Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
“I wouldn’t count on that, Knox,” Brack said and hastily backed away from him when he looked ready to lunge, his petite wife stopping him with her hand to his arm. “Lord Torrance, against his father’s last wishes, has plans to wed Autumn to whoever will prove most beneficial to him.”
“Against his father’s wishes, you said?” Dru asked curiously.
Brack went to a nearby table and poured himself a tankard of ale and took a generous swallow before responding to her.
“Aye, he changed his mind just before his death and told his son to arrange a good and safe marriage for you even if it didn’t benefit the clan.”
“He kept his word to my mum,” Dru said, turning to her husband. “Maybe he did love.”
“Lord Randall was madly in love with Cerise.” Brack scrunched his brow and shook his head. “I don’t understand. What Callan said makes no sense. Lord Randall met your mother one day when he visited the small village, part of Clan Glencairn, but one of the further villages on the edge of Glencairn land. He didn’t know her before then.”
“Are you sure?” Dru asked.
“My da was with him when he first met her. I remember hearing him tell my mum about the stunning beauty Lord Randall met and how shy she was when he spoke with her. Lord Randall told him he intended to make her his mistress, though he often told my da that he wished he could have made her his wife. If he had known she was the daughter of a chieftain, especially to a northern clan, he would have found a way to wed her. He believed she was nothing more than a peasant.”
“You’re saying Callan lied?” Knox asked.
“Aye, I am, and I wonder why,” Brack said, “though I will make sure Lord Torrance knows about it.”
“He should honor his father’s request and let our marriage stand since Dru is happy to be my wife and I am beyond pleased to be her husband,” Knox said.
“That is something you will need to speak with him about.”
“When will he return?” Knox asked.
“Not long now,” Brack said. “But until he does, I think it would be best if you and your wife stayed in the keep. You’ll be safer here. I don’t want anything to happen to Autumn, or Torrance will have my head.”
The bedchamber was larger than the one room dwelling, yet Dru preferred the dwelling. It was cozier and more intimate, whereas, the bedchamber seemed cold, though a fire burned in the hearth. Or was it her grandfather’s arrival and ultimatum that made her feel trapped?
She sat on the edge of the bed, thoughts and worries racing endlessly in her head.
Knox joined her, resting his hand on her thigh and giving it a gentle squeeze. “We’ll work this out… Autumn.”
She rested her hand over his. “I thought I could resurrect Autumn—” Sadness filled her eyes as she shook her head. “But she died along with my mum. She exists no more.” A tear slipped from her eye. “I think it is best to leave her laid to rest.”
“You are my wife no matter what name you are called.” He nudged her playfully in the side with his elbow. “Though I admit I would miss, the rash, the bold, and often foolish Dru.”
She turned a challenging grin on him. “Are you sure you can handle such a tenacious woman?”
“I can easily control her,” he boasted with a sly smile.
“You think so?” she asked a spark of playful defiance in her green eyes.
“I know so.” She went to argue, and he kissed her, then kissed her again and again until… they fell back on the bed, and he wrapped her snug in his arms.
“You win that one,” she capitulated with a sigh.
Knox chuckled. “We both win that one.”
They lay there silent for a few moments.
“Callan lied to me about my mother? Why? What purpose would he have after all these years? And why did he suddenly decide to offer me a chance to live after being so determined to see me dead? He sacrificed warriors to see me dead and suddenly he changed his mind. It doesn’t make sense.” Her head lay comfortably on her husband’s chest, and she tilted it back to gaze up at him. “I am sorry I got you involved in all of this.”
“I’m not and if I had the choice I would marry you again without hesitation. I took on this mission to fulfill a dream and that dream has seen fruition far beyond what I ever imagined. You are all I want, all I need, all—”
“But the land—”
He hushed her words with a kiss. “I prefer your love to a piece of land that would never truly be mine. You will always be mine. No matter what happens our love will endure and that is something coins can’t buy or be granted by another. We chose to love,” he smiled. “Or perhaps love chose us. Either way no one can take it from us.”