to be out and about, and poor Connor was barefoot and dressed in a tan and blue plaid that should have been tossed out as a rag.
It defied Maggie’s best abilities to imagine the callousness of his aunt and uncle. She could never treat a child like this, and most especially not one related to her.
Maggie opened the door to her room. “Connor, did your mother ever tell your father about you?” She moved into the room to light the tallow candles on the small table before the fire.
He paused just inside the doorway.
Maggie watched as his eyes widened, then darted about the room to take in the glowing fire, large bed, small table and chair and warm furs. He blinked as if unable to believe she was allowing him into such luxury.
He quickly headed to the fire and stretched his little hands out toward it, seeking the warmth. “She said she went to him to tell him about me, but when she got to his castle, she saw him there with a beautiful lass.”
Connor leaned toward her ever so slightly, and spoke his next words in a hushed whisper as if betraying some sort of secret. “She said they were kissing.”
He straightened then, and recited the rest as if his mother had drilled it into his mind a thousand times over. “She said she knew then that all the words he’d said about loving her were false. She said all men were false and lowly, and that if God were truly merciful, I would have been born a daughter to her and not another man sent to break her heart.”
Maggie’s own heart lurched at his words, words he spoke with calm, quiet acceptance. How could his mother have ever said that to him?
Unable to stand it, Maggie fell to her knees and drew the boy into a tight hug. At first, he tensed and fought her hold, but she tightened her grip. She refused to let him go. The child needed love. He needed a hug, and she would not let another minute pass without giving it to him.
Then, to her surprise, he tentatively wrapped his thin, frail arms about her and laid his little head down on her shoulder.
“You know, Connor, God is merciful, and it is a wondrous thing to be born a son.”
He said nothing, but she could feel his hot tears against her neck.
She cradled his head in her hand and just held him as tightly as she could as she rocked him slowly in her arms.
In that moment, Maggie knew what she would have done in Aisleen’s place. She could never have let Sin stand by himself, let alone be taken by his father’s enemies. Any more than she could let this child suffer another day.
She didn’t know how Braden would react to Connor’s presence, but she knew what she needed to do.
“You know, Connor…” She rocked him gently before the fire. “If you don’t want to stay with your family, I share a small farm with my sister-in-law, Kate. She has two wee bairns, a boy and a girl. I was thinking they might need a cousin to help keep watch over them.”
He tilted his head back to frown at her.
Maggie smiled and brushed his hair off his face, then placed a hand to his soft cheek as she told him plainly what she meant. “I was thinking that if you prefer, you could come live with us.”
His frown turned to disbelief, then his eyes sparkled. “I would have a family?”
Maggie nodded. “Aye. One that wanted you, and you would have a mother who loves you. Not to mention one who makes the best elderberry tarts you’ve ever tasted.”
For the first time, she saw him smile. Her eyes misting again, she reached up and touched the deep dimples that punctuated the gesture. Dimples identical to Braden’s.
“I promise I’ll be a good lad and only eat what you give me. I won’t ask for more, ever.”
“You can eat as much as you can hold.”
“Really?”
