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Trey stood, anxious to find out if Langward knew more, when he turned and looked to Bliss. She could possibly know more than the young Pict. He didn’t have to say a word; she knew his thoughts.
“They go to join the others,” Bliss said. “And hope to collect more men along the way.”
Langward shook his head. “I don’t understand why they would take men who do not wish to fight for them.”
“So they cannot fight for the true king,” Trey said, “thus leaving fewer men to take up arms against King Kenneth.” He looked again to his wife. “They presently pose no threat to my home?”
Bliss shook her head. “It is the men and lads in the outlying farms who need to worry.”
“Once my brothers received my message about the troop buildup, they would have sent word to all the farming families to seek protection at the keep. Has Roan returned yet?” he asked of Langward.
“Not yet though we have sent men to the border to keep a watch. There is growing concern that the soldiers may attack Picts.”
“They have never disturbed you before,” Trey said. “Why would you worry now?”
Langward glanced to Bliss, as if she had the answer.
“Times are changing. No more will the Picts live separately from others. They will join force with the true king, and in the ensuing years, both people will blend until they are finally one. The Pict blood forever part of Scotland.”
Another rap at the door had them all turning and Bliss bidding entrance.
It was Dolca, and before anyone could offer a greeting, she said, “The search party returns with the injured farmers, and some are in need of healing.”
Bliss grabbed her white cloak from the peg, and Trey hooked the belt that housed his sword around his waist and followed Bliss out the door, Langward on their heels.
There was a bit of chaos when Mary spotted Thomas on the carrier and, with tears of joy, went running to her husband, with Allena in her arms.
Trey watched as Bliss made her way to Thomas, then stopped abruptly, turned, and grabbed hold of his arm. “Thomas continues to heal, but two Picts were injured defending the farmers against the king’s soldiers.”
She left his side so quickly that he grew dizzy. He stood for a moment, not happy with what he had just heard. It gave credence to why the Picts would side with the MacAlpins and proof that what Bliss had seen was true.
Trey took a moment to watch how Mary and Thomas rejoiced in their reunion. They hugged and kissed, and Thomas reached out for Allena, who had tears streaming down her cheeks. Trey only hoped that Deryn fared as well, that Albert and Teresa had managed to avoid the soldiers, keep Philip and Deryn safe, and be well on their way to arriving at the keep. And no doubt Mary and Thomas wished the same.
Trey conversed with several of the Pict warriors in regard to Roan’s return. They were confident that Roan would have no trouble avoiding the soldiers and would arrive soon enough. Trey needed to know that his brothers had been made aware of the buildup of the king’s troops in the region. If not? He had to return home immediately and inform his brothers of the news.
He would give Roan today to return. If he didn’t, then Trey would need to leave for home at sunrise. He didn’t want to, and he certainly didn’t want to leave Bliss behind, but it would be dangerous to take her with him. Here, at home with the Picts, she would be far better protected than traveling alone with him.
The question was how did he prevent her from knowing that he might well need to leave her behind? He believed, actually he knew, that she would never agree to his decision. She would insist on going with him, and he refused to place her in such danger.
He watched from a distance as she worked on healing two Picts who had sustained injuries from their encounter with the soldiers. He worried that she had not fully healed herself, but then she had to have been healed sufficiently or she never would have been able to engage in such heated lovemaking as they had last night after they returned to her cabin.
Damn, but he loved her.
The thought hit him hard, like a punch to the gut. It stunned him to realize the depths of his love for her. He had convinced himself that he would never love again, or at least not as strongly as he had loved Leora. But here he was, madly in love with Bliss.
He saw her look up at him, and she immediately stopped what she was doing, stood, and hurried to his side.
“Do not even think of leaving me behind, for I will follow you. Nothing will keep me from being by your side,” she said.
He snatched her around the waist and planted her against his hard body, then kissed her with such intensity that no one could doubt how much he loved her. When he released her, he saw that all around them stared in silence.
“I love my wife,” he shouted for all to hear.
A cheer went up, along with grins and nods and shouts of wishes for a long life and many children.
“You have sealed our fate,” she whispered.
“Nay, you did that the day you claimed me for your husband.” He kissed her again.
