“Kilkern seeks Brigid for a different reason. He is a man that intends to get what he wants at any cost.”
“So he seeks Brigid for pleasure and me for mapping.”
“Aye, but at the moment the map is more important. He can find another woman to satisfy his lust; he cannot find another mapmaker with your knowledge of Kilkern and Dunhurnal land.”
“I am valuable to him.”
“More than you realize. Be careful and share this information with Magnus, for I am not certain he is aware of it.”
Reena remained silent.
“You hesitate.”
“Magnus will keep me confined once he learns of what you say.”
“For your own safety,” he assured her.
“He will worry over me.”
“He loves you and will worry regardless.”
She sighed. “Something does not make sense to me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I do not know.” She shook her head. “All this talk of the land and who has rightful claim to it.” She shook her head again. “Something is amiss.”
Magnus’s men began spilling out of the great hall, disrupting their solitude.
“Go speak with him now,” the Dark One warned her.
“I will tell him.”
“Now,” he reiterated firmly.
“As you say,” she said with a resigned sigh. “Can I offer you food and shelter for the night?”
“I have all I need, but thank you for your gen-erosity.”
“Be well,” she said in a soft whisper, but she knew that the Dark One had blended further into the shadows of the night and probably did not hear her.
She changed her direction and returned to the keep. She did not find Magnus in the great hall and went in search of him. She did not find him in his solar and decided to drop her cloak in her bedchamber before proceeding to his chambers. She was surprised to see him standing in the middle of her room looking perplexed and perturbed.
“Where have you been?”
“I thought to visit my parents.”
Magnus was beside her in two strides, his hands grasping her face. “Tell me when you leave the keep.”
“I was not going far.” She placed her hands over his to soothe him.
“If I do not know where you are, then it is too far.” He leaned down and kissed her, and the soft, gentle touch of his lips soon turned ravenous, along with his hands. It was as though he had to touch her, had to feel her warm, soft body and be assured that she was there with him, alive and well.
He stopped to take a breath and rested his forehead to hers. “I am a warrior used to fear, and yet when I am uncertain of your whereabouts fear rises in me like I have never known before. Damn, Reena, I love you so very much.”
Her heart swelled with joy. “I will do my best to not cause you fear.”
He laughed softly. “Why do I think that will be a problem?”
“I am adventurous; I cannot help it.”
He scooped her up into his arms. “Then you shall be adventurous with only me.”
She slipped her arms around his neck and placed her small nose to his. “Promise me?”
“You have my word,” he said and captured her lips.
They were on the bed in seconds, their garments discarded just as fast and entwined in each other’s arms with the same speed. He intended to linger in their lovemaking: she intended the same, but their passion took hold and they were soon fast in the throes of lustful sex.
He touched, she nipped, he tormented, she teased, she moaned, he groaned and they joined in a fiery union that had their naked bodies perspiring, their hearts beating wildly, and their climaxes exploding, leaving them completely breathless and thoroughly satiated.
They lay beside each other, catching their breath and cooling their heated bodies.
When common sense returned, Reena remembered the Dark One’s message. While now did not seem an appropriate time, she thought it best she deliver the information as she had promised. Now.
She turned on her side to face him. “I have something to tell you.”
Magnus turned his head. “This sounds important.”
“The Dark One spoke with me this evening when I was on my way to my parents’ cottage. He told me that Kilkern looks to substantiate his claim on Dunhurnal land and to do so he must produce a map designating the land as his. To do this he needs the assistance of a—”
“Mapmaker,” Magnus finished.
Reena looked at him oddly. “You were aware of this?”
“I have known from the start that Kilkern needs you more than anyone.”
She frowned. “From the start?”
Magnus stroked her hip, his tender touch meant to soothe.
“From when we first met?” she asked before he could answer.
Magnus gripped her hip as if he feared her leaving his side. “The day you arrived, my people were packed and ready to leave the next day for Dunhurnal land.”
“My mapping made no difference in your decision, then?”
“Your mapping made a large difference in my choice.”
Reena sprang up and turned wide eyes on him. “Your arrival here and my association with you would force Kilkern’s hand in claiming what he believed is his land.” She shook her head, doubting her own explanation. “He could have had me map for him any time since his arrival. It makes no sense.”
Magnus took her hand. “A map was not necessary until now.”
“Why?” She more demanded than asked, hurt by the truth that it had not been her skills at all that had brought him here but his own intentions.
“Because he needs one now.”
“Why?” she demanded again.
“To prove a false claim.”
“You know it is false.” Her stomach ached from what she might hear.
“Aye.” He gripped her hand tightly.
“How do you know?”
“I possess the map that shows Kilkern land was originally Dunhurnal land and was falsely divided by Robert Kilkern to give to his brother.”
Her heart thudded in her chest, and she waited.
“Philip Kilkern was Robert Kilkern’s brother, and Robert Kilkern was my stepfather.”
Reena closed her eyes for a brief moment. “Making Peter Kilkern your—”
“Half brother.”
Chapter 27
Reena sat in bed, shocked, a chill racing through her. Magnus was quick to wrap a blanket around her, and he hugged her shoulders tightly.
“Let me explain,” he said, his voice apologetic, though firm in his resolve.
He rested his hands over hers where they lay in her lap. “Peter Kilkern is the son my mother had by Robert Kilkern. My stepfather barely let my mother see her own son, so therefore Peter cared little for my mother. I, on the other hand, saw Peter quite often and watched as my stepfather showered him with attention and adoration, giving him whatever he wished from a very young age, and making certain that Peter knew I was insignificant and entitled to nothing.”
“Is Peter the reason your stepfather divided the land?”
“Aye, he thought to protect his son, since Dunhurnal land belonged to my father’s family for generations. My father served the king well and so his land was protected, until my father died and my mother married Robert Kilkern.”
“Against her wishes,” she reminded him.
“I remember her pleading with her father not to force the marriage upon her, but he paid her no mind. He was determined she would have a husband to protect the land.”
He looked away for a moment, as if the memories were too painful, and she slipped her hand from under his and squeezed his hand gently.
Magnus continued. “Robert was a sly man, and he agreed to wed my mother only if he was granted a portion of the land.”
“But the land was legally his once he wed your mother.”
“My grandfather was a sly and determined man. He intended to make certain that I inherited wha
t was rightfully mine, since there was a good chance that the union would produce more children who could very well inherit the property, something my grandfather had no intentions of happening. Dunhurnal land would remain intact for me to inherit. Kilkern would control it until I reached my majority, then he would have to make due with the small section of land agreed upon in the marriage contract.”
Reena shivered and rubbed her arms. “Kilkern would have never let you reach manhood, would he?”
“Nay, he would not, and my mother understood that, especially when my grandfather died. My mother knew it was not an accident that took his life; Kilkern had something to do with it.
“She knew all too well that our lives were in danger and that we had to flee. She told me of the crude map my father had of his land and how Robert Kilkern had hidden it away along with their wedding agreement; both would prove my ownership of Dunhurnal land.”
Reena closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “You tortured Robert Kilkern to find the whereabouts of the map?”
Magnus nodded. “I could not have what was rightfully mine if I did not have the map and the wedding agreement to present to the king. My stepfather refused to tell me where they were, and he laughed at me, telling me that I was as weak as my mother and that Dunhurnal land was no more, that it was Kilkern land and would forever remain in Kilkern hands.”
“He underestimated you.”
“He underestimated my love for my mother and father and my honor to my name and land. He paid dearly for his mistake.”
“But why did you not claim the land immediately? You had your proof. You could have easily taken the land from Philip Kilkern; he was a fair man, far different from his brother—” She halted abruptly, understanding dawning. “You wanted to take the land from Peter Kilkern.”
“He has prepared for this confrontation as long as I have, and besides, I was busy reclaiming my grandfather’s land, Kilkern having made attempts to lay claim to it: otherwise I would have returned to claim my land sooner. I would never have allowed Kilkern to starve tenants that actually belonged to me.”
“This all makes sense, but what of me? Why did you make me map for you? Why did you not tell me the truth from the beginning?”
“Your arrival at my keep simplified things for me. I needed to make your acquaintance and learn just how skillful you were. The men I sent to scout and spy on Kilkern land informed me of your talents. If what they had learned was true, then I had no doubt that Peter Kilkern would be after your services with no intentions of compensating you for them.”
“So you had me map.”
He nodded. “I needed to see for myself how fast and accurately you could produce a map, and being under duress as you were made it better for me. If you could map under those circumstances, then Kilkern would certainly be able to use your talents. Making you my mapmaker served two purposes—it afforded you protection from Kilkern, and I acquired a truly gifted mapmaker.”
“Aye, that you did,” she said with a teasing poke to his side. “But why did Kilkern not seek my skill when he first arrived? Why wait? And why did his father not destroy the map so that no proof existed?”
“If by chance I did resume control of Dunhurnal land, Kilkern would still have been entitled to a small portion of the land. Without that paper he would get nothing, and he was not foolish enough to lose everything by destroying the agreement.”
“Why then did Peter Kilkern wait and not have a map drawn when he first arrived?”
“Arrogance, perhaps foolishness to think that his father would not betray him and divulge the location of the original map to me.” He shook his head. “I do not know. I do know that my stepfather never expected my return or that I would see that he paid for what he had done to my mother and my grandfather.”
“So when you returned you claimed Dunhurnal land but left Philip Kilkern alone on purpose. You waited for Peter to become earl of Culberry, which could have taken forever if Philip had not taken ill and died.”
Magnus raised a brow.
Reena gasped in understanding. “Peter killed his uncle?”
“Do you think he intended on waiting to become earl of Culberry? His family history was one of killing and stealing to obtain land—why should he be any different than his ancestors?”
Reena sat back against the bed with a sigh. “I but innocently stumbled on a devious plot dating back many years and unknowingly became a pawn. You had it all planned, every step of the way, my arrival making it easier for you.”
He moved next to her and in a flash scooped her up to sit on his lap. “You made it more difficult.”
Surprised by his unexpected actions but content in his lap—and curious about his remark—she asked, “How could I have made it more difficult? I delivered my mapping services to you at your door. It was not necessary to seek me out, you had me exactly where you wanted me.”
He kissed her. “Aye, but I never expected to fall in love with you. I never expected to fear when I did not know of your whereabouts. I did not expect to desire you with a passion beyond reason or to feel such joy when with you. You stole my heart, mind and soul.”
She sighed and nibbled at his lips. “I did not steal them, you gave them to me freely, for love can only be given freely. It cannot be forced or manipulated. It cannot be stolen or imprisoned. It is simply given freely from the heart—”
“Mind and soul,” Magnus finished with a kiss.
“Now I have all of you,” she said and laid her head on his naked chest.
“And I you.” He wrapped his arms around her.
“What now, Magnus?” she asked, hoping there was some way this all would end peaceably, yet knowing that was not possible.
“We wait. I have proof Kilkern land is and always has been Dunhurnal land. It is up to Peter Kilkern to make known this map that he claims will show the land as belonging to him.”
“He sounds so sure of his ability to produce this map. Perhaps he will find another mapmaker to accommodate him.”
“There is only one skilled enough to produce such a map.”
Reena tensed.
“What is wrong?” he asked, holding her more tightly.
“My father is a skilled mapmaker.”
“But he does not know the land as well as you, and time is of the essence for Kilkern. He requires someone who knows well Kilkern and Dunhurnal land and can produce a map quickly.”
“How does he think to get me when I am so well protected? It seems a foolish thought on his part.”
“That is one of the reasons he seeks Brigid.”
Reena grew indignant. “He intends to use my friend to get me?”
“He knows well of your friendship with her. Remember, he will count on that friendship to misdirect you. Or when he discovers that we love and will wed, he may use that to force your compliance.”
“He would attempt to hurt you?”
“Kilkern will attempt anything, and that is what I want you to remember. He lies and thieves to have his way and cares naught for anyone.” He took hold of her chin. “Listen well, Reena. If by chance you should find yourself having to map for Kilkern, you will do so without any thought of betrayal to me.”
Reena was about to let him know what she thought of his warning, but he held her chin firm so she could not respond.
“I will not have you suffer for me: in this you will obey me.” He released her chin and waited for the only answer he would accept.
She thought she saw fear in his eyes, and the idea that the Legend feared for her touched her heart. “I will do as you say.”
His worry faded, replaced by a smile. “Then I say we sleep, for it has been a long day and the night late. And tomorrow will be busy.”
She slipped off his lap and rested on her side, Magnus moving up against her, his arm draped over her waist, his hand resting on her breast.
“Why will tomorrow be so busy?” she asked on a yawn.
“Two weddings need to be planned.”<
br />
“Should we not wait until this is all settled?”
“I will not wait upon Kilkern.” He was adamant.
“You are right; he cannot dictate our lives, and besides, the village would love a celebration. But still, it will take a couple of weeks or more so that we may do it properly and the flowers will be in bloom, and there will be time to stitch wedding dresses, and—”
He nuzzled her neck. “Enough, take what time is necessary, and you and Brigid enjoy making plans for the weddings. I will go speak with your father about wedding his daughter. Now sleep and know that I love you.”
“And I love you,” she said, only to feel his arm grow heavy on her waist and his breath steady in her ear. He was sound asleep.
She smiled and closed her eyes, content in his arms and content that though there were difficulties to face, they would face them together.
A few minutes later she opened her eyes, wide awake, her thoughts much too chaotic for sleep to claim her. Try as she might, she could not stop thinking of the circumstances that had brought them together.
She turned, dislodging Magnus from her, and he turned onto his back to snore lightly. She smiled at the light, easy rhythm, happy to hear it and know he was there safe beside her.
When she realized that sleep would not come quickly, she slipped from beneath the blanket and reached for his shirt on the floor, dropping it over her head as she walked to the hearth. A fire burned brightly, keeping the chill from the room.
She was grateful for the fire’s warmth, and she sat on the small bench before the hearth, pulling the large shirt down over her bent knees so that only her toes were visible. She hugged her legs and gave her thoughts free rein.
What troubled her the most was how much Magnus and his mother had suffered and how difficult it must have been for his mother, married to a man that cared naught for her or her son.
His mother had spent much of her time imprisoned in a small room, alone with her thoughts and fears and concerns for her son. She had written to keep her sanity and she had planned, planned her escape. She had written in Latin, a language not all could speak or understand.
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