Page 68 of Seduction in a Kilt

CHAPTER 30

“Effie, can I ask ye somethin’?”

“Aye, of course.”

“Well, whenever I see ye and Magnus together, ’tis obvious how much in love ye are. How did ye meet and fall in love like that?”

Effie smiled. For a moment, her eyes took on a faraway look. Then she began, “We met at a cèilidh in me local village, and as soon as we were introduced by a friend of mine, I just felt this instant connection with him, like he was special. D’ye ken what I mean?”

“Erm, aye, of course,” Ivy replied, smiling and nodding.

“Our eyes met, he kissed me hand, and I was a goner. It was instant attraction. I just thought about him all the time. I wanted tae be with him all the time. Whenever I saw him, me heart would start racin’, and I just blushed all the time like a fool when he spoke tae me. And when he asked me tae dance, I just knew he was the one. Magnus told me later that it was exactly the same fer him.”

Ivy’s skin prickled as she realized that Effie was describing all the things Liam had made her feel from the first time they had met. “Och, that’s so romantic. And did ye fall in love and get married as soon as ye could?” she asked, a little jealous that romance seemed so easy for other people, unlike her.

But Effie shook her head and said, “Ach, nay, it was nae so easy, Ivy. Ye see, me faither had betrothed me tae another man, the son of a friend of his. His faither was a wealthy merchant, and me faither wanted that useful connection fer his own business.”

Ivy was agog and she listed with rapt attention as Effie went on to explain how their families had disapproved of their relationship and did everything they could to keep them apart. “But whatever they did, we kept on meetin’ in secret, and then, we decided that if we wed in secret and then told out families, they’d havetae accept it.”

“And is that what happened?” Ivy asked, leaning her chin on her hand, entranced by the story.

Effie laughed. “Nae at all. They were furious. The upshot of it was that they punished us by disowning us and we ended up getting’ banished from our own homeland.”

“Banished?!” Ivy exclaimed in astonishment.

“Aye. Anyway we left and sort of wandered around fer a while, strugglin’ tae support ourselves fer we had very little money. I was nae fully trained as a healer back then, and Magnus was trained fer war.”

“I had nae idea things had been so hard fer ye,” Ivy said sympathetically.

“Och, things turned out very well in the end. We ended up in Stewart lands, and one day we happened tae run intae the previous laird, Knox’s faither, out with a huntin’ party. Now, he was good laird and a very kind, wise man. Knox is very like him. Fer some reason, he took pity on us and offered us a home here at Castle Stewart.

“Because of me former experience, I was hired as the old healer’s assistant and trained in the art, and Magnus became a soldier fer the Stewart army. We’ve nae looked back since. And aye, we’re very happy.”

“I never dreamed ye had tae sacrifice so much tae be together.”

“It wasnae a sacrifice, Ivy. I would have done anythin’ tae be with Magnus because I love him so much. Luckily, he feels the same about me. It was worth all the heartache just tae be together.”

“I confess, I’ve always been a wee bit envious of what ye two have. I suppose because I ken I’ll never have anythin’ like that in me life. I’m nay more than me braither’s gamin’ piece.”

Effie pressed her hand and said earnestly, “Please, dinnae say that, Ivy. Dinnae let an unhappy past ruin yer chances of a happy future. Ye deserve tae find true love as well, and anyone with half an eye can see how much Liam cares fer ye.”

“He cares about me, aye, but he daesnae love me, Effie, nae the way Magnus loves ye,” Ivy replied, unable to help sounding despondent.

“I’m nae sure ye’re right about that, lass. Sometimes, people have a hard time admittin’ they’re in love. Somethin’ holds them back, usually somethin’ from their past that shaped who they are. It strikes me that Liam is one of those folks.

“What I dae ken is that love is a very powerful thing. It changes people, makes them dare tae dae things they would never normally dae. Ye ken what they say, the course of true love never runs smooth. Fer some folks, it comes easy. But sometimes, ye havetae fight fer it.”

That same morning, though he had gotten little sleep, Liam made sure to be up and out of his chamber before Ivy awoke. He was so torn up inside, he did not know how to face her.

He went down to the great hall and had some breakfast despite not feeling very hungry. After a desultory meal, he went and spent a couple of hours out at the training grounds sparring with a few other early birds. He had hoped the physical exercise would help take his mind off Ivy but was unsurprised when it failed to work.

Memories of his body entwined with hers and the bliss they had shared the night before replayed in his mind almost constantly. One part of him kept asking why he had gone and left her, while the other told him to be true to his vow to protect himself from hurt. It was exhausting.

He was washing up and changing in the armory when Magnus came in. “Och, so there ye are,” he said, “I’ve been lookin’ fer ye.”

“Oh? What fer?” Liam asked, raking his damp hair back from his forehead and then sitting on a bench to put on his boots.

“Knox wants tae talk tae ye, in his study,” Magnus replied.