AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll take you,” Duncan said, pushing away from the table to stand.
Mercy stopped him with a gentle touch to his arm. “I will take Bliss.”
Tara smiled down at Conall, sound asleep in her arms. “I’ll look after this little fellow for you.”
“And I’ll watch after Kate,” Charlotte offered, hugging the smiling babe against her.
Mercy thanked them, gave her husband a quick kiss, and joined Bliss.
Trey hugged his wife close, and whispered, “Are you sure you feel well enough?”
She smiled and kissed his cheek, then whispered, “Your son makes his presence known.”
A stab to his heart and gut turned him silent as she walked away with Mercy. It amazed him to think that his son grew inside her, and all he could think about was how very much he loved them both, and his son had yet to be born. He would keep them safe; no matter what it took, he would keep them safe.
His thoughts turned to Leora, and, once again, he realized how difficult it must have been for her when the soldiers took her da away. She must have felt so helpless and fearful. If only she had trusted him.
Slipping on fur-lined cloaks that were kept on pegs by the door, the two women left, hurrying out into the cold and snow.
Trey turned to rejoin his family, and they all sat staring wide-eyed at him.
Naturally, it was his mum who spoke. “Anything you want to tell us?”
“There is something you wish to tell me, isn’t there?” Mercy said, as the snow fell lightly but steadily on them.
When Bliss woke this morning, she strongly sensed it was time that Mercy met her grandmother. More and more she sensed the urgency that longtime secrets be revealed. It was time the truth became known ... it was time for the true king to step forward.
“There is something you need to know, but it is for Dolca to tell you.”
Mercy nodded, and they walked in companionable silence until Mercy stopped in front of a small cottage.
“Will this upset me?” Mercy asked, before approaching the door.
Bliss smiled. “It may upset and surprise, but I believe it will also bring joy.”
Mercy released a worried sigh, nodded, walked to the door, and gave it a rap.
Dolca welcomed them in though Bliss stopped in the doorway and suggested she leave them alone. Neither woman would have it, Mercy tugging her in, insisting she stay, and Dolca agreed with her.
They gathered around the small table, a hot brew in front of each though none touched it.
Unease filled the small space, and so Bliss got right to the crux of the matter. “Dolca is your grandmother, Mercy.”
Mercy remained silent for a moment, as if trying to make sense of what she had just heard. “You’re not the king’s mother, and my mum’s mother has long been dead.”
“A tale your mum told you to protect you,” Dolca said.
Mercy shook her head. “First, I’m told that my mum is a Pict, and now you tell me all I thought about my mum’s past is not true?”
“Your mum wanted to keep you safe. You would not have been safe if you knew the truth,” Dolca said. “Let me tell you about your mum, who she truly was and why she did what she did. And then you will learn for yourself what a truly loving mother she was.”
Bliss could sense Mercy’s anguish and pain as the story unfolded. All she had been told, all she believed her mum to be, was nothing but lies, and, in the end, all her lies were to protect her children.
Tears streamed down Mercy’s cheeks, and she reached for Bliss’s hand and held on tight until, finally, Dolca finished.
All Mercy could do was stare at the woman. It took her a few moments to gather her thoughts and find her voice.
“All these years I thought—” Mercy could not finish. “Mum sacrificed everything for me and”—she shook her head—“I can’t believe I have a brother.”
