Plead Forgiveness: Betrayed Twice (Loyalty Series)

by Dobsyn, Aury

  Oddly enough, her small request touched him deeply. He smiled in appreciation then began:

  My Dearest Niece,

  Aye, my love, your Uncle James and I are blessedly alive, all thanks to our savior and your husband’s friend, Nicholas.

  While en route to the abbey, Philip ambushed us on the cliffs of spitting cave. Baron Montgomery and his men assisted my husband’s viscous endeavor.

  Highly irrational, James tried to fight the horde of men that surrounded us. In the end, Philip stabbed James with a dagger, and then threw him towards the edge of the cliff. The moment I reached my brother, the overhang fell away, dropping us into the ocean. Although the forceful tide swept us into the caves, we quickly learned that they do not flood completely. I bound the wound on James’s side to stop the bleeding, but he remained unconscious throughout the night and into the next morning.

  Our miracle arrived that afternoon. With aide from the abbey and village, Nicholas gained access to the caves using two boats, which he altered and strengthened to withstand the pressure of the waves. He anchored one boat a good distance from the cave and secured to a protruding boulder. The blacksmiths and carpenters from the village, as well as a handful of monks, labored in the first boat while Nicholas, in the second boat, entered the caves. Once Nicholas safely secured James and I inside of the vessel, he tugged on a rope attached to the stern, and then the men in the anchored boat reeled us out of the caves.

  Our gratitude is like the ocean, vast, deep, and everlasting.

  Nicholas, bless his heart, took us to his family’s land. When James recovered adequately enough, we travelled to Windsor Castle, residence of King Henry. Alas, the king was gravely ill, which I discovered, was due to poison. Apparently, Baron Montgomery coerced a royal physician to kill our monarch. When the king’s health returned a sennight later, we apprised him of all that occurred during his illness. We also learned the true depth to Philip’s deceit.

  My guilt is immeasurable, my darling. After my first and only attempt to get word to your father failed, my fear outweighed all else. Had Philip punished me, I would have continued in my efforts to communicate with your father until you were safe. It was not I, but you, who received that brutal punishment. I would have given my life to end your suffering.

  A new day has dawned, my love, and a new life for us all. King James awarded James the barony of Montgomery, as well as all the lands associated with the title. I am a widow, free to marry whom I choose, or so Nicholas vowed by the time you read this. And you, my angel . . .

  I am told your husband is an honorable man, who loves and respects you, and will protect you with his life if need be. He is highly regarded by Nicholas and James, as well as your father. They assure me that he is an honest, strong and caring man, one whose protectiveness of you equals their own.

  Mayhap your husband possesses all these qualities. Howbeit, if he does not, I swear he will learn how fiercely protective I can be. In a fortnight, I will judge for myself!

  Before I conclude, I want you to know that James and I love you more than you can possibly imagine. You are what made these past years bearable, Ella. The reason I woke in the morning, the reason I dreamed of a brighter future. You were, and will always be, my happiness.

  You are my beloved sister’s daughter, but in my heart, you are my daughter as well.

  God Keep You,

  Aunt Eleanor

  After Gavin finished reading, his wife’s tears of joy were like a welcoming rainfall after a drought. He rocked her as he would a child, and when they finally subsided, she graced him with that irresistible smile. Brushing gentle kisses from her tear glazed face, he soon became lost to the sensation and the fire her response ignited. Then, much to his annoyance, an impatient knock sounded on the door.

  “Och, someone is eager to see ye, little one.”

  When she glanced down at her appearance, he added, “Dinna fash about yer attire. My sister has made ye a wardrobe the Queen of England would envy.”

  Before Gavin reached the door, it swung open and revealed his sister.

  Eva rushed passed Gavin, ignoring his presence completely, and then halted in front of Ella, who stood nervously by the window. Eva’s tear streaked smiling face displayed her thoughts as she stared at the girl she remembered so fondly.

  “I see that the beautiful child I loved so dearly has become a beautiful woman.”

  Ella threw her arms around Eva and cried, “And ye are just as lovely as I remember.”

  Gavin smiled and took his leave, allowing them a private reunion.

  Ella released Eva, and then gestured out the window to the spectacular view of the garden. “Ye did this?”

  “Aye, I remember ye once said that ye wanted a garden that would look pretty all year-round. That was one of my goals when I began.”

  “How many goals did ye have?”

  “Two. Yer mama always wanted a garden to run along the path to her waterfall, and where she fell in love with yer father.”

  Touched by this beautiful gesture, she wrapped her arms around Eva and said, “Thank ye, sister.”

  “My God, how I’ve missed ye. Ye both were so good to me. I had to make yer dreams come true.”

  “Aye, ye have succeeded admirably,” Ella replied.

  “My mother is here and is eager to see ye. May I bring her in?”

  “Aye.”

  Moments later, while Lady Esme and Eva dressed her in a silver gown, Ella tried not to stare at her sister’s mid section.

  “Eva, is there something ye wish to tell me?”

  “Aye, I am with child,” she admitted with a grin.

  “That’s wonderful. How far along are ye?

  “Six months.”

  “Ye and Keir must be verra excited?”

  “Aye, we are, but . . .”

  Ella sensed something amiss. “Tell me?”

  “After Gabriel, I miscarried twice.”

  The healer in Ella asked, “How far along were ye?”

  “Four months with the first, and five with the last. Mama told me what a gifted healer ye are, so I hoped-”

  Ella raised her hand to silence Eva. “Dinna ask such a foolish question. I will do all in my power to help ye. First, I must instruct yer cook on how to prepare yer food. Aunt Eleanor believes many miscarriages happen from unwashed fruits and vegetables, under cooked meats, and unclean water. I will give ye an herbal tea to drink daily. It greatly enhances fertility. Also, I will come to see ye once a sennight until the birth, so I can be sure ye deliver a healthy bairn.”

  “Thank ye. Mother raves about ye and all ye have done for the Macleods.”

  “Aye and I will continue to rave about my new daughter,” Lady Esme stated. “Now, if we are ready, I believe ‘tis time for us to make our appearance in the hall.”

  “Aye,” Ella responded with confidence, despite the sensation of desperate need rapidly invading her heart.

  37

  Ella stopped a few paces away from the entrance to her father’s great hall. She could see and hear the raucous people within, but made no move to enter.

  “Ella?” Lady Esme asked with concern.

  Distressed that she could not see her husband, she cried, “Gavin . . .I dinna see him . . please . . where is he?”

  Gavin had not ventured into the hall, as Ella believed, instead, he had followed her from the moment she departed the bedchamber. From his position directly behind the three women, he moved to stand in front of his wife, blocking her view of the horde in the hall.

  “Look at me, little one.” She did not heed this request, so he gently tilted her chin up. In a slow, soothing voice, he whispered, “Did ye think I would let ye go in alone?”

  “Nae, but I canna enter.”

  Alex Mackenzie and his sons were now standing beside Gavin, having seen from the hall that the guest of honor stood outside.

  “What is yer wish,” Gavin asked as he cupped her face.

  Her doe-shaped eyes expressed her urgent ne
ed. “I want to see my mother, to go to her grave.”

  Gavin turned at the sound of Laird Mackenzie voice.

  “Aye, daughter,” he stated as he put her hand in the crook of his arm.

  “If ye will excuse us,” Alex said in an uncompromising tone. He then escorted her from the castle.

  Surrounded by grandeur, father and daughter walked through the gardens to Emma Mackenzie’s grave. The guelder rose bushes were in full bloom amongst the lush hawthorn and hazel trees. The grass, cut to glorious perfection and devoid of any weed or unsightly debris, enhanced the entire landscape.

  Putting thoughts to words, Ella exclaimed, “Eva’s garden is magnificent. It must have taken her years to build such splendor.”

  “Aye, it did and she continues to expand it each year. ‘Tis a tribute to ye and yer mother. Eight years ago, when I mourned the death of my beloved wife and our youngest child, few believed I would recover from such a grievous loss. Eva could have returned home, instead, she asked to stay here with the Mackenzies. In spite of her own sorrow, she tried to lift our spirits and make life more endurable for yer brothers and me.

  “That is when Keir and Eva fell in love?”

  “Aye, but they were too stubborn to admit it for almost a year.”

  Smiling, Ella acknowledged, “I remember her stubbornness when her leg was mending.”

  “I, too, remember that time. From the first moment I saw Eva with her brothers, I knew the lads were a breed apart from their sire.”

  “How?”

  Alex smiled down at his daughter and said, “’Twas the protective, pain filled look in their eyes as their sister clung to them. Aye, they loved one another. They reminded me of ye and yer brothers. That is the sole reason I helped them that day.”

  “Ye are a good man, Papa.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and said, “I missed ye so much.”

  No words could describe how good it felt to have his daughter back in his life. Even though she did not blame him, he blamed himself. “I am so sorry, Bella. I should have-”

  “Nae, Papa. Let us nae speak of sorrow, but rejoice in our reunion.”

  Her words and actions continued to impress him. “Ye are so much like yer mother. She would be so proud of ye, just as I am.”

  “Ye are proud of me?”

  “Aye, lass. I am truly honored to be yer father.”

  “As I am proud to be yer daughter,” she choked out.

  They soon came to the circular clearing where her parents had fallen in love. Towering aspen and pine trees lined the burn and stood as a canopy over the waterfall.

  While Ella glanced around, Alex fought an internal battle. He had dreaded this moment, but needed to admit the most monumental regret of his life.

  “Bella, I want to explain something afore we continue. Eight years ago, I brought home two burial boxes. I . . . I canna tell ye how deeply I regret. . .”

  “Papa?”

  “I only looked in one,” he confessed as he cupped her face.

  Ella could see the anguish in his eyes and hear the pain in his voice.

  “That is how I ken the way she died. Dinna ask how, but I swear it was nae from yer arrow. After I saw her, I dinna have the heart to open the other, much smaller box. God, I wish I had!”

  “Papa.”

  “I ken lass, nae words of guilt.” He kissed her brow, and then added, “Earlier today, while ye were resting, I ordered that box dug up. I needed to be sure that it dinna contain the bones of a small child.”

  Fear laced her voice as she asked, “Did it contain…?”

  “Naught but sandbags.”

  “Thank god! The thought of Baron Greystone killing a child, just to . . .”

  Alex took hold of both her hands, kissed each one and said, “Nae, lass. Remember, ‘tis time to rejoice. Go on now, I will meet ye there in a moment.” He gave her a little nudge to continue down the path.

  Ella looked back at her father with apprehension and confusion. With his hands clasped behind his back, he gave her encouraging smile.

  Walking into the forest enclosure, Ella gasped in shock. Upon a square limestone platform stood a statue depicting the enduring bond between mother and daughter. The monument stood as tall as Gavin, meticulously detailed and elegantly sculpted.

  She stood mesmerized by the beautiful young mother gazing lovingly down at her daughter. Covering her mother’s hand, which lay on cheek, the child stared up with adoring eyes and an innocent smile.

  She unconsciously moved forward, astounded by the sight and the detail of the sculpture. With trembling hands, she reached up to touch the mother’s face. Ella could almost feel her mother’s presence, the warmth and love that she always invoked. Absorbing the sight for long moments, she then read the inscription on the plaque at the base of the statue.

  To live in the hearts of those we love is never to die.

  Emma Mackenzie

  Our brief parting on earth will appear one day

  as nothing beside the joy of eternity together.

  Cherished mother and beloved wife.

  Isabel ‘Bella’ Mackenzie

  Always loving, always loved.

  A miracle and blessing

  to her father, brothers, and clan.

  Ella sank to her knees beside her mother’s grave, fully aware of her family’s presence. They stood a few paces away at the edge of the clearing. Her gaze returned to the statue, to her mother.

  “I’ve come home, Mama. Yer sister and brother loved and protected me while I was away. They will come soon, and then we will all be together. Mama, . . . I love ye, and I . . . ” She had so much to say, but could not get the words out. She needed . . .

  “Gavin,” she cried, turning to face him. He stood by her father, brothers, Lady Esme, Bowen, Eva as well as the Macleod blackguard.

  He instantly knelt down beside her. With one hand holding hers, the other on her lower back, he radiated warmth, comfort, and safety. And love. Only then could she continue speaking to her mother.

  “Mama, I have found such happiness. I am back with Papa and my brothers. Aunt Eleanor and Uncle James are safe and well. My husband, Mama! This is my husband, Gavin. He is Laird of the Macleod Clan and good friends with Papa. I love him, Mama. I love him with all my heart.”

  Excitement surged through her as she continued, “His family, the blackguard, and the entire Macleod Clan, I love them too.”

  “Mama, I wish ye were still alive, but I feel ye with me. I have always felt ye with me, felt yer love and protection. But here, by yer waterfall, the place ye fell in love with Papa, yer presence is so much stronger. I love ye, Mama, and I miss ye so much.”

  When she turned and cried into her husband’s chest, she felt the peace she craved for eight years.

  Enfolding his wife in his arms, Gavin finally understood the intense love Alex had for his wife, Emma. Loving another, their happiness is essential to your own. Her pain, grief and sorrow I feel as deeply as her joy, excitement and passion. It is a heady, intoxicating feeling to know that your love is so powerful, so eternal.

  The moment she called out for him, wanting him by her side as she spoke to her mother, made him feel needed and truly loved in return. He felt a bursting need to express his gratitude to the woman who touched the lives of so many.

  “Thank ye, Emma Mackenzie. The love of my life, yer daughter, is here today because of ye. She inherited yer courage, spirit, and generosity. I vow to always love, honor, and protect her, for she is my life.”

  Ella’s gaze locked with his when she gave her own vow, “I will love ye in this life and the next, for eternity.”

  “Aye, little one, our love will last an eternity.”

  38

  Later that evening in the main hall, the Mackenzies feasted with the Macleods and Frasers in honor of Ella’s return to her family. Rushes mixed with sweet smelling herbs and flowers covered the hard stone floors. Enormous tapestries depicting ancient legends and events lined the whitewashed walls. The maho
gany stained trestle tables that filled the massive hall were laden with an assortment of steaming platters and flickering candles. The excitement in the air, abuzz with conversation, escalated when Alex Mackenzie and his family entered the great hall.

  At the sight of Ella, the massive crowd came to their feet, letting loose deafening cheers which drowned out the joyous cry of the small boy pushing his way through the thick horde.

  Ella let out a joyful shriek just before she rushed over and embraced Gabriel. She praised his tremendous courage as she swung him around.

  The mass that surrounded them stared at the tender scene, aware of the sacrifice she made for Gabriel, a boy unknown to her before that day. When Ella stood and walked hand in hand with her nephew to the high table, the thunderous roar continued once again.

  Alex Mackenzie stood at the center of the table with his daughter, Gavin, his brothers and guard seated to his right. His sons sat to his left, along with Eva, Lady Esme, Bowen and Laird Fraser. Gabriel managed to procure a seat in between Alex and Keir, much to the amusement of those watching, especially since celebratory feasts usually withheld small children.

  Laird Mackenzie grinned down at Gabriel, acknowledging his presence and that he had earned the right to partake in the celebration.

  Alex stood tall and proud, holding up his hand for silence. With elated expressions, everyone in the hall took their seats. He turned towards his youngest child, and felt such pride that his vision blurred.

  As is norm after battle, Alex selected a man to give a full recounting of the momentous events. On this day, Osgood received the honor, and the redheaded beast of a man appeared thrilled to relay the tale. He started with Gabriel’s kidnapping and ended with Laird Mackenzie’s battle with the Baron of Greystone. The dramatic energy and vivid detail Osgood put forth is why Alex gave him this grand task.

  Everyone within the great hall, rendered speechless, sat in awe absorbing the extraordinary events of late. When Osgood concluded, they jumped to their feet, paying tribute and reverence to all those sitting at the high table. The applause of the stunned people started slowly, then grew louder and faster before the proud, triumphant cheers vibrated the hall.