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“And young. I didnae ken how to act wit’ ye. All I wanted was for ye to never forget me.”
“For so long I’ve hated ye. I thought when my uncle handed me to ye it was the worse fate anyone could have ever received. I thought the fates were punishin’ me fore somethin’ I dinnae deserve.”
“And now? Now that ye ken, what are yer thoughts?”
“Do ye really want to ken?”
Gabriel smiled as his head bobbed. In his heart of hearts, all he ever wanted was for her to give him her spirit.
“I wouldnae have asked if I dinnae want to ken,” he answered.
“I see now, yer kind and generous. Yer nae the boy that once dunked me into the loch, ruinin’ my favorite dress. Yer nae the same boy who put frogs in my soup at dinner time.”
Gabriel had to chuckle as Elena ran down the list of every reason why she hated him. To him, those acts were but playful banter. He never thought for a second they would cause her to hold onto such convictions of hatred towards him.
Flashing a crooked grin, he let her rant until she was breathless. Running his fingers through her hair, he noticed the golden specks in her eyes and the bright streaks of red hues in her hair. He curled his arms around her and drew her to him.
“It’ll be alright,” he promised. “Bein’ here wit’ me, yer life is different. Whatever ye want to be, or make for yerself ye can do. Do ye nae ken it is that fire that burns within ye that draws me to ye? That spark can drive a man mad.”
“Why did ye ignore me all this time? Why did ye let me fester wit’ the thoughts I had?”
Tilting his head he tried to catch her eye. “That is what one does when they love someone. They daenae put the other in a box and lock them away. A wife is the jewel of the marriage. I had to let ye come to me. I thought it was what ye wanted.”
“Ye really do, daenae ye?”
“Aye, Elena, I do.” Gabriel tucked the loose strand of hair behind her ear as he studied the curves of her face. “I ken yer stubborn. I ken that better than most. I also ken yer passionate, kind, loyal to a fault. And that ye’ve always been the only woman I will ever see in this world.”
“And what would ye have done if I had just gone about my life, separate from ye?”
“It would have been enough for me to ken that ye were safe under my roof. That ye were taken care of and given every opportunity to blossom into the person ye want to be. To see ye grow, and learn and laugh, but if I had to keep my distance over the years, I would have. Because it would make ye happy.”
Gabriel watched as Elena’s lips twitched and shifted into a smile. The light from the candles was nothing compared to how radiant she was to him. It was as if the world shifted and they sat on the bed, side by side, gazing at each other.
The warmth of her hand on his thigh sent little bumps racing over his skin. His heart fluttered a million miles a minute as he wished he could hold onto this moment forever. Reaching for her, he brushed the back of his hand gently down her face, clearing the tears from her eyes. The popping of the fireplace seemed to ease him as he pulled in a deep breath.
“I think ye should rest,” he said. “I’ll have Emily brin’ yer food up to ye tonight.”
“Did ye ken I eat wit’ the servants? I needed company so badly, and they were the only ones around.”
“I may have heard somethin’ about that,” he said. “The food tastes the same nay matter what room ye eat it in. When I came back from my travels and inherited the castle after my father passed, I stayed outside in the stables. The servants made me a bed out there and everythin’.”
“Why?”
“Can ye imagine walkin’ through the halls and every turn reminds ye of somethin’ ye lost?”
Elena shook her head as Gabriel noticed her hand gravitating toward his chest. The weight of her hand on his heart was lighter than a feather and made him want to soar.
“I couldnae imagine,” she said.
“When did ye decide to come back in?”
“It took a while. But then I started to see that the memories werenae there to haunt so much as to remind me. And then I found somethin’ that made me want to stay in the castle permanently.”
“What?” Elena’s eyes popped as the color returned to her cheeks. Gabriel rose to his feet and walked across the room to the writing desk. He opened the bottom drawer and removed the false bottom. Behind him, he could hear Elena gasp.
“That desk,” she said so faintly he wondered if she spoke anything at all. Gabriel slipped his hand into the cavity. His fingers curled around the small wooden box. Turning, he moved swiftly back to Elena and placed the box on her lap.
“What is this?” she asked as she picked the box up to study it.
