He took her hand, loving the smallness of it in his palm, knowing it would be the last time, and led her through the gate and around to the back of the house. He seated her beneath the arch of roses and sat down at her side, half facing her. The lamp over the kitchen doorway cast shadows and bars of light over her face.
‘Jenna,’ he said softly. ‘Why did you come to the inn tonight?’
She hesitated, as if trying to choose her words carefully. ‘I wanted to thank you for all your help. For saving William’s life.’
His hopeful, fast-beating heart sank. ‘It was little enough I did. I couldna’ save the house.’
‘It can be rebuilt.’
‘Young Murray will do it for you nae doubt.’
‘You really think I should wed Mr Murray even though he also cheated?’ Was that disappointment he heard in her voice? Or was he simply hearing what he wanted to hear?
‘I want your happiness. Your comfort. Your security.’
‘And you think Murray can give me all these things?’
He didn’t answer. What he wanted to say and what he ought to say were at odds, so it was better to say nothing.’
‘What if I said I wanted you?’ she whispered so softly he was sure he must have misheard.
He lifted his head to look into her eyes and saw the glaze of tears. That he had caused them tore at his heart. ‘Never in a million years could I rebuild your Braemuir,’ he said brusquely. ‘You would have to choose me over the house. I know you can’t do that.’
‘This is what you were coming to tell me?’
‘I thought to tell you...how much I admired your courage and your determination to keep your promise to your father.’ He took her hand in his, gazed down at her small fingers, so dainty in his large fist. ‘Jenna, I wish you great joy in your life.’
‘Niall, couldn’t we—?’
‘Hush. Jenna, it is a pathetic man that I am. A coward to the bone. You saw. You know.’
Her eyes widened, and he felt his heart clench and he could not bear the idea that she would turn away from him, or that he would see the disgust in her eyes, so he gazed down at the dark between his feet. ‘A man terrified of high places. You saw me hanging there too scared to come down.’
‘A coward would not have gone up there in the first place,’ she declared roundly, vehemently. ‘A coward would not have tried to save that boy. Niall, it was the bravest thing I have ever seen. You are a good man, Niall, with a true loyal heart.’
He shook his head slowly, heartened by her words even as he despaired. ‘Don’t mistake what I did for bravery. If not for you, I might never have made the attempt.’
‘Then together we are stronger than we are apart.’
‘Oh, Jenna, can you not see?’ He looked at her pale face, at the hands pressed tight against her bosom, and his arms longed to hold her. ‘A good man, a man of worth, protects the woman he loves. Gives her what she needs.’ He squeezed his eyes shut. ‘I can’t do that. I would see you with a better man than me. A braver one at least.’
‘And so you will leave. I can’t ask you to change your mind,’ she said softly.
He nodded. ‘I know.’
‘I cannot ask, because I swore I would ask for nothing as long as you came safely down from that roof. But, Niall, it is very cruel of you to be breaking my heart.’
‘Jenna,’ he whispered, his voice hoarse, almost broken. ‘Leannan. I do not want to hurt you, not for all the world. I love you too well.’ He could not keep the pain from his voice.
‘I love you, too, Niall. When I saw you on that roof, I knew my heart would be torn from me if I lost you.’ She reached over and took his hand in hers, bringing it to rest in her lap. ‘I have lost so many of the people in my life that I love, I could not bear it if I lost you, too. I had been denying my love for days and it came to me that if you died up there on that roof, and I had never told you how I felt, it would be far worse than anything that went before.’
Her voice broke and he curled his hand around hers. ‘Jenna—’
‘I wanted to raise my children in that house, Niall. Give them the same joy as I had as a child. But it wasn’t the house. It was Mother and Father. Their love. You were right, Niall. A house is nothing but bricks and mortar. And it was nothing compared to your safety. And if you being safe means we must part, then so be it, but it hurts, my love.’
Tiny tendrils of hope reached into the corners of his soul, forcing light into the darkness he hadn’t even realised was there. ‘I would walk through fire for you, if that was your desire.’ He would find the courage from somewhere.
She half-laughed. ‘You did. How do you think I would have felt if you had not survived, knowing I was the one who asked you to save the boy?’
‘I have nothing to offer you,’ he warned. ‘No wealth. No position.’
‘We have something better. Something far more valuable. We have love.’
He gripped her hand hard. ‘Did you hear nothing of what I said?’
‘You said you loved me. That is all that matters.’
He turned and took her face in his palms, felt the cool of her skin against the cradle of his fingers and saw the love and hope shining in her eyes and could deny her nothing of himself. ‘I will love you always and for ever, if you will have me, darling girl.’
Reaching up, she twined her arms around his neck and kissed his lips so sweetly he thought he might expire on the spot, but instead he wooed her mouth with his until they were breathless.
When they finally broke apart, he gazed into her eyes and drank in the love shining there until it filled all of the empty places inside his heart. ‘Leannan, I can’t quite believe this is really happening, but there is no going back now. Whatever Carrick says. Or Ian.’
He held her close and she leaned her cheek against his shoulder, while they waited for their breathing to settle and their pulses to return to normal.
‘Niall, what did Sean mean about us being married?’
‘Sean is a troublemaker.’
‘Tell me.’
His imperious little faery. ‘It is some nonsense about a gypsy wedding ceremony where the bride and groom eat bread and salt together and afterwards they...’ His blood thickened. ‘Well, you know what happened afterwards.’
‘If we are married, there is no reason for you to go back to the inn, is there?’
His shaft hardened hopefully. ‘You, my lady, are a wicked temptation.’ He lifted his head and looked around. ‘Are you saying you consider yourself no better than a gypsy?’
‘Definitely not. Though I would like a proper marriage, too.’
Desperately, his gaze scanned the garden.
‘What are you looking for?’
‘A ladder. So I can take you up to your room.’
‘You would climb a ladder for me?’ she asked softly, trying not to laugh at his pained expression.
‘I would do anything for you, leannan.’
She smiled her secret faery smile. ‘And I for you. But we can use the stairs. You see, I have a key to the back door.’
He chuckled. ‘It is a clever woman you are, Lady Jenna.’
She put her arms around his waist as he rose to his feet. ‘I know. I found you, did I not?’
‘We will be married properly. Right away,’ he warned. ‘Tomorrow.’
‘Yes, dear heart, we will.’
Epilogue
‘So, is it Lord Aleyne we are to call you?’ Logan asked with an elbow to Niall’s ribs as they stood together in Dunross’s great hall after the dinner his brother had laid on. All the clan were gathered to celebrate his marriage, even though the ceremony had taken place at Braemuir the previous week.
Niall glanced across at his lovely fiery-haired wife talking to his mother, who had deigned to cross the threshold of Dunross Keep for the first time since Ian’s marriage. Poor Ma, she looked so shrunken and frail, but like the rest of them, she had fallen under Jenna’s faery spell.
Wearing a gown of pale blu
e with roses and leaves bordering the hem, she looked very much the harbinger of summer. As she moved, the light from the chandelier caught the silver pin at her breast, the faery pin that had been the only jewellery he’d had to give her on her wedding day. Not that she’d complained. Indeed, she’d been as enchanted as if it had been a string of diamonds.
Sean, who had met them outside the church on their wedding day, had said it would bring them good luck. Not that he believed any of the things Sean said.
‘You will call me as you always have,’ Niall said, answering Logan’s enquiry after another jab in the ribs.
‘At least she’s a proper Scottish lass,’ his brother said with a glower at Selina.
Scottish or faery, Niall didn’t care. Jenna was his and he would do everything in his power to make her happy. ‘How is the smuggling business?’
‘Oh, aye, never been better. The guagers dinna get any smarter.’
‘Don’t rely on that, Logan. One of these days luck will be on their side.’
Logan snorted and Niall wanted to give him a shake, but had no chance to say more as a grinning Ian joined them.
‘She’s lovely, your Lady Jenna,’ he said. ‘You have done the family proud.’
For once. He shook his brother’s hand. ‘Thank you. And thank you for this fine reception.’
‘What are your plans now?’
‘To Edinburgh to study law. McDougall put me in touch with a lawyer friend of his who will take me on. I hope I can help this family, too, in time.’
‘Edinburgh, is it?’ Logan said. ‘You will no doubt be mixing with the nobs and too proud for us.’
‘You’ll bring me a half dozen bottles of whisky every time you bring a cartload for that scurvy friend of yours in the Wynds, or I’ll know the reason why,’ Niall said, punching him on the upper arm.
‘Oh, aye.’ Logan slapped him on the back and wandered off.
‘Thank you for looking into the matter of Tearny,’ Ian said in a lowered voice.
‘I’m sorry I was unable to unearth more than I did.’
‘I will take the matter up with Carrick. The more I think on it, the more I think there must be something behind those payments to the man.’
‘If there is, you will need to take care. Carrick is a powerful man. And I’m afraid he’s none too pleased with me.’
‘I know it. Ah, here is your lovely bride coming to join us.’
Jenna smiled at both of them. ‘What a lovely old keep this is,’ she said.
Lady Selina, who had come up behind her, laughed. ‘Lovely and draughty.’ She was heavy with child and glowing. ‘The school is going to miss you, Niall.’
‘I’ll look for a new schoolteacher for you when I reach Edinburgh,’ he promised.
She smiled her thanks. ‘I think you can’t wait to disappear inside all those dusty law books.’
Jenna smiled at him, her eyes dancing. ‘Oh, no doubt he’ll be enjoying himself. But I’ll make sure he doesn’t forget his other duties.’
He took her hand and raised it to his lips. ‘With you around, my love, it could never happen.’
Ian put an arm around his wife’s shoulders. ‘If you are half as happy as I am, you will be the most fortunate man alive.’
‘I expect I will be far happier.’ He drew Jenna close to his side.
Lady Selina snorted. ‘Brothers.’
Jenna chuckled.
The piper was tuning up his pipes and the clansmen were clearing the tables from the middle of the floor. ‘Come,’ Niall said to Jenna. ‘It is time to dance at our wedding feast.’
And dance they did until they fell into bed, exhausted. But not so exhausted that they couldn’t take advantage of a soft bed and thick walls of stone.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Accidental Prince by Michelle Willingham.
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Chapter One
The outer borders of Lohenberg—1855
Karl von Lohenberg had always been a bastard. For twenty-five years, he’d merely thought it was a personality disorder rather than a reflection of his birth.
He’d been raised to believe he was a prince, the fürst, who would one day be king of Lohenberg. And only a fortnight ago, one word had stripped away his future: bastard.
His father had ordered him out of the palace, granting him land and a manor house near the borders, as if to say: hide him where he won’t cause any trouble.
Bitterness smouldered within him, at the way they’d turned their backs on him so quickly. Did they believe he was planning to kill or overthrow the true prince? Were the years of obedience and loyalty nothing to the king and queen? They treated him like a lighted fuse, leading to a keg of gunpowder.
Karl was stronger than that. He knew, well enough, that he’d never regain the throne of Lohenberg. It rightfully belonged to his half-brother Michael, and he wouldn’t blacken the royal family or his country with scandal, fighting for something that wasn’t his.
He’d given his life to his homeland, believing that one day he would be king, responsible for the lives of many. He liked being in command, and by God, he’d been good at it.
Fate might have picked him up by the collar and beaten him into a bloody mass, but he wasn’t about to slink quietly into the shadows to lick his wounds. This was his life, and he intended to live it on his own terms.
For there was another way to restore his position. Cold-hearted and villainous, yes, but it was a solution.
He simply had to marry a princess.
Karl reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter he’d received a few days ago like the shred of hope it represented. His betrothed, Princess Serena of Badenstein, was leaving the palace on an impromptu holiday to her grandfather’s hunting lodge in Hamburg. Alone. The letter from her sister Anna thanked him for his promise to accompany Serena as her protector.
At first, he hadn’t understood the letter. He’d made no such promise, since he’d known nothing about Serena’s plans. They hardly knew one another, for Karl had only met the princess twice in the six years they’d been betrothed. She was beautiful, with a heart-shaped face, dark blond hair, and green eyes that held years of unhappiness.
Not once had he seen her smile. When they’d first met, she’d eyed him with distrust and more than a little fear. He didn’t know what falsehoods her family had told her, but he wasn’t that bad. He wasn’t a man who caused small children to flee into hiding. Usually.
Why would the princess make a journey where her sister felt she needed protection? Wouldn’t she have her father’s guards and a hundred servants to keep her safe?
His instincts warned him that something was wrong with this so-called holiday. It was doubtful that Serena had invited him at all. More likely, the princess had lied to her sister, to appease her.
But Anna had turned the tables, letting Karl know that his bride was up to something. He didn’t doubt that Serena would carry out her plan of leaving the palace, but why was she planning to go alone? Was she running away? Or meeting someone else—a lover, perhaps?
Grimly, Karl folded the letter, his mind taking apart each possibility. It was too soon for anyone in Badenstein to know of his fallen status. At the time Anna had sent this letter, he’d still been the heir to the
Lohenberg throne.
If he joined
the Princess on her holiday, as Anna had suggested, his presence might grant her protection—but it would also compromise Serena’s reputation beyond repair. She’d have no choice but to wed him, even if he never laid a hand upon her.
There would be hell to pay afterwards, but he could live with that. Once he became her prince consort, the scandal would eventually die down, and she could live her life as she wished.
Karl stared outside the window of the inn where he and his men were staying. The skies were growing dark, and he was within a few hours’ ride of the palace. In the morning, he would put his plan into action. With any luck, he could claim the princess as his bride before anyone learned the truth about his lost kingdom.
* * *
Serena dragged out the small trunk she’d packed with a few days’ worth of clothing. Today she would leave the palace, seizing the freedom she craved. She would depart Badenstein with a handful of servants and reclaim her life. Although the risk of discovery was terrible, it was worth it.
Beneath her tightly laced corset, her broken ribs had finally healed after so many weeks. Though it sometimes hurt to breathe or to lift her arms above her head, she’d grown accustomed to the pain. And after today, everything would be different.
Serena ran her hands over the brass-bound trunk and then ordered Katarina, one of her most trusted ladies, to ensure that the trunk was placed inside the coach she’d carefully prepared. Her heart was beating so fast, she pressed her hand to her chest as if she could steady it.
She had no doubt it would be only a few days before the messengers alerted the king that she was missing. Nothing escaped his notice, and Serena had to plan this carefully, so as to avoid getting anyone else in trouble.
For now, she would go to her grandfather’s hunting lodge. Her father owned several estates in Badenstein and in Germany, but the lodge was rarely used any more since it had fallen into disrepair. Although they might search for her there, perhaps not until they’d investigated the other houses. It would grant her some time. She hoped to sell some jewels and purchase a small house or property somewhere no one would find her.
Ann Lethbridge Page 25