Page 41 of Tempting the Highland Captive

“Aye.” the priest nodded, crossing himself in prayer as he looked down at the lifeless face of a once joyous man. “’Twas love from the first moment he laid eyes on her. I will ne’er forget when he came into the kirk at the age of ten and told me he was going tae marry her, asking me tae perform the ceremony that verra day.” He shook his head and chuckled. “O’ course I did nae do so until many years later.”

“’Twas the happiest day o’ his life. Fiona is expectin’ their first bairn come the spring.”

“Poor lass.”

“Aye, but she is blessed tae still have her own faither tae aid her.”

Amelia nodded. “Aye, she is indeed blessed in that way, but it will nae take away the pain o’ losin’ Donald. They loved each other more than the verra air that they breathed.”

“I will take him home tae her myself,” Father Jacob promised.

“I will assign ye a guard. We cannae be tae careful given what has happened.”

“How do ye plan tae address the attack? The clan will want vengeance.”

“If it was Rossell, which I cannae help but believe it tae be so, we need indisputable evidence so as tae avoid the king’s wrath when we execute our own justice. I may have nae choice but tae call a meeting o’ the neighboring clans.”

Father Jacob nodded his head, his brow furrowed with concern. “My Lady, please dinnae take offense tae my words, but I dinnae believe that yer summons would be well received among the lairds. They will nae enjoy having their honor questioned by a lass. ‘Twould be best if yer husband, as the legally acknowledged laird, called the meeting and led it to find the answers that ye seek.”

Amelia frowned in frustration. She hated that she must depend upon a man for such matters. She had no doubts that she was perfectly capable of holding such a meeting, but she also knew that Father Jacob was right. The other lairds would not come by her word alone. “Ron is in nae way capable o’ holding a meeting in his current state, but when he has recovered, I will speak with him about it.”

The priest paused in his cleaning of Donald’s prone form and met Amelia’s eyes. “After what I saw today, I believe that there are many things tae be shared betwixt ye.”

Amelia flushed and looked away. “I dinnae ken what ye speak o’, Faither.”

“Aye, ye do. It does nae behoove ye tae lie tae a priest, my lady. A lad and a lass dinnae look at each other, risk their lives for each other, the way that I witnessed this day without a deep and abiding love.” He reached out and laid his hand atop of hers. “We dinnae ken how much time that we have upon this earth. Let our Donald here be an example tae ye. ‘Tis time that ye admit the truth that lies betwixt ye and yer husband. Dinnae waste another day in longing for something that ye already have but are nae brave enough tae admit.”