Page 53 of A Laird and a Gentleman

Her breath caught as it had in the dream. She struggled for air as a dark force overwhelmed her. Only a dream, she tried to tell herself, even though she knew that it wasn’t.

Chapter Seventeen

“You’re trembling.” Cameron’s hand tightened on Mariam’s as they stood at the railing of The Fortune. The late afternoon breeze had a bite to it, promising a chilled start to their journey ahead. “Are you frightened?”

She could not meet his gaze, fearful of what might show in her eyes. He would never allow her off the ship if she told him about her dream. Instead, she would find a way to change the outcome. Even though she had never done so before, who was to say that she could not change her own fate?

But what if she didn’t prevail? What if these moments were the last they would spend together? Careful to hide her thoughts, Mariam brought her gaze back to his but despite her best efforts, tears gathered, yet she refused to let them fall. Now was not the time for tears.

She turned away, focusing on the shores of Scotland behind them. The shoreline was no longer visible through a haze of yellowish gray. “Behind us, there is still danger to so many.” She returned her attention to the shores of the isle that grew ever closer. “Ahead of us, the sky is clear, blue, and yet, there is danger there as well. The ash is following us. It will reach the isle, and our moment of respite will be gone.”

“Over the years I have learned avoiding danger is no safer than charging at it head-on,” Cameron said, squeezing her hand. “Life is either a daring, unknown adventure, or it is nothing. I choose adventure. What about you?”

She looked down at their entwined fingers and something iron-hot coiled in her chest. “I’ve never thought of myself as brave before.”

He lifted her chin with a finger until their gazes met. “You are the bravest woman I have ever known. You are as strong as you are special.”

Mariam looked up into his comforting gray eyes and felt an overwhelming surge of gratitude and more, something so much deeper. The words she longed to say sat lightly upon her tongue. “Cameron, I—”

The ship trembled as it came to a stop. On the northern tip of the isle ahead, a wild rustle of wings shivered through the air as birds suddenly left the seaside cliffs for the sky.

Ravens. White ravens. Hundreds of them circled overhead. Not gulls. Ravens.

Mariam’s gaze fixed on the isle as a swirl of magic rushed through her. She inhaled sharply. The closer they got to the isle, the more magic flowed through her—raw and unbridled. Was that a good thing or a bad one?

Refusing to give herself over to the sensations completely, she focused once more on the landmass before her. The land tilted toward the eastern shore where a small beach lay nestled among the tall, gray basalt cliffs. Suddenly, Mariam was dizzy with fear about what lay ahead. She tried to pull her hand from Cameron’s. “Perhaps I should go alone. You have risked enough for me already.”

He held tight, and gave her hand a squeeze. “Nay, Mariam. We are doing this together. Come with me.”

With a deep shuddering breath, she shoved her fear aside and followed him to where the boat they would take ashore was lowered into the water, and a rope ladder was extended down.

She was about to start her descent, when Mistress MacInnes came above deck. “I am going with you,” she said, her voice stronger than it had been for days. Her dark veil was pulled tightly about her face, preventing the wind from snatching it away. “I know this isle better than either of you from the stories your mother used to tell.”

Mariam was about to object, when Nessie added, “I know what it is you search for—the ashes of the ancients and the cauldron of Brānwen—the gifts left to you by your mother.”

“Brānwen . . . a daughter of Llyr,” Mariam whispered.

“You remember?” Nessie’s words were breathless.

Mariam clutched the railing as images raced through her mind at the mention of the goddess’ name. “Nay, not really,” she admitted. “When you said her name, in my mind I saw a flash of green and gold and something more that refused to take shape—then it was gone.”

“You’ll remember more as you awaken,” Nessie replied. “As you do, I must be there with you.”

Mariam glanced at Cameron who nodded.

“Then let us begin,” he said as the three of them made their way down the ladder and into the waiting boat. As Cameron rowed the boat toward shore, the waves of the North Sea curled beneath them, carrying them forward and sending a spray of salty water into the air.

Mariam shivered as the salty mist penetrated her clothing and dampened her hair. Looking ahead, she saw craggy rocks jutting from the water like battlements worn to dangerous points over the ages by the relentless pounding of the waves. In the late afternoon light, they would easily get to shore around the obstacles. But darkness would be upon them soon, meaning they would have to remain on the isle all night to avoid a deadly return to Cameron’s ship.

A brisk, cool wind kept them alert as they headed for the shore. Mariam experienced a momentary pang of regret at leaving the ship behind. She and Cameron had found moments of happiness there. But those stolen moments were gone now. Their future relied on successfully completing the task ahead.

With the help of the waves, it didn’t take long to reach the shore. As the boat came to a stop, Cameron jumped into the calf-high waves and pulled the boat fully onto the sand. Offering his hand, he assisted first Nessie, then her out.

“I assume we need to head inland?” Cameron asked the older woman.

Nessie nodded. “In the middle of the isle is St. Adrian’s priory built three hundred years ago by Benedictine monks. They lived in harmony with your mother’s people who came to the isle centuries prior. The two were able to preserve the old ways while at the same time respecting the new until the Reformation started, causing the church leaders to sell the isle to your father.”

“Then what we seek is located at the priory?” Cameron asked, taking Nessie by the hand and guiding her up the steep slope from the beach.