by Hyman, F. S.
The door crashed open at that moment.
“Take yer filthy hands off my wife!”
Annabelle slid to the floor motionless.
Chapter 27
“Gladly,” Julian chuckled.
Derek watched in horror as Annabelle’s limp body slid to the floor as if in slow motion. She lay motionless at Julian’s feet, who, in turn, had a triumphant smirk on his face. Derek let out a mighty roar and advanced toward Julian.
“So the wench was married? How did that come about? It matters not. Weel, I am glad ye came. I can kill two birds with one stone. It would save me the time of having to track ye down later,” Julian laughed. He had a crazed look in his eyes.
Derek’s gaze landed on his motionless wife’s body again. He felt the pain deep down into his soul. He had been too late. He had lost her for good this time, all because of this madman and his need to be laird.
“I doona understand how ye could have wed the wench. She was too outspoken and spirited and would grate on a man’s nerves after too long,” he chuckled again. “Although I was willing to taste that spirit before I killed her,” he smiled.
Derek stopped in his tracks. Had Julian touched her? Had he raped her? Derek began to see red. Instead of stalking his prey, he charged like an animal let out of its cage for the first time. He knocked Julian down on the floor. Julian’s head struck the floor with a thud. Julian began laughing again.
“Ye willnae take Dunwiche from me!” he roared as his fist came up and knocked Derek off of him onto the floor. Julian jumped up and grabbed his dirk from his boot.
“Dunwiche is mine, and now that that wench is out of the way, it will remain mine, after I dispose of ye,” he said as he lunged toward Derek.
Derek was still recovering from the blow Julian gave him, but he had enough wits about him to avoid the thrust of Julian’s dirk and spring to his feet. He pulled his claymore from his back. They circled each other, Derek seeing the craziness in his opponent. He had to come up with a strategy to defeat Julian. For his weak and emaciated state, he was surprisingly strong. Derek guessed that his craziness lended him strength.
“Dunwiche is mine, and I have come to claim it and restore it to the glory that Laird Harold had worked so hard for,” Derek said, looking for an opening so that he could strike. He thought if he could get Julian talking, he could distract him enough to land a killing blow, for he knew that Julian had to die.
“Nay,” Julian replied quietly as if addressing a child. “Harold told me that I was to be his heir, but he decided to marry. I admit that the lass is easy on the eyes, and I bet she is a wildcat in the bedchamber,” he said and winked at Derek. “I tried to talk him out of it, but alas, he would nae listen. So he had to die.”
“Why kill everyone else? Why not just wait for a time that ye could kill Laird Harold?” Derek asked. He saw a glint in Julian’s eye. He did not like it. The man was clearly insane.
“Why not?” he roared with laughter.
Derek was taken aback by that response. Julian’s laughter sounded like the scraping of claymores in battle to his ears. He winced.
As Julian continued to laugh, Derek took his chance and lunged forward with his claymore leading. He bared his teeth and put all of his strength into the blow. Suddenly, Julian stopped laughing and his glee turned into shock.
Derek stood so close to Julian that their noses almost touched.
“That was for what ye did to the people of Dunwiche,” he whispered.
Derek twisted his claymore.
“And that was for my wife.”
Derek used his booted foot to dislodge Julian’s body from his claymore. Julian fell to the floor; his eyes still open in shock. Derek reached down and wiped his blade clean on Julian’s dingy kilt.
He turned around and went to his wife’s lifeless body. Her face was so pale. Her head lay at an awkward angle. He dropped to his knees and gathered her in his arms. Her body was still warm.
His father, his brothers, and Colm rushed into the study at that moment. Broc was close on their heels.
“Derek,” his father called to him.
He did not answer but stroked Annabelle’s pale face. Her lips were slightly parted and lightly tinted blue. He rocked her in his arms, blocking any and everything around them. There was just he and Annabelle in the room.
He gently stroked her hair and repeated her name over and over into her ear. Colm came to stand next to them.
“Derek,” he said in comfort.
Derek lifted his face and looked down at his wife. He noticed that the side of her face was wet. He reached up and ran his thumb through the wetness and realized that they were not her tears but his.
Derek stood with his wife in his arms. Her head hung limp over his arm and her beautiful red hair swung lifelessly behind her. Derek headed toward the door, not looking at anyone. He walked out of Dunwiche keep toward his horse. He had to take Annabelle to Dunkirk. It had been her home and that was where she would be buried and remembered.
Aster came up behind him to take Annabelle’s body so that he could mount his horse. He reluctantly let him. As soon as he was mounted he took her from Aster and gently sat her before him on his horse. He positioned her head so that it lay against his shoulder as if she were sleeping.
He looked at his father who nodded as if he understood and turned his horse toward home. He wrapped his arm protectively around his wife’s body. He could smell the freshness of her hair. How his heart ached and his soul felt empty. He had not gotten the chance to tell Annabelle how much he loved her, and now she would never know all because of a madman. If he hadn’t already killed Julian, he would go and do it again.
The other men fell in behind him and rode in silence.
§
“What happened?” Brighid asked as they walked into the keep late the next morning. Her eyes came to rest on Annabelle.
Derek had ridden without stopping, not even to rest his horse. He had to get Annabelle into the safety of Dunkirk.
“Is she hurt?” Ainsley asked running up to Derek. She looked at Annabelle’s pale face and gasped.
“He killed her,” Colm said, following Derek into the keep.
“What?” Megan exclaimed.
“I am so sorry,” Brighid said, resting her hand on her son’s cheek. Derek did not reply. He could not say anything past the lump in his throat. He had held back his tears so that he could make it back to Dunkirk without delay, but he was finding that it was getting more difficult to do so.
Jace came up and put his hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“Derek, let the women have her so that they can prepare her for burial.”
“Nay,” Derek replied quietly. He pushed past everyone and took Annabelle’s body with him to their bedchamber. He could not bring himself to part with her. He was not ready yet. They had just found each other and now she was gone forever. He felt a tear trickle down his face. He had not cried like this since he was a lad. He never thought that he would be in a place where he would feel this deeply for any woman. But the pain he felt at losing Annabelle was almost too much to bear.
When he reached their bedchamber, Derek gently laid Annabelle’s body on their bed. He lay down beside her and looked at her beautiful face. Her thick red lashes fanned her cheeks and she looked as if she but slept. He reached out and removed a red curl from her brow. Her skin was still warm, but she had only died a few hours ago.
Derek reached out and pulled her into his arms. He put all of his love into the embrace.
“I am sorry I didnae get there in time, my love. I am so verra sorry. I should have told ye how much I loved ye while ye were with me, but I was stubborn and afraid that ye didnae feel the same. I love ye, Annabelle, and I always will. No other woman matters to me. Only ye,” he pulled her face up so that he could kiss her on the lips. They were also warm and soft.
He pressed his hand to her stomach. A baby. Derek allowed his grief to take him over, and he wept into Annabelle’s hair.
§
“Broc met us at the keep courtyard. He was furious that we dinna tell him that Annabelle was here, but Derek explained that it was fer her safety. He told us that he had been doing his best to keep Annabelle away from Julian. He believed that Julian wanted to do her harm, but he could not come up with any more excuses without giving himself away. He said that Annabelle was in the study with Julian,” Jace explained to his family what happened.
“Oh my,” Brighid whispered covering her mouth.
“When we finally made it into the keep and to the study, it was too late. Julian had already killed Annabelle. Her lifeless body was already on the floor.”
“And so was Julian’s,” Colm said.
Brighid looked at her husband. His face was grave.
“How do we help him?” she whispered through tears.
“Only time can heal Derek,” Laird Breac said. “He will grieve, for I truly believe that he loves Annabelle.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Colm abruptly turned and left the keep.
Brighid looked up the stairs. She was worried about her son. Although Derek hadn’t done or said anything, she could tell that his grief was deep. She was afraid that Derek would not recover from this.
§
Derek lay next to Annabelle stroking her hair and her back. He had stopped crying a while ago, but he continued to hold her. In the back of his mind, he registered that she was still warm to the touch. He hugged her closer and kissed her forehead.
Derek sighed. He needed to let her go. He knew he needed to take her body back down so that the women could prepare her for burial, but he just wanted a few more moments. He slid his hand along her arm and grasped her hand. He entwined his fingers with hers. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly. He looked at her lovely face and smiled.
He remembered her spirit and how she never let him get the best of her. At first he thought he wanted something different in a wife, but she was exactly what he wanted. What he needed. Now he had truly lost her because of his stubbornness and stupidity.
“I love ye, Annabelle,” he whispered again as he moved to get up and take her back downstairs.
“I love ye too,” she said as her eyes fluttered opened.
Derek stopped in the middle of getting up from the bed. He was shocked and speechless. He looked into her beautiful spring green eyes with shock. She slowly smiled. She stretched.
Annabelle jumped up. She looked around the chamber and realized that she was not at Dunwiche anymore. She turned huge green eyes on her husband.
“What happened? Where is Julian? How did I get here?” she asked, staring expectantly at Derek.
Derek was dumbstruck. She was alive. Annabelle was alive. How could it be? He saw her fall lifelessly to the floor. He looked at her, but could not believe what he was seeing. He hadn’t really checked to see if she lived, he had assumed that she was dead by the way she had crumpled to the floor. He could see the bruising around her neck. He reached out to touch it.
“What is wrong, Derek? Ye look like ye’ve seen a ghost,” she chuckled. It was music to his ears.
Suddenly Derek grabbed her up into his arms. His heart began to beat again, and his soul was filled to overflowing. He kissed her all over her face and her lips. She laughed and held on to him.
“What have I done to deserve this? I have been awful to ye, Derek, and I apologize,” she said looking him in the eye.
“What have ye done, Annabelle? Ye live! Ye live,” he repeated over and over as he continued to kiss her.
“I live? What do ye mean?” she asked with a confused frown.
Derek set her down on the bed and told her about her ordeal.
“He is dead? I ken he meant to kill me, although he said that it was a choice between that and marrying me. He confessed to poisoning Laird Harold because he wanted to be laird.”
Derek frowned.
“Ye already have a husband,” he said looking hard at her.
“I didnae think that ye would come for me,” Annabelle confessed quietly.
Derek looked at her wide eyed. Why would she think a thing like that?
“Annabelle, doona ye ken that I would always come for ye?” he leaned down in front of her.
“I wasnae sure. There had been a lot of things said betwixt us. And Eilidh had convinced me that ye and she were to be together. She is having yer bairn,” she said, dropping her eyes. It still hurt to think about it, but she had resolved to deal with it the best she could if she could still have Derek.
Derek laced his fingers through hers.
“Eilidh isnae having my bairn. She lied to ye, Annabelle. She wanted to get rid of ye. I understand why ye would believe what she said, Annabelle. It was close enough to the truth to be believable. Ye had a right to ken the truth of yer situation, but for mostly selfish reasons, I kept it from ye. I am verra sorry that I did. None of this would have happened if I had but revealed who ye were from the beginning.”
“She isnae?” she asked. That was all she grabbed hold of.
“Nay, and she no longer lives at Dunkirk. Ye doona need to worry about her again. All ye need to worry about is ye and the bairn ye carry,” he smirked at her.
Annabelle gasped.
“How did ye ken?”
“Mither revealed it to me.”
Annabelle looked into his eyes. He looked very pleased with himself.
“Derek, I still doona ken if my parents are alive. When I asked at Dunwiche, no one kenned,” she said sadly.
“We will find out what happened to yer family, Annabelle, that I promise,” Derek said with conviction.
“What if they perished also? They were all I had.”
“Ye have me,” Derek said.
Annabelle smiled tremulously.
“And our bairn,” he said placing his hand over her stomach.
“Derek, I love ye. I will try not to care if ye find other women ye want to bed, as long as ye give me a little bit of yerself. I doona want to change ye, I just want some of ye for me,” she said hugging him around the waist.
Derek shook his head. He stroked her hair and then gently pried her away from him.
“Annabelle, ye have all of me. I doona want other women. I only want ye,” he said capturing her soft lips with his.
The, at first, soft kiss turned into something more. Derek pushed Annabelle back onto the bed and leaned over her, never taking his lips from hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back hungrily. She loved the feel of his lips against hers or anywhere else on her body. The kiss quickly became passionate. She cupped his dear face in both her hands, and infused all the love she felt in her kiss. Derek reluctantly pulled back and stared down at his beautiful wife.
“We must go tell the others the good news. They all think that ye died,” he grinned pulling her up with him.
Annabelle gasped and followed him from their chamber. He stopped on the stairs and turned back to her.
“I love ye, Annabelle MacDougal,” he said kissing her again and then resting his head against hers.
“I love ye, too, Derek MacDougal,” she replied between breaths.
“I thought I had lost you. When I saw yer body fall to the floor, I think I stopped breathing,” he was saying when Annabelle put her finger over his mouth.
“But ye did not, Derek. I’m right here, and I promise that I am going nowhere,” she smiled gently.
Derek hugged her to him for a brief moment and then began leading her down to the great hall again.
Chapter 28
Everyone sat around the table sipping their ale, each in their own thoughts. No one noticed the couple as they walked into the hall. Derek looked around at his clansmen. They all looked just as grief-stricken as he had, and somehow that made him feel closer to them. They had all grieved for Annabelle, and that spoke of how special she had become to all of them in such a short time. How special she had become to him almost from the instant he had found her.
&nbs
p; They walked over to the table. Brighid noticed them first.
“I doona understand…” Brighid was saying as she rose from her seat. Everyone else was rising in shock also.
Annabelle gave them all a small smile. She had seen the pain on their faces and knew that she had become one of them. A MacDougal. Even if she found out that her own parents were gone, she now knew that she had a new family right here at Dunkirk. And real love with her husband.
“What is this?” Laird Breac demanded, puzzlement on his face.
Derek chuckled. He was sure that his face had mirrored that same expression when Annabelle regained consciousness.
“It seems that Annabelle wasnae dead, but unconscious. She revived a few moments ago,” he grinned.
“Och! ‘Tis wonderful news!” Brighid exclaimed as she rushed over to embrace Annabelle. Everyone took a turn letting her know that they were glad she was alive.
“We should celebrate,” Aster said, signaling to Ainsley to bring everyone some more ale.
“Aye,” Derek whispered in her ear. She shivered. “I am a verra lucky mon.”
Annabelle smiled up at her husband. Just then Colm walked back into the keep.
“There were people at the gate. They should be entering the courtyard as I speak,” he said moving over to sit at the table.
“Did ye recognize them?” Derek asked his friend.
“Nay, they were wearing colors unfamiliar to me,” he replied finally looking in Derek’s direction.
Colm’s eyes grew wide as he realized that Annabelle stood beside him. He slowly stood and walked over to her. He stared into her face, and then turned to look at Derek. Derek looked back at his friend.
“How…,” he asked, apparently not believing his eyes.
“She wasnae dead,” Derek replied simply.