The Prophecy

by Sakwa, Kim

  The last thing she picked up was a pair of leather sandals the cordwainer—translation: shoemaker—had made for her. They were very comfortable. The man had a true talent. Gavin had shown him her running shoes and he’d been able to fashion shoes for Greylen’s men with soles just as supportive, yet flexible. And though the materials he used were vastly different, they worked quite well. Gavin, Kevin, and Hugh had no problem pacing her.

  In truth, she had no problem pacing them.

  Finishing her routine, Gwen brushed her hair before tying it with one of Greylen’s leather straps. She had a drawer filled with ribbons and hair combs of her own now, but she preferred to use his things. She also had a drawer with makeup in it too. And another—okay, so she’d taken over three drawers, so what? The chest below the mirror had nine. The left side was Greylen’s; the ones in the middle contained towels, soaps, and other various toiletries; and she used the ones on the right.

  Her top drawer held the makeup she’d pilfered from Lady Madelyn. It wasn’t what she was used to, but it worked. She didn’t need much but living without eyeliner—no way. And she had so much fun showing Greylen’s mother and Isabelle how to apply the subtle dark line simply by wetting the brush. She’d shocked them further by adding the powder Lady Madelyn used on her cheeks to the base of her healing ointment. It made a great lip gloss.

  Modern conveniences aside, life was good. She’d never had anyone to share such things with.

  Gwen smiled, remembering Gavin’s look the first time he’d seen Isabelle wearing the new makeup. Isabelle had the nerve to place her foot on the dining room chair and lift the hem of her dress as she told him what else she had learned. “Gwendolyn also showed me how to shave my legs, Gavin. I’ve become quite proficient,” she said, running her hand up and down the length of her calf. Gavin barely spoke during dinner and it took him close to an hour to act somewhat normal again.

  Gwen was still smiling, thinking about that particular incident as she refastened Greylen’s medallion around her neck. She wore it all the time, even when she ran, and checked constantly to make sure it hadn’t come loose. He seemed to be all around her, but the longer Greylen was away, the more scared she was of his return.

  She’d learned so much about him, but still, she barely knew the man. And worse, he didn’t know her at all. No question, she’d felt the connection they had. But what of everything else? Would it be enough? What would she do if it wasn’t?

  She shook her head, willing the doubts from her mind. There was nothing she could do about it anyway, and if there was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out. She stroked the medallion once more, then left the chamber and her insecurities behind.

  She waited as usual in the great hall with Kevin or Hugh until Lady Madelyn and Isabelle joined them to break their fast. She sat before the fire and enjoyed the coffee Cook always had ready atop the buffet. She’d already had a cup with Gavin earlier, but Cook knew she could drink the stuff all day.

  Since Gwen was still in the habit of waking early, Cook left the canister of coffee beans and mugs on the island. She also left a pot for boiling water on the stove.

  Every morning when she was just beginning to awake, Gavin would stoke the fire and light the wicks throughout the room. They’d say “good morn” at the same time as Gwen put on Greylen’s robe. Then they’d race downstairs to the kitchen.

  She and Gavin would work quietly at first. Gwen always filled the pot with water while Gavin lit the fire beneath the burner. Then they’d fight over who could better crush the beans. When the water finally boiled, they’d add the coarse grounds and wait anxiously for the delicious brew. They took their filled cups upstairs until Gavin’s replacement came.

  Sometimes they’d talk by the fire or stand in front of the window to watch the sunrise. Kevin or Hugh would arrive just after and knock gently on the door, then Gavin would relieve himself of her guard.

  Gwen missed him during the day. She’d truly come to depend on him. And she knew he liked having her around too. She could tell he waited for her to come into the study in the afternoons, and it wasn’t until she’d settled herself on the settee that he’d immerse himself in the ledgers he continually pored over. They seemed to have an unspoken understanding, a need of each other with Greylen’s continued absence. She wondered if Greylen knew how lucky he was to have someone like Gavin in his life for so long. Somehow, she sensed that he did.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when Isabelle and Lady Madelyn finally came downstairs. They had a wonderful breakfast and Gwen was surprised when they both excused themselves afterward.

  “Isabelle, won’t you take a walk with me this morning?” Gwen asked.

  “Oh how I wish I could, Gwendolyn. But my tutor’s coming early. He insisted I read the latest volume he gave me.”

  “Very well.” Gwen sighed. She kissed Lady Madelyn on the cheek, then whispered to Isabelle, “Come find me later,” kissing her as well.

  Gwen walked along the paths that led to the cottages. She stopped several times to talk to the women who were going about their duties. She knew most of them by name now. She inquired of their families and always took the time to ruffle their children’s hair or hold one of the babies that reached out to her. She asked Kevin again if his leg was all right and he continued to assure her he was fine, each time looking over his shoulder as if to make sure no one had overheard them.

  When Gwen started for the chapel, Kevin stopped her midstep. “Lady Gwendolyn, you’re unable to visit today,” he said, placing his hand on her arm.

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “’Tis being repaired, lady.”

  “What on earth’s being repaired? It was fine yesterday.”

  “Father Michael noticed water seeping through the floor, lady. ’Twill be fixed on the morrow.”

  “Fine.” Gwen sighed. Then she added in a mutter, “’Tis a sorry day indeed.”

  Gwen spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon in the garden behind the keep. She would have gone inside but everyone seemed completely occupied today. So instead, she wrote in her journal and watched the waves crash upon the shore.

  Isabelle loved to tell her stories of the early-morning ritual she and Greylen enjoyed. Apparently, they used to sneak out of the keep just before dawn. Then they’d run along the beach and climb the rocks as they watched the sunrise. It was a habit Greylen still kept, though Isabelle confided she’d stopped accompanying him long ago, sensing his need to be alone as he walked the shore and looked to the sea.

  Gwen hadn’t been down to the shore yet. Gavin and Isabelle had offered to take her many times, and truthfully, she would have loved to see it, but she was scared. It wasn’t the narrow paths or the steep descent that worried her. It was the water itself. She had no desire to tempt fate. She had come here in those waters—and she’d not let them take her back.

  Disappointed that Isabelle never came for her that afternoon, Gwen waited until she knew Gavin would be in the study. She needed to run more than ever, and her frustration was reaching its peak.

  “Good afternoon, very kind sir,” Gwendolyn said sweetly from the doorway.

  “Aye, ’tis a fine day indeed, Lady Gwendolyn.” He smiled, waving her inside. “Your tone, however, is much too compliant. It makes me wonder what you might be wanting?”

  She laughed aloud. “Oh, Gavin, I have a feeling you know exactly what I want.”

  “Might that make me fortunate or not—that I know you so well, lady?”

  “You’ll have to tell me,” she replied with a small smile.

  “’Tis a fortune—and you know it.” His tone had become very serious, as if somehow saddened.

  “Kevin couldn’t run this morning and…I was hoping you’d join me this afternoon.”

  He made a very audible sigh. “’Tis quite impossible,” he teased, obviously waiting for the argument she’d begin.


  “Impossible, I think not, Gavin.” Gwen made the statement haughtily, then clearly challenged him. “Tell me then, why?”

  “’Tis not your place to question me,” he hissed as his eyes narrowed.

  The remark didn’t bother her at all. “Yeah, right. You live for my questioning you and if you make me wait…” Gwen tried to think of something to irk him. “Well, I guess we can just sit here and talk. Oh, I know—let’s talk about Isabelle.”

  It was perfect. They’d be running in no time.

  “Get your clothes,” he said through clenched teeth. “I’ll meet you in the courtyard.”

  “Don’t pretend you don’t want to, Gavin,” she said over her shoulder. “I know better.”

  “You’ve five minutes,” he called to the open doorway. “I’ll dismiss the idea entirely if you’re not ready.”

  “Isabelle, please. We’ve still to finish the headpiece,” Lady Madelyn admonished as her daughter watched Gwendolyn and Gavin leave the courtyard.

  Gavin had awoken her late the previous night. He’d told her he heard riders approaching and was forced to leave Gwendolyn unattended for the first time, locking the chamber doors as she slept. There’d been no call from the guards, so he knew ’twas his own men who returned. Greylen had sent the soldiers ahead to ensure that all would be ready for his arrival.

  “Gavin, what is it?” Lady Madelyn had asked when he’d awoken her.

  “Greylen returns on the morrow, lady,” he answered with a smile.

  “Oh, Gavin, ’tis about time.”

  “Aye, lady, ’tis.”

  “How shall we manage with Gwendolyn?” Lady Madelyn asked. She left the details to Gavin. He knew her better than anyone, and their friendship bothered her not in the least. In truth, she was pleased they had each other; they were kindred souls. Besides, she knew Gwendolyn was already in love with her son and that Gavin loved her daughter.

  Gavin told her of the plan he’d formulated. And though she felt badly about the lies they would all have to tell her future daughter, she knew ’twas for the best. Gwendolyn would work herself into a fit otherwise, and she could only imagine the fights she’d pick with Gavin throughout the day.

  What Gavin had said was best—they’d wait until the very last moment to inform Gwendolyn.

  “Why don’t you wake Isabelle?” Lady Madelyn asked. “She’ll be so pleased.” She knew her daughter would be excited by the news, especially if it came from Gavin. But Gavin had turned away. “Oh, Gavin.” She sighed. “I hope one day you’ll see the fault of your actions, or lack of them.”

  Gavin had turned again. “I would never bring dishonor to this family,” he had vowed, looking into her eyes.

  Lady Madelyn had taken his face in her hands. His pain had been so clear in his eyes. “Gavin, you could never dishonor this family,” she assured him. “You’ve been a part of it much too long. You must lay to rest what scares you so.”

  “I’ve no fear, lady.” Obviously undone by her words, his statement was little more than a rasp.

  “Don’t you?”

  “I’ll see to Gw—Lady Gwendolyn,” he’d corrected.

  “Aye, she is more Gwendolyn to you, is she not?” The formality didn’t seem right between them.

  “Aye, lady, she is. I’m blessed to have a friend such as her, just as I am blessed to have you all.” He had kissed her cheek, and only doing so because they were alone.

  “We’re equally blessed, Gavin,” she’d replied, kissing him back.

  As Lady Madelyn watched him leave, she pushed aside her concern for the man whom she thought of as a son. She had no choice. There was much to be done. She’d awoken Isabelle a short while later and they worked throughout the rest of the night, with Anna by their side.

  “Gavin, is something bothering you?” Gwendolyn asked between breaths as they paced each other. “You’re not your usual temperamental self.”

  “Nay, I have much on my mind is all.”

  “Isabelle, maybe?”

  “Isabelle’s a part of it, my lady,” he finally answered, realizing this was the time to broach the subject of Greylen’s return. Their run was almost finished and by the time she knew, she’d not notice anything. ’Twas the reason they’d delayed her run in the first place.

  Gwendolyn stopped immediately. As if thrilled that he might be open to discussing the topic she was so anxious to get to the bottom of. She placed her hands on her knees, catching her breath before she spoke again. “I’m all ears, Gavin. Out with it.” She smiled from ear to ear. He returned it in kind. “Gavin,” she exclaimed, “I’ve never seen you like this. Tell me already.”

  “Isabelle will be very pleased this eve,” he teased, smiling even more.

  Gwendolyn hit his arm. “Damn it, Gavin, don’t make me beg. What have you planned?”

  Gavin laughed aloud. Then he looked at her with an expression so serious that he could see she held her breath. “Greylen comes home, Gwendolyn. He’s on MacGreggor land already.” Her smile fell. Then she did too.

  “I’m gonna be sick, Gavin.” She was on her knees, clutching her stomach as she rocked back and forth.

  Gavin knelt by her side instantly. “You should be happy, not sick, Gwendolyn.” Had he been wrong to wait?

  “I just need a minute.”

  Gavin stayed next to her, rubbing her back until her breathing returned to normal. But when she looked up, his heart nearly stopped. She had a look of despair such that he’d never seen. And then she confided in him. “I’m scared, Gavin.”

  “Of what? This is what we’ve waited for.”

  “I know,” Gwendolyn cried. “But what if…what if it doesn’t work? What if he doesn’t like me?”

  “Surely you jest,” Gavin said. He was shocked that she’d even think such a thing.

  “Jest? You think I jest, Gavin? It’s been over three weeks since he left. What if he changed his mind?”

  “You’re out of your mind, Gwen!”

  “Am I?”

  “Aye, you are. That you’d even ask such a thing is completely out of your character.”

  “Put yourself in my place, Gavin. Wouldn’t you be just a little unsure?”

  “Nay,” he cried. “I was with him that night, and it all but killed him to walk away from you.” Angered, he grabbed her shoulders and made her look at him. “You’ll get yourself together now, lady, and hold your head high as you so naturally do. I’ve never known a woman stronger than you, and your insecurity will cease.” Gavin knew he was being harsh, but he couldn’t stand to see her this way.

  “You must trust me, Gwendolyn.” He loosened his hold, but when she still seemed unsure, he pulled her into his arms, and she rested her head against his chest as he continued. “Greylen will love you, Gwen, as he always has, as we all do. He’s the most honorable man I’ve ever known, and he’ll be thrilled with you. Every vexing oddity you possess, every outrageous demand, every annoying nuance, every— Did you just pinch me?”

  “Aye,” Gwen confessed, obviously feeling somewhat better, and smiled once again. “Thanks, Gavin.”

  “You’re welcome,” he replied, giving her a squeeze.

  “You need a bath, Gavin,” she told him. But her actions belied her words as she held him closer.

  “You could use the very same yourself. Shall we finish our run?”

  “Aye.” She nodded and pulled him back as he started to run ahead. “Gavin,” she said. “How much time do I have before he’s here?”

  Gavin stared at her for a minute—then he turned and ran as fast as he could. “Two hours,” he called behind him. “Mayhap.”

  He never looked back, because he knew if Gwen caught up, she would surely kill him now.

  She was wearing a wedding gown.

  Gwen couldn’t seem to let go of the statement that kept repeating in her mind. />
  My God, she was wearing a wedding gown!

  She and Gavin had returned over an hour ago, neither speaking a word as they had continued their run. He just as quietly led her to her room, squeezing her hand before leaving her in the care of Greylen’s mother, Isabelle, and Anna.

  They had a bath waiting by the fire, and she obediently removed her clothes and stepped inside. They washed her hair and then brushed it as she sat on the hearth. They talked of really nothing. Just chitchat to ease the tension they knew she felt.

  Lady Madelyn applied her makeup with expert hands, a subtle hint of liner around her eyes, a brush of rouge atop her cheeks, and a fine coat of gloss across her lips. Anna continued to brush her hair and explained that she’d wear it down for Greylen’s return. Lady Madelyn helped her stand, and Isabelle smiled, holding the gown that had been lying on the bed.

  “It’s beautiful, Isabelle,” Gwen said quietly.

  “We worked on it most of the night, Gwendolyn. I hope you like it.”

  Gwen was touched, but, because she was so nervous, she couldn’t quite come up with the right words. “How could I not? It’s even more special since you made it yourselves.”

  Anna took Gwen’s robe and Lady Madelyn eased the dress over her head. It was made of ivory silk crepe and fell straight to the floor. Very straight. The square neckline rested just above her breasts, then angled to her shoulders. There was a wide border edged with gold threads and an intricate design of perfectly joined ovals that swirled within.

  Sheer chiffon sleeves fell from her shoulders, resting perfectly on her thumbs. The bottom of the sleeves, however, angled to a pointed V and stopped midthigh. They were nothing short of romantic.

  Anna placed a belt around her hips and pulled one end through the hidden loop sewn behind the other. When it was secure, she pushed it down to accentuate her narrow hips.

  Isabelle tightened the gold laces that started above the belt in back and ended a few inches below her shoulders. Of course, once Isabelle was finished, the bodice fit so tight across her chest, the outline of her breasts was visible. Her nipples showed clearly through the material, and when Anna noticed, she placed her hands under the neckline, adjusting not only Gwen’s breasts but her nipples as well. Then she stood back and smiled at her work, obviously satisfied.