The sadness faded as Mercy’s smile grew. “It will be so wonderful for my children, Conall and Kate, to know their great-grandmum.”
Dolca pressed a hand to her chest. “Did you say your daughter’s name was Kate?”
Mercy nodded. “I have always loved the name ever since my mum told me stories of a brave little lassie called Kate.”
Dolca couldn’t stop tears from falling. “Kate was your mum’s true name.”
Tears fell again, though this time Mercy smiled. “I am happy that my daughter bears the name of such a courageous woman.”
Dolca nodded. “Yes, your mum would have been exceptionally proud of you.”
Bliss sensed relief wash over the two women and happiness prevail. She only wished her stomach would settle. It had grown steadily worse since being there; she wasn’t feeling well at all. She had laid her hand on her stomach while the women talked, hoping she could settle the unease, but it hadn’t worked. Trey’s son growing inside her was already a stubborn one, and she couldn’t help but smile at the thought.
“You must come to the keep now and meet your great-grandchildren,” Mercy said.
“I would like that,” Dolca said.
Mercy looked to Bliss. “I can share with the others what grandmum has told me?”
Bliss nodded. “Aye, you can, and more secrets will be revealed because of it.”
The three women slipped on their cloaks and left the cottage. The closer they got to the keep, the worse Bliss felt, and she had no desire to enter the hall and take a chance of someone’s realizing that she was ill. No doubt questions would be asked, and she worried that she would not be able to hide the obvious . . . she carried Trey’s babe.
“I must see to something,” Bliss said to the two women, who walked a few steps ahead.
They stopped and turned, and Mercy asked, “Are you all right? You look pale.”
“I am fine,” Bliss said, pleased that it truly wasn’t a lie. She was well. It was only the babe making himself known. “I will join you soon though please wait until I do before you tell anyone the news.”
Dolca slipped her arm around Mercy and gently urged her forward. “Bliss is a fine healer. If she were ill, she would heal herself.”
It seemed to satisfy Mercy, and the two women continued walking though Dolca glanced back at Bliss once, and Bliss nodded and smiled her appreciation. She recalled Dolca and her grandmum often communicating without words, and Dolca did it with her as well.
Dolca had graciously offered her cottage to her while she was gone, and, with her hand to her protesting stomach, she turned, hoping her stomach wouldn’t empty itself before she got there.
Bliss was only a few steps from the cottage when her stomach protested most vehemently. She hurried a short distance to the edge of the woods, not wanting to be sick in front of the cottage. She was about to lean over, ready to heave, when an arm wrapped around her waist.
Chapter 32
Trey pressed his hand gently against Bliss’s stomach, and she leaned back against him, taking a deep breath. He had been worried about her after she left the keep. She had turned much too pale while talking with him, and she had refused any sustenance. It hadn’t surprised him when his mum had questioned him, not once but several times. It seemed she wanted confirmation from what she had already surmised, that Bliss carried his child . . . but Trey would not acknowledge it.
It would give his mum another reason to question his marriage to Bliss in ways that would only anger him, and so he kept their secret. Besides, he wasn’t ready to share it. He liked that only Bliss and he and no other knew, and when the time proved right, and they agreed, they would share the news, but not until then.
“I don’t know what power you hold, but you instantly calmed your son, and I am grateful,” Bliss said, relieved to have her husband’s back for support.
“He is a good son; he listens to his da.”
“It would seem he is strongly connected to his da to feel him when he is nothing more than a sprouting seed.”
Trey laughed softly. “A seed I enjoyed planting.”
He barely heard her light laughter though he felt it. It raced through him, sparking his senses and tightening his groin. Now was not the time to grow hard for her.
Her hand slipped over his, resting her fingers between his splayed ones. “I am ripe for planting anytime, my soil always moist and ready for you.”
The growling moan rumbled deep in his chest. “If you were feeling well, I would plant here, right now, in the falling snow, but since you’re not . . .
He scooped her up in his arms knowing, that if he didn’t retreat soon, they would be making love on the snow-covered ground. “You need to rest.” He kissed her quick. “We’ll plant later.”
Bliss wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck and laid her cheek against his and shivered.
“You are cold,” he said, annoyed with himself for letting his groin rule. “I will take you back to the keep to rest.”
“No, Dolca offered me her cottage for a while, and I would like to take advantage of its solitude.”
His chest tightened at the thought that she wanted to be alone. He had intended staying with her and making certain she was well. Did he respect her desire to be alone or did he insist he stay and see to her care?
He wanted to spend all the time he could with her, for he knew that battle drew ever nearer. Warriors were sent out today to MacAlpin land’s farthest borders to camp, keep watch, and relay messages about the soldiers’ movements. It was only a matter of time before the first skirmish erupted into full-fledged war, and the time would come for the true king to lead his people.
Trey entered the small cottage and walked over to the bed, much too narrow for two people though not if one lay on top of the other. He shook his head as he lowered her feet to the ground.
She giggled and looked up at him. “As much as I’d like to stretch out on the bed, it is much too small to hold us both, and, at the moment, I’d much prefer to snuggle against you and . . .” She took hold of his hand and rested it against her stomach. “Calm your son again.”
Trey placed his cloak on the ground before the hearth, and, after she settled in his lap, he used her cloak as a blanket for added warmth. Once comfortable, he slowly stroked her stomach.
“When I said I wished solitude, I never meant that I wanted to be alone,” she said.
He knew it shouldn’t have surprised him that she had known his thoughts. She always knew his thoughts where she was concerned, and perhaps that explained why she was always moist with desire for him.
“I did not invade the privacy of your thoughts; I felt your disappointment and saw it in your eyes, just like now I see a flicker of desire.”
“It burns constantly for you.”
“As does mine for you,” she said, and brushed her lips over his.
“I am having a difficult time keeping my hands off you.”
“Perhaps you can convince your son to remain calm so that his parents can . . .” She touched her lips to his and kissed him gently.
He responded, telling himself that they could share a kiss, a tender one that led nowhere, but when had kissing Bliss ever led nowhere. Whenever their lips met, passion flamed, whether the kiss was simple or hungry didn’t matter.
He felt it then, the unease in her stomach, and it forced him to end the kiss.
“Kissing will wait until you feel better,” he insisted, and tucked her cloak around her.
“I could erect a shield so that you don’t sense anything,” she offered.
“No,” he snapped though not meaning to. He softened his tone. “I will not have you shielding me from anything. I will share it all with you.”
She grinned and laughed briefly. “Even when it is time to birth the babe?”
He cringed. “I hadn’t thought of th
at.”
“It is for me alone to do,” she said.
He shook his head. “I never want you to think that you do anything alone. We have each other; we’re never alone . . . unless you prefer to be.”
“I have always embraced solitude, perhaps because I had no choice. But now, since falling in love with you, when I think in terms of solitude, you are always included. There may be times I need quiet, time to think and focus, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want you near.” She smiled. “I have come to enjoy having you around.”
“That is good,” he said with a playful tap to her nose, “for you are stuck with me.”
She shook her head slowly. “Never. Never will I feel stuck with you.”
He tucked her closer to him, too afraid to kiss her again since his groin was tightening by the minute, and he knew that if he kissed her again, he’d spring as hard as a rock.
They sat silent, enjoying the heat of the fire, his hand having gone still, afraid it would inch down and find her moist and ready for him. And then . . . there would be no stopping.
She dozed off, and he watched her sleep, this woman whom he had magically fallen in love with or whom fate had delivered to him, or who had always been meant for him. It didn’t matter; he didn’t care how they came to be, he was simply glad they had. He couldn’t imagine life without her. He couldn’t imagine not being connected with her. He couldn’t imagine loving an ordinary woman instead of an extraordinary one.
She belonged to him, and he belonged to her, and nothing, nothing would ever change that.
She stirred after only a few minutes, her eyes going wide. “I’m famished.”
He laughed. “Hunger woke you from your brief respite?”
“Hours haven’t passed?”
“No,” he confirmed. “You closed your eyes only a few moments ago.”
“I feel refreshed, as if I have slept for hours, and more hungry than I ever recall being.”
Bliss scrambled to her feet before he could help her up, and he laughed. “You truly are hungry.”
She hurried them on with their cloaks and pushed a laughing Trey out the door. It didn’t take them long to get to the keep, Bliss’s rushed steps setting a fast pace.
The keep had quieted, all the warriors having gone off to their prospective duties. The MacAlpin family were the only ones left, along with Dolca, who looked to be having a grand time with her great-grandbabies.
It was obvious to him that Mercy knew that Dolca was her grandmother, but why hadn’t others been made aware of it?
“I asked them to wait until I was here,” Bliss answered, as if he had spoken the question aloud.
He eased their gait, not wanting to get too close to his family before he had a chance to say, “It seems that since learning that you carry my son, your ability to know and hear my thoughts has multiplied substantially.”
Bliss stopped with a gasp and turned stunned eyes on him. “You’re right. Your thoughts have gotten clearer in my head. It’s as though I feel and know your every thought.”
He shook his head. “That’s not good. There are things you do not need to know, things that do not concern you, and things I do not want you worrying over.”
She smiled. “How about things you want to keep private?”
He laughed. “Is that even possible? Keeping something private from you?”
Her smile vanished, and he knew he had made a mistake.
“I’ll just erect that shield, then you’ll have all the privacy you want.”
He chuckled. He couldn’t help it. “I have never known you to get angry with me. You’re delightful when you’re angry.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she looked ready to give him a tongue-lashing when suddenly she stopped. “Where is this anger coming from? This is not me. I do not like it.”
He almost chuckled though he thought better of it and instead went to speak, but she stopped him with a warning.
“Don’t dare tell me again that I’m delightful when I’m angry.”
Being wise, he said nothing.
She leaned against him for support, and he quickly slipped a firm arm around her. “I should eat,” she said.
“Yes, you should,” he agreed with a smile, and they went to join his family.
His chest swelled with such happiness that he thought he would burst. It had been so long since he had felt so elated, and he had thought he’d never know such a thrill again. But now, with Bliss as his wife, the strength of her love, and a son on the way, he finally knew contentment. Even with war looming on the horizon, he had confidence that the true king would prevent as much bloodshed as possible.
They had not been sitting long, Bliss enjoying the fresh food brought to her, when Roan arrived, with Langward leaning heavily on his shoulder. Bliss took one look at him and stood. Trey was about to stop her but thought better of it. This was who she was and what she did. He admired and respected her for it, and he would not stand in her way.
She turned to him. “Can I put him in your bedchamber?”
“Put him in Reeve’s. I have my bedchamber back, and I intend to make use of it.”
“Are you sure of that?” she asked quite seriously.
He nodded. “I am.”
She shook her head, and he wondered if he had just made a mistake though he couldn’t figure out what it could be.
Roan looked to Trey as he approached. “We need to talk after I am done settling Langward.”
Trey nodded and helped with the injured Pict. He didn’t like leaving Bliss on her own after she hadn’t been feeling well. He walked over to her where she hovered over the ailing Langward.
“Are you sure you are well enough to handle this?” he asked.
She smiled and pressed her cheek to his. “It is so good to know and feel how much you worry over me, but know that I am fine, feeling much better and looking forward to the noon meal.”
He laughed, and he knew her words were not only truthful but meant to lighten his spirit. “If you need anything . . .”
“I will reach out to you.”
“I will be listening for you,” he said, and gave her a quick kiss before reluctantly leaving her.
He and Roan joined his brothers and his da in the solar. They were all waiting impatiently for news.
Roan didn’t waste time. “The attack came quick and ended just as quickly. The strange thing about it was that the soldiers ended it after one shouted to the others that there was no woman there.”
“They search for a woman?” Reeve said, sounding as puzzled as the others looked.
“It would seem so,” Roan confirmed. “We assume they search for Bliss, the king having learned of her powers and wanting to use them to his advantage”—he shook his head—“though no mention was made of a seer or healer, so I cannot be sure.”
“Who would they search for if not for Bliss?” Duncan asked.
No one had an answer, and, for some reason, Trey had the distinct feeling that it wasn’t his wife whom the soldiers were after. The problem was he had no idea who else it could be if not for Bliss.
The men talked further, then Trey realized how exhausted Roan was and offered him food and rest. The Pict gladly accepted and went off with a servant. The others briefly discussed the situation but could find no answers, and so they all went their separate ways to see to the day’s duties, with plans to discuss the matter later.
Since Trey had only just returned home, he had no pressing duties. And so he went to join his wife, only to find a servant girl watching over Langward. She explained that Bliss had finished tending the young Pict warrior and left.
Trey checked his bedchamber but found it empty, then it hit him; Bliss was hungry. There would be only one place she’d be.
Sure enough, he found her in the kitchen, talking with Etty and munching on cheese and fresh
ly baked bread. He realized that she had barely had a chance to eat when Roan had arrived. She had left her food to attend to Langward.
As soon as she saw him, she hurried to his side and gave him a quick kiss, then offered him a piece of cheese. He accepted it with a smile, pleased that she was finally able to eat.
He spoke too soon.
Reeve entered the kitchen. “We need you in the great hall; one of our warriors has returned with urgent news.”
Bliss looked from Trey to Reeve. “The king’s soldiers have crossed the Pict border.”
Chapter 33
The MacAlpin family was gathered in the great hall. Reeve joined his wife near the hearth, slipping his arm around her waist, Mercy and Duncan sat snug against each other at the table, Charlotte stood in front of Bryce, his arm draped protectively across her chest and his hand snug at her waist. Carmag, Mara, and Idris stood off to the side, speaking in whispers, and Roan and five of his men stood in a circle talking. When they caught sight of Bliss, they rushed to her.
“What do we do?” Roan asked.
“At the moment, nothing,” she said to the surprise of all.
“Do you know whom the soldiers search for?” Roan asked.
“Aye, I do, and I believe others here know as well,” Bliss said, turning and looking from one to the other until finally . . .
“Oh hell,” Mara said, stepping forward. “I suppose it’s time for the truth to be made known.”
Dolca stepped forward as well. “Aye, it’s been a long time coming.”
Mercy smiled at her and hugged her husband’s arm, which tightened protectively around her.
“You know who the king searches for among the Picts?” Roan asked.
Mara nodded. “King Kenneth searches for the woman who will be queen.”
Silence hung heavy in the air, no one uttering a word.
Mara continued. “You are all aware that to be a true king of Scotland, you must be born of a Pict mother. The king then must marry a Pict if he wishes his heir to have a claim to the throne. It is the reason King Kenneth has no true claim on the title. He was not born of a Pict mother. His wife conveniently died shortly after he took the throne; he intended to wed Tara for her substantial dowry, then kill her, and, finally, after having learned that the future queen was with the Picts, I’m sure the king’s plan is to find her and wed her himself.”
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