Page 78 of The Guardian
Surely this was a good sign? A cause for hope? Even if Ian never came to love her as she wanted him to, he seemed to genuinely want her to be his wife now; there was no dirk at his back. He felt affection for her, desired her.
“Saints above, ye scared me half to death running off like that,” he said, his anger flashing again. “I didn’t know where ye were, or if ye were safe.”
“Niall took good care of me,” she said, feeling calmer now.
“Niall will be a man to be reckoned with one day, but he’s young,” he said, shaking his head. “He doesn’t understand the danger of men like Archibald Douglas.”
He stared into the distance for a long time before he spoke again.
“I know ye have your complaints against me, but I need to speak plainly to you,” he said. “It was wrong of ye to bring our problems here. ’Tis dangerous to draw the attention of the crown—and the Douglas. Ye can never know where it will end.”
She leaned against the ledge beside him and hugged herself against the stiff wind. “Why did ye not tell me of your plans to take Knock Castle?”
“I didn’t want ye fretting over it. Besides, we just made the plan.” His tone was sour, but at least he didn’t try to tell her that taking her family castle was none of her concern. “Now we won’t have time to take it before the chieftain is chosen at the Samhain gathering.”
“I wish Connor and the others hadn’t come,” she said.
“Bad as it was finding ye alone with the Douglas behind a locked door, it could have been worse,” Ian said. “They knew I might need them, and we’ve always been loyal to each other.”
Sìleas watched the clouds gathering around the mountains and thought about loyalty—specifically, Ian’s.
“I’m ready to hear about Dina now,” she said.
“Dina? I have nothing to say about Dina,” he said. “She has naught to do with us.”
She let the silence stretch and waited for his anger to pass.
“I wanted to be clean for ye on our wedding night,” he said, and she heard the wistfulness in his voice. “I was taking my bath, when Dina came into the kitchen with her own plans.”
“What about the crystal?” she asked. “I saw it on her.”
“Dina came up behind me and snatched it from my neck when I wasn’t expecting it.”
This admission seemed to embarrass him more than being caught naked with Dina.
He dropped down from the wall ledge to stand before her.
“I got your stone back,” he said, as he reached inside his shirt and tugged at a leather cord tied around his neck. He opened the pouch and let the crystal drop into his palm for her to see.
“I swear I did not touch her,” he said and held her gaze.
She closed his hand over the stone and wrapped her hands around his fist. “I believe ye.”
“If ye stay with me, I promise I’ll be faithful,” Ian said. “I’ll do my best to make ye happy.”
It wasn’t a pledge of undying love, but it was enough. Ian did care for her. As her husband, he would put her needs first, as a matter of honor. He would protect her with his life, if it came to it.
“If ye still want to leave me, I’ll not fight ye,” Ian said. “But these are troubled times, and ye must have a man to protect ye. If you wish to choose another husband, ye must do it quickly.”
It wouldn’t be fair to marry another man when she would always love Ian. What had made her think she could leave him?
“I made my choice a long time ago,” she said. “For me, it has always been you, Ian MacDonald.”
“Good.” Ian slid the crystal back in the pouch, tucked it inside his shirt, and grabbed her hand.
Once again, Sìleas had to run to keep up with his long strides. He kept a firm grasp on her hand and forged ahead through the castle and then into the town, as if wolves were nipping at his heels.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
