Legacy of the Mist Clans Box Set (119 page)

She looked back to Adam, crying terribly, reaching for her, but there was no denying her gut-wrenching sadness. He was so young . . . he would never remember her, but perhaps that was for the best.

She would remember for both of them.

HHH

Connell sheltered her under his arm, and he knew it was only because of him that Mairi was able to keep moving forward until they could no longer hear Adam’s cries.

He looked to the edge of the clearing as they left the pavilion. Shadows flitted about, hovering, Scotsmen all armed, all waiting in case they were needed. The guards watched nervously, but as they brought mounts to Connell and Mairi, the shadows faded back into the darkness.

The captain and his men escorted them back to the road but said not a word. The shadows gathered loosely around them. The captain signaled his men, and they returned to the clearing.

Ian, with Angus and Dugal flanking him, stepped from the darkness. Connell looked twice, not believing his eyes when he saw another man with them—the guard he had passed at the gate, the one who owed him for repairing his armor. That was one debt that had been well paid.

“Are ye all right, laddie?” Ian asked. Then he saw Mairi crying in his arms and realized Adam was missing. “I am so sorry, lassie,” he said gently.

Connell frowned. Ian knew?

Ian looked at him. “This was all Mairi’s choice. She told me who Adam was, how ye came tae be together. That ye were indeed married earlier this night.” He paused and shook his head. “Laddie, I am so verra sorry ye had tae give him up. But when she told us, we kenned it be the only way tae get ye back alive.”

Mairi was still crying. Suddenly, she tore herself away from Connell, staggered two paces away, and caught herself against a tree, retching violently.

“Sweet Jesu,” Connell whispered. Instantly, he was at her side. “Mairi, what’s wrong?”

She finally stopped retching, but she couldn’t stop crying. “Connell, please take me home.”

“Home?” Their home had been burned to the ground. His sorrow faded in the face of his growing concern. Mairi clutched at her gut and practically curled into a ball against the tree, shuddering in pain. Good Lord, what was wrong?

He cupped her face in his hand, noting her skin was terribly hot. Surely that was from her crying, but what if it wasn’t? What if she was fevered?

The memory returned so sharply that his entire body shuddered as he fought to keep the pain and memories at bay. Nay! This couldn’t happen like this. He had just lost Adam; he couldn’t bear to lose Mairi too. He needed to get her to a healer, but there was only one he trusted.

“Please take me home,” she moaned. The anguish he heard in her voice pushed new tears into his eyes. Returning to Edinburgh would be the worst thing he could do. She would be faced with the ashes of their home, and the memory of trading Adam for her husband would be in the rubble of what they had shared together, staring her in the teeth every day.

Ian knelt next to her. “Mairi, be calm, we will find ye a place tae stay until we rebuild the house.”

“Nay,” Connell said, startling Ian. “Forgive me, but she is ill. I’ve got tae get her to a healer.”

“There is a fine healer no’ far—”

“Nay,” Connell said again, fighting down his own heartbreak. “Ye dinna understand, I canna lose her too. I’ve got tae take her tae Glen Gyle . . . my home.” He sucked in a breath, his fingers stroking through her hair. “Ye hear that, Mairi? I’m going tae take ye tae Lia.”

She looked at him, her eyes glazed with pain and fear, the fire gone, replaced by an awful grief. “Lia?” she whispered.

“Aye,” he said and carefully pulled her into his arms. “We’re going home, lassie.”

“Connell,” Ian said, his own worry and fear becoming more evident. “Are ye certain?”

“I am, Ian. Forgive me. Ye dinna ken how grateful I am for everything ye and Fiona have done.” He looked up at the merchants now gathered in a loose circle around them. He saw Dugal, Angus, then Hamish, and all the others. “All of ye,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “Thank ye for yer kindness and friendship. We’re in yer debt. But I’ve got tae get her home.”

Ian finally nodded and stood.

Connell also rose and lifted Mairi into his arms and carried her to his horse. Ian helped him mount.

“Ian, wait . . .” Connell said as he pulled Mairi close and wrapped his plaid around her, “I thank ye . . . I thank each and every one of ye for standing with us.” He pulled several coins from the pouch the king had given him and pressed them into Ian’s hand. “Forgive me . . . forgive me for the house . . . for lying tae ye—” His voice cracked, and he struggled to regain control of it. “I wanted tae tell ye the truth, but Adam—”

“Connell,” Ian said sharply, silencing him, but he didn’t appear angry. “I understand. Ye and Mairi will always be welcome here. If things dinna work at home, ye will always have a place waiting for ye. Ye just let me ken. But whatever ye do, whatever the future holds for ye, be sure it includes ye getting yer own forge, laddie.”

Connell swallowed hard and nodded. “I will. Thank ye for everything.”

“Glad tae do it.” He looked at Mairi in concern. “I ken ye have a long journey ahead of ye, but please, at least send word. Just so we ken ye be safe.”

“I will.” He kicked his horse forward, the second the king had given him in tow.

Reaching the crossroads, Connell looked down at his wife, crying in his arms. “We’re going home, Mairi,” he whispered and turned his horse to a new road. One that led north and into the Highlands . . . and to Castle MacGrigor.

“Christmas be the time for miracles. I just ne’er expected one tae happen tae me.”

~
Connell MacGrigor

Glen Gyle, the Scottish Highlands

Christmas Eve, 1307

T
he snow swirled around him as Connell battled to put one foot in front of the other, leading their remaining horse through the bitter cold. The drifts ascended to his knees, and it was sheer determination that kept him moving forward. He glanced over his shoulder at Mairi clinging to the saddle bow, his extra plaid wrapped around her.

The blizzard had caught them on the trail three days ago, and burdened with two riders, the first horse had fallen to it relatively quickly. Connell did not dare risk their last.

Mairi was terribly ill, although he couldn’t tell if she had a fever or not. She could not keep any food down, and that was enough for him. Her grief at giving up Adam had not left her, and she seemed to grow weaker every day. Connell had wanted to find shelter in the village of Glen Gyle, even willing to stay in the fuller’s shop he hated so much, but he feared what might happen if he waited even a day to get Mairi to Lia. He had no choice but to plunge onward, bypassing the village, praying he could get Mairi home.

She suffered terribly, and the fear that he would revisit the agony of his past haunted each and every step.

“Hold on, Mairi,” he told her, “we’re almost there.”

She mustered a brave smile for him, but it didn’t reach her eyes. The fire was gone, her vibrant spark diminished.

Almighty Father, nay! Please! Dinna take her from me. No’ like this. Please let me see her real smile again. Please bring her back tae me.

He fought down the hollow ache in his soul. He knew he had only one hope. Connell lifted his gaze, and at last the hulking shadow of Castle MacGrigor came into view.

The best healer in all the land resided within its walls.

As he approached, he saw the torches flickering atop the wall-walks. Even the worst winter storm could not hide their warm, welcoming light for long. He heard the hail of the sentry and recognized the voice immediately.

“Robert!” he bellowed over the wind.

“Connell? Be that ye?”

“Aye!”

Shouts resounded through the castle. The gates were open, but because of the storm, the portcullis was down. Within an instant, Connell saw the dark shadow of a heavily cowled figure looming over the barbican. But instead of the fear the shadow of the Demon Laird provoked in many a visitor, Connell’s heart took wing. “MacGrigor!”

“Connell, welcome home!” Ronan’s voice bellowed, defying the power of the storm. “Open the portcullis.”

Within moments, Connell crossed into the barbican and found a measure of shelter from the biting wind. He turned and reached for Mairi just as she toppled from the horse’s back.

“Sweet Jesu, nay!” He gathered her in his arms and staggered.

Ronan appeared as if by magic, smiling. “Now this be a mighty Christmas gift.” His gaze landed on Mairi, and his smile vanished.

“Please, Ronan, help her.”

“Mairi? What happened?”

“She fell ill . . . Ronan, please . . . she’s my wife.”

“Wife?” Ronan whispered, staring at Mairi, unconscious in Connell’s arms. Connell staggered again, and Ronan instantly moved. “Let me take her. Ye be near frozen through.” He turned his head. “Aidan!” he roared, his voice echoing through the bailey with the power of a battle cry.

Aidan suddenly appeared. “Dear God, Connell, what happened tae ye? Where be Adam?”

Connell dropped to his knees, the world spinning around him. He was dimly aware of Aidan hauling his arm over his shoulders, then blackness descended.

HHH

Connell blinked, and the rafters of a familiar stone keep came into focus. He reached for Mairi and sat up sharply when he realized she was not in the bed next to him. His next action was to reach for a weapon.

“Ye be safe, Connell,” Ronan said. “Ye be at home.”

Connell blinked again, struggling to pull his wits about him, and realized Ronan and Aidan watched over him. “Where’s Mairi?”

“Lia is with her in the next room,” Ronan said. “She has not yet roused.”

“Nay,” Connell choked. He hauled himself out of bed and staggered, suddenly dizzy.

Ronan caught his shoulders. “Easy. Lia said ye still had a small lump on yer skull, and traveling in that storm nearly put ye in dire straits. But I ken better than tae keep ye from Mairi. Get dressed, laddie. We’ll take ye tae her.”

The world still spun, but Aidan and Ronan helped him to the next room. His heart twisted in his chest to see Mairi so still on the bed, her face dreadfully pale. He moved to her side and carefully pulled her into his arms. “Mairi, wake up, please wake up.”

But she didn’t respond.

“Connell,” Lia said as she pulled a chair next to him. “I need you to tell me everything that happened.”

He looked up and spotted Kenna standing a pace away, heavy with child. Ronan and Aidan stood near the door.

“I dinna ken,” he whispered softly. “We had tae give up Adam, and it fair broke her heart. She did it all tae save me. She begged me tae bring her home, but our home was burned tae the ground.”

“Give up Adam?” Aidan asked in shock.

“We were forced tae return him tae his father. He is well, but I fear what it cost Mairi. I canna lose her, Lia. Ye ken what I lost before; I canna go through it again.” Tears flowed freely down his face, but he didn’t care.

Lia reached out and gripped his hand. “It’s all right, Connell. Be calm and tell me everything.”

Kenna handed a cup to him. “Mulled wine.”

He nodded his thanks and took a drink. Where should he start? What could he say? He found himself starting at the beginning, when they arrived in Edinburgh. “I worked for the blacksmith,” he said softly. “We had finally stopped running . . . we had a home . . .” Slowly, his story unfolded.

As he spoke, Lia’s and Kenna’s eyes grew wider and wider.

When he finished, Aidan whistled softly. “Now that be a tale. I fear Gordy didna impart half that much.”

“We were being cautious, so I didna tell him too many details. Ye ken Gordy be more suspicious than ye sometimes.”

“And I be no’ complaining,” Aidan replied with a grin.

“Wait a moment,” Lia said, her brow furrowing. “Before giving up Adam, did Mairi complain of not feeling well? Was anything amiss?”

“Nay,” Connell said, shaking his head. “We had just been married that eve. Then, in the dead of night, the captain and his men attacked.”

“No’ even a full night with yer wife,” Ronan growled. “I wish ye could have slain the sorry cur.”

Lia gave her husband a stern glance and looked back to Connell. “I need you to remember and describe as clearly as you can her actions when she was negotiating with the king.”

He desperately drudged through his memory. “Her face was pale when she entered, but by the time they released me, she was deathly white. She was crying so hard.” He looked at Lia. “She struggles with that . . . when things strike her powerfully, she fights tae control her tears, but this was the worst I’ve ever seen.”

“All right, then what happened?”

“The king held Adam and wouldna let her say good-bye tae the lad. I nearly had tae pick her up and carry her out. She fought me. She just wanted tae say good-bye, but the king refused tae speak. I feared we’d still end up in chains. Then Adam realized she was leaving him and wailed for his mum.”

“Oh,” Kenna murmured. She covered her mouth with her hand as tears pushed into her eyes and her free hand came to rest atop her belly.

Aidan stepped next to her, his hand gripping her shoulder as he gazed down at her in concern.

“Forgive me,” she said, “now that I’m breeding, it seems I cry at every little thing, but especially if it has something tae do with a bairn.”

“Go on, Connell,” Lia said. “What did she do after you left the king?”

“She was still sobbing but walked on her own power next tae me. The captain escorted us tae the road where our friends awaited us.”

“That plan was bloody brilliant,” Aidan said.

“Mairi was the one who devised it. She told me on the way here that at first her choice was clear. Adam was no’ her son, but I was her husband. Yet when it came time tae give him up, her heart didna wish tae let go of either.”

“Mayhap it was because she had lost both her husband and bairn afore,” Kenna said.

Connell nodded. “One seems tied tae the other. I also ken that truth well.”

“You said she became ill after you left the pavilion?” Lia asked.

“Aye, our friends awaited us, and I was surprised tae find out Ian kenned the truth of Adam. But I should have realized. That’s when Mairi pulled away and began retching. I couldna tell if she was fevered or no’, but the only thing I could think of was tae get her tae ye, Lia.”

“And she lost her first baby when she grieved over the death of her first husband?”

“Aye,” Connell said. “He was killed in the war. The news upset her so terribly she went into early labor alone. With no one tae help her, the bairn died, and she almost did too.”

“On your journey here, she still wasn’t able to eat anything and keep it down?”

Connell shook his head. “I had hoped a bit of distance and a day or two might ease her loss, but I vow she only grew worse. Said her stomach gave her terrible pains, but they were worse after she ate. The strength seemed tae leak right out of her.”

Lia and Kenna looked at each other. Lia then looked back to Connell, but her expression was unreadable. Connell’s heart hammered in his chest. She rose and walked to her medicant chests on the small table in the corner, sorting through various items.

“Lia?” Connell asked, his heart racing harder. He cast a pleading look at Ronan when she didn’t reply.

But Ronan wasn’t paying attention to him; he was watching Lia, and Connell discovered he didn’t like his deepening frown. Aidan, on the other hand, crossed the room and gripped his shoulder encouragingly.

“She’ll be fine,” he whispered. “I ken ye be near daft with worry, I ken this strikes too close tae the loss ye suffered afore, but remember one thing.”

Connell swallowed hard. “What?”

“Mairi is no’ Ina.”

Connell squeezed his eyes closed. The truth of Aidan’s words resounded in his heart. “Aye,” he said softly. “Ye have it aright.”

Aidan crouched next to him. “Gordy told me all about finding ye. He said ye were returning tae the Connell we once kenned, and we have Mairi tae thank for that.”

He nodded. “She found the courage in her heart the likes of which I have ne’er seen. Then she helped me do the same.” He paused, his lips tugging upward. “I neglected tae mention the part where she saved my life.”

“Saved ye?”

“Aye.” He felt his smile growing. Aidan listened intently as Connell described how she had grabbed his belt and plucked him backward. “If she hadna, the crates of ore probably would have killed me.”

Aidan grinned broadly. “She certainly has become a different lass. Now, tell me, after all ye have seen and experienced with her, do ye no’ think she has the strength and courage tae defeat this too?”

He lowered his head, suddenly unable to trust his voice. He knew she did, but the fire strengthening her was gone now. If it didn’t return, he would lose her to this.

“Connell,” Lia said, stepping next to him. She carried a large cup in her hand.

Aidan looked up and quickly moved out of the way, but he only stepped a pace behind him. Connell was grateful for his silent support.

“See if you can rouse her and get her to drink this. I mixed a medicant in with the broth that will hopefully calm her stomach.”

Connell gently shook Mairi’s shoulder. “Mairi,” he called. “Mairi, open yer eyes lassie.” He had to call her several times, his voice growing more strained.

Finally, she groaned softly, and her eyelids fluttered open, but her eyes were dull and lifeless. “Connell?” She struggled to focus on him.

“Aye, my sweet. Drink this.”

She closed her eyes and turned her head away. “My stomach hurts.”

“It will feel better after you drink,” Lia said.

Mairi looked up, blinking furiously, then focused on Lia. “Lia . . .?” she whispered.

“Aye, Mairi,” Connell said. “I brought ye home.”

This time, she accepted the cup and drank the broth down. But then she cringed against him as her stomach pained her.

“Hold it down, Mairi,” Lia said firmly. “Just give it a moment, and you’ll feel better.”

Connell feared she would start retching again since she was coiled so tightly. He gave the cup back to Lia and just concentrated on holding her in his arms. “’Tis all right, lassie,” he whispered, soothing her just as he had done when they first arrived in Edinburgh and she had fallen ill.

Bit by bit, she uncoiled, and Connell held his breath, but the broth stayed down, and she relaxed completely against him.

“Better?” he asked, scarcely daring to hope.

“Better. My stomach doesna hurt near so much.”

It was as if a mountain suddenly slid from his shoulders.

“Good,” Lia said with a gentle smile. “I’ll give you more in a bit. By tomorrow, you’ll be able to eat solid food again and keep it down.” She sat in the chair next to him. “Mairi,” she said, her voice low but firm, “is it possible you are breeding?”

Connell’s heart nearly stopped. “How can that be?”

Mairi’s eyes widened and filled with tears. “I dinna ken . . .”

“But . . .” Connell began scrambling to pull his wits together. “I thought . . . the manner in which she lost her first bairn . . . I thought lassies couldna have children after suffering something like that.”

“Every woman and situation is different,” Lia said. “It doesn’t always end that way.” She studied Mairi for a long moment. “Are you late for your cycle?”

“I dinna ken. After I lost my bairn, my cycle . . .”

“Isn’t regular,” Lia said, nodding. “How late do you think you are?”

“What is today?”

“Christmas,” Aidan said.

“’Twill be a fortnight tomorrow,” Mairi said.

“What?” Connell asked again. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t see straight.