Highland Sparks: Logan and Gwyneth (Clan Grant Series Book 5) (26 page)

“My dear, I hope you do not mind that I asked to speak with you alone. This is not something I would say in front of my sons, so I hope you will keep my confidence.” She cleared her throat before meeting Gwyneth’s eyes.

Gwyneth nodded, not knowing what else to say.

“When you first came here, I was happy to have you in our lives because of the light you have brought to my son. I have always worried about Logan. He is a strong man, aye, but I know that his heart is often soft. As his mother, I knew why he wandered, and I didn’t think he would ever be able to stop.

“Logan was overjoyed to be an uncle to both Torrian and Lily. When Torrian took ill, Logan took it verra hard. He adored his nephew and wanted to make him well again. He struggled with his inability to help the bairn. Then Lily came along and fell ill to the same sickness.” She glanced at her hands as she struggled to control her breathing. Gwyneth guessed she was close to tears.

“Along came Brenna Grant, who gave me my grandchildren back. How I have enjoyed them since she has conquered their sickness. Aye, they can become ill occasionally, but never in the way they did before. And Brenna pulled my firstborn back from a verra low place. I will always thank her for that.

“Enter a new terror, Iona, who ripped all of our hearts again by kidnapping our precious Lilykins.” She paused to wipe a tear from her face. “I am here to thank you for what you did, because I don’t think you exactly realize what you did.”

Gwyneth stared at her, confusion keeping her from speaking.

“When everyone returned,” Lady Ramsay continued. “I heard the same thing from both of my sons and from many of our guards. They had given up, believing they’d searched every area where Lily could possibly be hidden. Aye, Logan had dealt with Iona, but he had not found his niece.

“But not you. Gwyneth of the Cunninghams continued on where all the men had failed. Only you, a lass, were clever enough to find my granddaughter. And Logan and your brother say that you have a debilitating fear of heights… I am amazed at what you have accomplished.”

Tears slid down her cheeks and she pulled a linen square from the folds of her skirt to mop the dampness from her cheeks. “I was going to fight you about marrying my son in your leggings and your tunics. I thought I could convince you to dress appropriately, at least for the wedding. But no more.”

She stood from her chair abruptly. “If anyone has anything to say about how you dress, they will have to deal with me.”

Gwyneth stared at her soon-to-be mother, shocked, but didn’t dare interrupt her.

“For I know, if it had not been for you, we may have lost our darling Lily. If you had not been dressed as you were, you would not have been able to scale that tree or carry my granddaughter down. You would not have been able to cut her free or pull her out of the way of that board when it fell. Truth is,” she stared at the ceiling, fighting the tears that threatened to overflow and slow her voice, “Had you not come along when you did, Lily says she would have catapulted to the ground…or been left to hang there with her hand still tied to the tree.” The woman broke into a sob.

Gwyneth felt she needed to say something. “Lady Ramsay, you do not need to continue. What happened, happened.”

She jerked her head up to stare at Gwyneth. “Oh, but I do. Had it not been for you, my granddaughter would be dead. My sons would not have made it in time. Even Brenna says she was close to death when they brought her here.

“So I pledge to you, my new soon-to-be daughter, that I will never again question your judgment. Wear a tunic, dress as you will. You have made all of us verra happy, especially my son. Welcome to my family, and may God bless you.”

She collected herself before leaning over to place both hands on Gwyneth’s cheeks. “I thank you for being who you are, and I am pleased we have found a new priest to stay with us and bless our clan.” With that, she kissed Gwyneth’s forehead and spun around, closing the door behind her.

***

Logan paced the corridor while his mother spoke to Gwyneth. He didn’t know why his mother had asked to speak to her alone, but he trusted her to do what was right. That wasn’t what caused him to pace.

He paced because he had something to do, and he needed to do it soon. He felt he needed to be honest with his wife to be, and he would let her decide whether or not she still wanted to marry him. Aye, he loved Gwyneth, but could he handle what life could bring to his loved ones?

He had always been able to control most of his life until wee Torrian had become ill. How he loved his family. Watching Quade and his mother be ripped apart by Torrian’s illness upset him beyond belief. And when Lily had come down with the same thing? He had been so low, he hadn’t known if he could pull himself out. So he had run away.

He ran and ran whenever he couldn’t control a situation—just like he had felt in the middle of the forest when Iona had died without telling him where Lily was. All the guards in his clan hadn’t been able to find Lily, and after all his efforts, he had been ready to give up.

He was willing to give up on his niece, the wee lass that had a smile that could light up an entire room had needed him and he had given up. Did he have the right to marry someone? How could he protect his wife and his own bairns if he was a quitter?

The door flung open and his mother strode out with a red face, swollen eyes, and a linen square in her hand. She hugged him without saying a word and left.

Logan put a smile on his face and headed into Gwyneth’s chamber. He kissed her cheek and sat on the chair next to the bed. “All went well with my mother?”

“Aye.” She glanced at him and said, “What’s wrong?”

He stretched his smile wider. “Naught. May I ask you something?”

Her brow furrowed and she said, “Of course.”

“How did you do it? How did you fight off one of your biggest fears?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Your fear of heights. You are petrified of climbing trees. How did you climb up and get Lily down when the doing of it must have made you ill?” He had to know.

“I had no choice. There was a wee voice whimpering in a tree begging me to climb up and get her. She was tethered to the tree. The only way she could get down was if I went up.”

“But what made you come to that decision, that you were the only answer?”

“Well, I did try something else. I told Growley to go find you, because I knew you could climb up there without any problem.”

“And?”

“Big help he was,” she snorted. “All he did was stare at me and wag his tail every time Lily spoke.”

“That’s it? Growley wouldn’t leave, so you climbed the tree? There must have been something else driving you.” He leaned forward, awaiting her answer.

“Nay, Logan. Lily begged me. What else could I do?”

“How difficult was it? You must have done it quickly.”

“Nay, I was not as fast as I should have been. I had my moments of nausea and dizziness where I wanted to go back down the tree, but there was no alternative. I did what Da taught me long ago. I took the first step, trusting the rest would follow. He was right. I knew Lily was too weak to come down on her own even if she hadn’t been tethered. I could hear it in her voice.”

He leaned over and cupped her face, then brought his lips to hers and kissed her deeply. When he pulled back, she gave him a confused look.

“Are you having second thoughts?” she asked.

“I’m doubting myself, not you.” He settled back in his chair. “I just don’t know if I would make a good husband and father.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

“Why?” Gwyneth stared at him in shock.

He paused to gather his thoughts and then hung his head. “I gave up. After Iona died, I gave up. I was totally defeated because the whole situation was out of my control. I sat in the forest and bellowed my frustration and I was ready to quit when I caught up with Quade.”

“You did?”

“Aye. I didn’t find Lily, you did. I should have been the one to rescue her. I have the reputation for being the best tracker in the land, but I couldn’t find my own niece. Had it not been for you, we would never have found her in time.”

Gwyneth sighed. “Logan, first of all, when your family is involved, I think your mind does not work in the same way. Look at what happened to me when I confronted Duff. I could shoot an arrow to win a contest, but not around that man.”

“True, but you managed to do it in the end.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Aye, but so did you.”

Logan scowled. “Nay, I didn’t. I quit. What kind of father would I make if I quit so easily?”

“You didn’t quit.”

“You weren’t inside my head. I was ready to give up. Had Quade not pushed me on to continue, I would have gone home.”

“And I would have let Duff kill me or put me on that boat, but you came along.”

He stared at her, processing her words.

“And you did find us. I was the one who had quit. I knew I could go no further. All I could do was settle myself on the ground and wrap my arms around Lily to try and warm her. But I do recall my last words to her.”

“What?”

“I said, don’t worry, Uncle Logan and your da will find us. And you did.
You didn’t quit.
If you had, Lily and I would probably still be out there.”

As he pondered her words, a slow smile crept across his face.

“What is it?” She cocked her head at him.

He grasped her hands in his and kissed the back of each one. “My thanks for helping me make sense of everything in my mind. I do believe we complement each other verra well.”

“That’s what I have been trying to tell you, you stubborn man. Together, we will protect our family well. It’s not just on your shoulders; it’s on mine and on the rest of your family, too. I can think of no better man for me. I love you so and couldn’t handle it if you left me now. I am so excited to become part of a larger family, and so is Rab. We won’t be alone anymore.”

Aye, she was right. They were wonderful together—and with their forces united, they could fight anything. He stood up and started to climb into bed with her, but then stopped. “Wait. One more thing I need answered.”

“Go ahead.”

“Did you really cut off a man’s sac and throw it into the firth?”

Gwyneth burst out laughing and reached for his hand, tugging him so he fell on top of the bed next to her.

“That worries you a wee bit, does it?” she prodded him.

“Aye.” He rearranged his breeks. “The thought does make me cringe, or at least makes me anxious to protect my private area. I saw where you shot your enemy.”

“I didn’t exactly cut his sac off.”

“What did you do?”

“When I was on the boat, drugged, the Norse pulled a galley up next to our boat, as I already told you.”

Logan could see she was going back to a bad place, so he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

“One filthy Norseman jumped on me, ripped my clothing, and tried to rut at me. Somehow, through the cloud of the drug, I managed to find my dagger and stab him between his legs. From where he grabbed himself, I can only assume I found my mark, and there was a lot of blood.”

“You are one strong lass, my love.” He kissed her forehead.

“So I twisted the truth a bit. I never actually cut it off, but I did stab him where it hurt. Had I the chance, I would have cut it off and thrown it, but another ship came along and the Norse fled.”

“Our paths may never have crossed had that not happened, but I still wish it hadn’t. It must have been a horrible experience for you.”

“Aye, but truth is, I was so drugged that my memories of it are fleeting.”

A knock on the door interrupted them, and Father Rab popped his head in. His eyes widened at the sight of the couple in the bed together. “Gwyneth!”

“Rab, he is on top of the bed holding me. Stop. We are getting married.”

“Aye, and in no less than a sennight. I insist! And you will not argue me. ‘Tis time you do things proper.”

Logan climbed back out of her bed and sat on the chair. “Aye, Father.”

Gwyneth laughed, and Rab chuckled as he walked back out the door.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Logan had insisted that Gwyneth come down for the midday meal. He seated her at their table on the dais and the servants brought serving platters of mutton stew, pheasant, baked apples and berries covered with a cooked oats and honey topping—Lily’s favorite—along with crusty dark bread.

The only reason he’d needed to be stubborn in his insistence was that Gwyneth couldn’t walk much yet, at least not enough to handle the stairway. Brenna had stitched her leg, and she still suffered much pain. He’d needed to carry her down the steps.

Gwyneth couldn’t manage any of the rich food, but Brenna brought her a thin broth with carrots and turnips. She ate no more than half a bowl. She leaned back in the chair Logan had insisted she sit in, grateful for the extra support. He had covered her with his plaid, and she’d gratefully wrapped herself in it.

At the end of the meal, the table full of Ramsays, along with Rab, of course, all quieted, staring at her.

“Aunt Gwyneth, we need to ask you a question,” Lily said.

Quade nodded. “The suspense has been too much for us. No one can guess.”

She looked at their expectant faces before speaking. “Guess what?”

“How did you find me?” Lily asked.

Logan added, “Aye, we had gone through that area before without noticing anything astray. How did you think to look up? I never would have guessed to find her in the trees before Iona had told me.”

She grinned. “I don’t know if I should say. Growley and I both figured it out at about the same time.”

“Why not? We need to know. ‘Tis a learning experience.” Quade glanced around the table. “Naught you could say would upset us.”

Gwyneth turned to Lily. “Were you sick when you were in the trees?”

“Aye. I kept heaving.” She nodded her head as she held tight to Brenna’s hand.

“Where did you heave?”

Lily gave her a puzzled look, then her face lit up. “Over the side.”

“Aye.”

“You saw where I heaved?” Lily’s eyes grew wide at the thought.