Storm Trilogy

by Ria Cantrell

  “What,” Bronwyn asked, her heart dropping.

  “He is ready to move to Scotland, just so you will not be homesick.”

  Bronwyn shook her head and said, “Nay, he canna’ do that. His place is here, as Sir Erik’s guard. As his wife, my place is here with him.”

  “Then tell him when he returns for I know you want to make him happy as well.”

  “Rhianna, I am not without lands, ye’ know. My father had all sons except for me. He gave me lands of my own and once I am wed, the lands are my husband’s as well.” Bronwyn sighed. “Oh I wish he had taken me with him. Not because I am homesick, but because if my father saw how much I love Drew, he would easily forget that Drew is English and accept him. There is little my father would deny me. Sons are the extenders of the clan’s name, but daughters are loved. Many are married off. My da’ dinna’ want that for me. He wanted me to choose my own mate of my heart. Yer’ king had me taken to forge an alliance. My da’s hands were tied. My safety and an arranged marriage…or my death.”

  Rhianna bristled at this information. It reminded her of her own plight because of the king’s irrational decision. Bronwyn went on to say, “If my father saw how much I love my Drew, he wouldna’ shun him, but accept him. That stupid, stupid man. If only he would have come to me with this.”

  “Well, Drew is quite charming. I am certain he will convince your father how much you love each other. Now, let’s look at some ideas for that wedding dress of yours.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Drew had not expected Scotland to be so beautiful. The sweeping landscapes and crystal lochs, with lush trees that withstood the winds of time seeped into his very own soul. His heart hitched in his chest thinking that his Bronwyn had grown up here. With each breath taking view, he regretted not taking her with him, for surely she would have enjoyed the trip. He selfishly could not take the chance of her family keeping her from marrying him and forbidding the wedding.

  He knew there was a chance he could lose her had he brought her along and he just could not risk it. He was not certain when he had become so possessive, but when it came to Bronwyn, Drew had changed for the rest of his days. If her family refused to give their blessing, he would return to England and not speak of it again. It was the less honorable thing to do, he supposed, but sometimes love was greater than honor; even for a man like himself. Drew knew one thing for certain. He was determined to marry Bronwyn, with or without her family’s blessing, but he hoped it would be the former and not the latter.

  As the traveling party neared the MacCollum lands, Drew felt a knot of dread forming in the pit of his stomach. Now he understood how Bronwyn must have felt being rejected and ridiculed. This could go badly very easily. Drew felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. They were being watched.

  No doubt clansmen were in the woods about them, keeping an eye on the English envoy. Drew cursed under his breath. For the first time in his life, Drew questioned why there was warring between their countries. Drew carefully made his way back to his men and informed them all of his concerns. They needed to proceed with extreme caution. A skirmish could quickly end in a bloodbath if they weren’t careful.

  The envoy had not ridden much further when they found themselves surrounded by fierce looking giants. Drew cursed again. They had not so much as heard a twig break and yet here they were, completely encircled by men wielding swords as long as his leg. One of the big oafs called out, “Relinquish yer’ arms.”

  “I am Andrew Brandham…”

  “I know who ye’ are. Ye’ are the blackguard holding my sister.”

  Rory! This behemoth was Bronwyn’s favorite brother. The way she had talked about him, Drew would know him anywhere. He was the one known as the Wolf of the Highlands; a berserker he was rumored to be. Drew certainly did not want to prod this man’s wrath. Drew did not want to point out that it was Bronwyn’s own clan that allowed her to be taken in the first place, so he bit back a response and called out, “Men, give over your arms. It seems our escort party has finally arrived to welcome us.”

  With a command said in Gaelic, all of the men’s weapons were confiscated quickly. Drew, in turn relinquished his sword without a word. He knew his men were simmering with humiliation at being disarmed, but he knew there was little else he could do. He glanced over at the giant brother of his tiny little Bronwyn and he wondered how one could be so huge and the other so very petite, but the family resemblance was quite evident.

  Both brother and sister had the same tawny eyes and same full mouth. That was where the resemblance ended. The man before him was a lethal warrior. Being of the same ilk, Drew respected that.

  The riding party was led through a steep pass. The only ones who spoke were the band of Scots and they kept their conversation to a minimum. When they did speak, it was in their native tongue. It was not until they neared the keep that Drew actually saw it. From the distance it appeared to be part of the high crag and was not distinct to approaching travelers.

  Even approaching the keep, Drew almost thought it was cut right into the stone of the crag. It rose out of the stone, high into the clouds. Drew swallowed down the rising emotion he had not expected to feel. This was where his beautiful lady had spent her entire life. In its odd wild beauty, Drew could feel the isolation of the place. No wonder she had been lonely. This was a strange place for a little girl to grow up, amid a clan of giant gruff men.

  After all the horses were tended and stabled, the men were lead into the inner bailey. Here, Drew realized, the isolation ended. There was many of the clan bustling about. It seemed the high crag was more a façade as the entire village hid behind its rocky edifice. The main keep was further down the lane. The village was teeming with activity. Drew observed that the townspeople and clansmen looked hale and content.

  There was no desolation or signs of oppression among these people. The villagers looked upon Drew with curiosity. He certainly was not dressed like any of them. Most of the men wore plaids kilted around their hips. Drew was not impervious to the whispers behind him as he made his way behind Bronwyn’s brothers to the main keep.

  Drew had also expected the keep to be rugged and primitive. He was embarrassed that he harbored these predilections about Bronwyn’s home, surroundings and clan. The keep was, in fact quite magnificent. The main hall was lit with sconces along the granite walls. There was not the cloying smoke from burning tallow that most keeps were prone to. The walls did not have the char marks from the burning of such things, but gleamed with iridescent flecks of the natural stone.

  The floors were polished until the wooden boards fairly shone. There were no rushes strewn about, nor bones or leavings from previous meals as he had imagined it to be. Trestle tables were already set up for the evening meal. Tapestries lined the walls. Large comfortable chairs circled both massive fire places which opposed each other at each side of the great hall.

  When Drew had finished assessing the main hall of the keep, he then noticed a man with his back to the new arrivals leaning on the mantle of one of the fire places. He wore the clan colors, as many people Drew had already seen. He had grown accustomed to those colors because Bronwyn always had it incorporated into whatever she was dressed in. The man was formidable looking despite the fact that Drew could tell he was older. The man’s hair was nearly completely grey, but it hung neatly to his shoulders and then Drew knew. This was Bronwyn’s sire!

  Drew could not determine his mood, as his back remained to him. The brother Drew suspected was Liam addressed the man in Gaelic and slowly he turned around. Drew expected to see anger or hatred on the Laird’s face, but instead he saw a tired sadness etched in the lines of the man, who was not so old after all. Drew realized how the loss of Bronwyn had worn on this man. He no more wanted her to have been taken to the Winter Palace than she had wanted to go.

  Drew waited as the man assessed him. He was as tall as the brother Rory. He was stalwart and built with muscle that had not gone slack with time. He was still v
ery much a warrior in his own right. This man was not some doddering old Laird. Nay, he was still integral to the workings of the keep and village.

  Finally, their eyes met and the two men who loved Bronwyn most in the world stared at each other. Caleb MacCollum kept his features masked so Drew could not read the Laird’s reaction to him. As the four brothers flanked the side of their father, he waved them off and said, “I wish to speak to him alone. Take his men and bring them ale. See they have lodgings offered. And do be cordial. We are not the savages these English believe us to be.”

  Drew swallowed. That certainly did not seem like a good start to things. Raising cold amber eyes to once again meet his own, the Laird said, “Follow me please.”

  “But da’, we want to…”

  “Ruiri, nay. Ye’ will have time to talk to him. I wish some privacy with this man, who would marry yer’ sister.”

  Drew tried to extend his hand, but the Laird turned, silently commanding Drew to follow. He was starting to get a bad feeling about all of this. That was not cordial. Not at all.

  Drew could do nothing but follow. He had come a long way and had prepared himself for such a reaction. He suspected that Bronwyn’s family had predilections about him as well.

  Chapter Forty

  When they had arrived to the Laird’s private apartments, he finally said, “Please, have a seat.”

  Drew mutely obeyed as the older man went to a cask and poured two crystal glasses of a drink that looked so much like the shade of his beloved’s eyes. He knew what it was, having tasted it before. It was the strong whiskey Scotland was known for.

  Drew was handed the glass and he sipped it cautiously, knowing it would burn his throat with the fiery flavor. Instead, Drew found it to be quite smooth. Finally the Laird spoke.

  “I dunna’ understand why ye’ are marryin’ my daughter.”

  “Laird MacCollum, Sir Erik was already married. It was all a very grave mistake. I had accompanied Erik to seek to fix this mistake and when I met your daughter, I fell in love with her.”

  “Love, is it, aye?”

  Drew nodded and said, “I love her with all my heart.”

  At that profession, Drew thought he would see a change in the laird’s expression. Instead, he saw a muscle working in his jaw, much the way his own did when he was upset, which bespoke of simmering anger.

  “Sir Brandham, a father does things for a daughter with the hopes of making the right choice. I regret being coerced to agree to the English king’s request. I should have ne’er let them take my daughter and at the very least, I should have fought your king for his terms of supposed peace. I have learned long ago, there is no peace with your king. There will never be peace with your king. I should have never believed his lies when it came to my beautiful Highland Rose.”

  “I do understand, Laird MacCollum.”

  “Oh, do ye’ have ye’ a daughter, then?”

  “Nay, but….”

  “Then ye’ do not understand. My daughter is a Scot. She will always be a Scot. She belongs here with her clan.”

  “Yes, and I am prepared to live with her here if she so desires. I would do anything to make her happy.”

  The Laird swallowed down the last gulp of the Scotch and he slammed the glass down on the mantle, nearly shattering it with the force of the blow. He turned toward Drew and said, “Would ye’? Ye’ broke my daughter’s heart.”

  Drew tried not to look shocked, but he could not hide his surprise. He opened his mouth to speak, but Bronwyn’s father continued, “Did ye’ think she wouldna’ tell her Da’? She wrote to me begging me to come for her and bring her home. I received yer’ missive on the day, I planned to ride to England and bring her back where she belongs. Ye’ left her in the hands of a man who despises her. This was the man she was running from and yet ye’ say ye’ would do anything to make her happy.”

  “Please Laird MacCollum, I regret that. I have no excuses except that I thought perhaps she did not love me. I came back for her as soon I could. I regretted every minute I was apart from her.”

  “Ye’ left her there still! Why?”

  Not giving Drew a chance to answer, he continued, “A father makes decisions and hopes it is for the best. A father can tolerate many things, but he canna’ sit by and watch while another man breaks his daughter’s heart.”

  “I love her. Bronwyn loves me and I promise to never hurt her again. I have come to ask formally for your blessing. I had wanted to surprise her and bring her family back to be at our wedding.”

  Drew knew he was babbling a little, but he thought he needed to talk quickly. It was his only chance.

  “I have made a decision regarding my daughter. There is a reason I took ye’ here alone. I will have yer’ honesty here, without her brothers to intimidate or bully ye’. Her brothers would not let ye’ see the light of day over this to be certain, so this is just between us…man to man. Ye’ will face me man to man and speak the truth to me. I have earned that right as her father. Is my daughter with child?”

  Drew felt as if he had been slapped. He did not know how to answer this man. In truth, he did not know. There was definitely a possibility of such a thing.

  “I am going to ask ye’ again. I dunna’ think ye’ to be a daft man. Is my daughter carryin’ yer’ babe? Is she pregnant or is she not?”

  “I…I don’t think so.”

  Then more softly, with his head bowed, Drew said, “I honestly don’t know.”

  The laird nodded knowingly and he said, “Then ye’ willna’ speak of this again. Ne’er in front of her brothers. I have made my decision. Bronwyn will marry.”

  Drew brightened visibly but the Laird put his hand up and said, “Please hear me through. She will wed a man from a neighboring clan. He knows she has been compromised, but he is still willing to take her to his home. My daughter needs to come home. She has paid dearly for my mistake, and it is up to me to salvage what remains of her dignity.”

  Drew shook his head in disbelief. “No. Please, sir, she loves me. I was a fool to leave her. I know that and regret it completely. I succumbed to a fever after being injured by a wild boar. I was unable to return for her. She thought I did not love her, but I do. She knows the truth now. Please…I nearly died from losing her before. I cannot live without her.”

  Drew knew now was no time for pride. He had to bare his heart to the man who sired the woman he loved most in this world. He had to make Caleb MacCollum believe how much he loved Bronwyn.

  “She is everything to me, Laird MacCollum. And if moving here with her is what she needs to be happy, I would gladly do so. I came less because I just wanted your blessing, but more because I wanted you and her beloved brothers to come to our wedding.”

  “If she is not with child and ye’ are not trying to hide her condition, why would ye’ not bring her? Perhaps if I had heard it from her own mouth and saw it in her eyes, I could chance to change my mind.”

  “She truly does not know I have come. I didn’t tell her.”

  “Why,” the Laird demanded.

  “I already told you, I wanted to surprise her.”

  “I know what ye’ said. I think ye’ did not want to not have a bargaining chip and bringing her home, ye’ would have nothing to bargain with.”

  The bitter truth of those words hit home. The laird was right. He tried to rally to the challenge by stating, “The king in his reluctant wisdom finally realized his mistake. I was picked in Erik’s stead to fulfill the terms of the Peace.”

  The laird grunted and said, “Aye, that. I received that missive weeks ago. T’was how I knew she had already been compromised. I was also told ye’ had been punished for that but she is still my daughter and a father should never learn such a thing.”

  Drew opened his mouth to speak, but realized the futility of doing so. Finally after many silent moments, Drew raised his gaze and met Bronwyn’s father’s eyes.

  “I cannot undo what is done and father or no, I must speak the truth. I hav
e no wish to undo it. I love her, with everything I am. There is no point denying what is between us. Your question concerning her possible condition tells me you already know it all. I will not deny it. I will marry her to make that part right, but also because she is already a part of me.”

  Drew watched as a gamut of emotions passed on the older man’s face. Drew stood up to face him on his own level. He had to show this man that he would fight for the woman he loved.

  “I love her,” Drew repeated. “I am determined to wed her with or without your consent.”

  Drew knew that may have been daring on his part and he may have pushed his luck too far, considering the meeting with the Laird was not going the way he had hoped, but he had to show he was determined and strong. The laird would want no less for his daughter.

  “She has already consented to marry me. I hope it shall be with your blessing. Think of how happy she would be if you were to attend.”

  The two men stared at each other. Drew felt it necessary to stand his ground now. It had to be this way. Finally, he said sympathetically, “Laird MacCollum, I know you know the heartache of loss. I can’t live without her. I am not complete without her.”

  Now Drew saw the reminder of grief that was ever present on the Laird’s face. With a heavy sigh, he said, “Sons are easy to raise without a mother. They grow tough and make their own way in the world. They take their wives and extend the reaches of the clan. Daughters…well that is something entirely different. A man worries so much about a daughter. Especially one like my beautiful treasure. She has been a comfort to me. I hated that she was being used as a pawn in the game yer’ king so happily plays. We are simple people and dunna’ take part in the intrigues between kings. I knew she was beyond the age of marryin’. I married her mother for love and I wanted the same for her.”

  Drew did not interrupt the man. He wanted Caleb MacCollum to come to the conclusion that Drew was the best man for his daughter on his own. It seemed he was coming to that presently.