Love Letters from Largs: Brodie and Celestina (Highlander Clan Grant Series Book 3) (20 page)

“Brodie, you say that as if something will happen. N
othing can break us apart, not now.”

She
sat on a nearby rock and told him about everything that had happened since they’d parted, including finding her mother’s letters, and finding out about her Scottish father.

“Brodie?
Why are you so serious? We will be together forever, will we no’?” She stared at her husband, his biceps flexing as he stared at the beautiful landscape all around them.

“Las
s—” his gaze found hers—“you know I have to finish the fight.”

“What?”
She didn’t understand what he was trying to tell her at first. “I know we have to go back to Ayr so you can protect the royal castle. That is your job.”

She hopped out of the water
, as a new thought occurred to her. “Och, Brodie, you have to catch Ivarsson. He is a traitor. I heard him say ‘twas he who told the Norse where to find the most riches. He is planning to get on their ships and head back to Orkney. He has been a spy for the Norse all along.”

“I know, lass. I discovered that about him in Ayr. And I know you won’t like this, but I have to go after him, I have to go now before ‘tis too late.
”

“But you ar
e taking me with you, are you not?” She searched her husband’s face, hoping she wasn’t about to hear the answer she most feared. He would not leave her again, would he? Brodie was her husband, her life, and she had no desire to be parted from him again.

“Nay, lass, ‘tis too dangerous to take you with me.”

Celestina’s world fell apart. She pulled herself out of the water and ran.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Discoveries

Brodie needed to keep his wife safe. He had no choice but to send her with Father Padraig while he pursued the traitor. If he could only tell Celestina she was going to see her mother again, mayhap she would be less upset, but he could not break his pledge to the priest.

“Celestina, wait, please listen to me.” He pulled himself out of the water and ran after her.
When he finally caught up to her by his horse, his heart broke. She was sobbing.

“You’re leaving me
again.” Her breath hitched as he enveloped her in his arms.

“Aye, but only for a short time, sweetings.”

“But we only just found each other again.”

He pulled back and tipped her chin up so her gaze caught his. “
And we will have all our lives to spend together.”

He kissed her
luscious lips, tasting the salt of her tears. “I am sending you with Father Padraig,
leannan,
someone you know and trust. He will bring you and Inga to a safe place until all this fighting is over. You know I need to find Ivarsson and bring him to justice. I also need to look for my brother, Robbie. Though I’ve heard rumors that he’s safe, I have no’ heard from him since he left for south Ayrshire.”

“Promise me.” She stopped between sobs, her blue eyes never leaving his. “Promise me you will come for me.”

“You have my word of honor as a Grant I will come for you. Naught could keep me away, but I must keep you safe while I fight for the Scots. You understand, do you no’?”

She hugged him fiercely, “Aye, but I
still do no’ want you to go.”

He held her for a few moments,
then kissed the top of her head. “Come, I will help you dress.”

The silence between them haunted him, but he knew
what he had to do. He had met with Father Padraig before he had left and made arrangements to meet up with him. Unfortunately, that time was almost here. He feared he would lose her, but he had to allow her the chance to know her father and to see her mother again. Plus, he did need to know she was safe while he fought his remaining battles.

They rode in silence until they met up with Father Padraig. Brodie helped her dismount and walked her over to the
priest’s horse. Celestina greeted Father before bursting into tears and clutching her husband around the waist.

“Brodie, please do not make me go. I want to stay with you.” Her sobs wrenched
Brodie’s heart.

He hugged her tight
to him because there was naught more he would rather do than keep her by his side, and he needed her to know that. He inhaled the fragrance of her hair, the scent of her skin, trying to ingrain them in his memory. What if she never came back to him once this battle was done? The very thought ripped him apart.

He glanced
up at Father Padraig over Celestina’s shoulder and the priest nodded his head. The time had come to send her away. He cupped her face, brushed her tears away, and kissed her tenderly on her sweet lips. “Always remember I love you, Celestina. And I will love you forever.” He lifted her onto Father Padraig’s horse. As soon as she was seated, she turned away from him, which felt like a stab to the gut.

He said a silent prayer that he wasn’t making the biggest mistake of his life.

***

Father
Padraig and Celestina had found Inga and Nicol, who’d located a cart for the two girls to ride in. Loki had been with them, but he’d refused to travel with them, choosing instead to go with Nicol. He was now a Grant warrior so he had to go fight with the others.

Celestina’s head bounced on the soft mound of straw in the wagon.
The lull of the horse’s hooves made her sleepy. Almost dusk, she closed her eyes, hoping she would fall asleep and forget the pain of leaving her husband. She had embarrassed herself by clinging to Brodie so, but she was afraid she would never see him again. She lay on her side while Inga sat next to her, brushing the hair back from her head. Her maid was the one small comfort she had, and she was so grateful to have her there.

When she awoke, it was the middle of the night. She stared up at the stars and said a prayer for her husband and his family. When she turned to her side, Inga was staring at her.

“He loves you verra much, aye? Nicol says Brodie can no’ free his mind from you.”

“Aye, I know he does, Inga. I just miss him
. We had so little time together and he is my husband. I had hoped we’d always be together once we were reunited.”

“Och, ‘tis time of war, my friend.
He has many to protect. Soon he will bring you to his home and you will meet his family and his clan. I am so happy for you. I know no’ where I will go, but you will have a home now, a real home.”

Celestina turned
on her back and gazed up at her friend. “Why, you will go with me to the Highlands. Or do you have other wishes?” When she noted the expression on her friend’s face, she recanted. “I am sorry; I forgot your mother is in Ayr.”

Inga stared into the straw. “My mother would send me out to work again
if I stayed. She does no’ have enough food to fill my belly and the wee ones, and there is somewhere else where I would rather go.”

“
Where?”

Inga glanced at Father Padraig and whispered to her, “With Nicol. He promised to
marry me as soon as the war is over. Now I worry much like you.”

Celestina sat up and hugged her. “Och, Inga, I am so happy for you. Do you love him?”

Her friend blushed, but nodded her head quickly. “But I am afraid for him…and for us.”

“Tell me more. When did this happen?” Celestina grabbed her friend’s hand and smiled.

“Well, we spent quite a bit of time talking on the night of your handfasting. He is a kind lad with a smile that never goes away. When he found me in the village at Lennox, he jumped off his horse right away and hugged me. I was so surprised. I thought he was braw and handsome, but we haven’t had the chance to get to know one another.” She peered over her shoulder at Father Padraig and when she determined he wasn’t listening, she continued. “All of a sudden, he kissed me and…I do no’ know. I have ne’er been kissed like that before. I liked it, and he did no’ stop and I did no’ want him to either.”

Celestina giggled. “I am so happy for you. How exciting! Mayhap you will live near us. That would make me so happy because you know I consider you my friend more than my maid.” She
had noticed the loving looks Inga and Nicol had exchanged before they left in the cart, but she had no idea it had developed this far. “Then what happened?”

“Nicol told me this war business was making him daft, and all he wanted to do was spend time with me. He
shared with me all his fears about this battle. Next thing you know, he said he wanted to marry me and start a family, but I think he surprised himself because he just stared at me. And I was so shocked, I did no’ know what to say. So he asked me to marry him and I said aye.” Inga stared at her hands for a moment. “Do you think I acted in haste?”

“Nay, not if you love him. I am so excited.” Celestina
grasped Inga’s hands in hers. “Everything will work out, you’ll see.”

Just after dawn
, Father turned to look at them and said, “Finally, we are here.”

Inga and Celestina sat up, pulling the straw from their hair
as they stared at the large castle that sat atop a huge hill in front of them. A massive stone wall surrounded the keep, with neat rows of thatched huts all both inside and outside the wall.

“Where are we, Father?” Celestina had been too busy pining for her husband to give much thought as to where they headed.
She had assumed they would spend time in an abbey, the only safe place in times of war. Could this be Brodie’s home? But no, it couldn’t be the Grant keep—Brodie had told her it would take a journey of several days to get to his land and they had been traveling for less than a day.

Rather than answering, Father Padraig just smiled at her and continued to guide the cart toward the gate.

Several guards paced the parapets of the castle, and a large horn sounded when their approach was noticed. They crossed a small bridge and Celestina watched as the iron portcullis was raised. Celestina sat in awe. She had never seen such a castle. They had passed a few small castles on their way to Lennox, but none so grand as this. A tower graced each of the four corners. The structure was strong and sound. She guessed the priest had chosen a safe place to house them during the impending battles with the Norse.

The cart
stopped near the stables inside the inner bailey and a few lads helped the girls down from the back of the cart. Father Padraig was just about to hand her the satchel she’d brought with her when something caught her eye. An older woman stood on the steps of the keep, beautiful and proud, and a large man stood at her side with his arm around her shoulders. They clung to each other in a loving embrace. Celestina gasped when she caught the woman’s gaze.

She
recognized this woman.

As she took
a few steps toward the keep, her mind wrestled with the impossibility of what her eyes were telling her. Could it be?

“Mama?”
Her heart skipped a beat. She wanted to keep moving, but she couldn’t. Finally, she willed her legs to carry her closer to the lady on the stairs. “Mama?” Her legs felt like lead, they would not carry her fast enough. Her vision tunneled until she could see only one thing—her mother.

Tears blurred
Celestina’s vision as her legs finally did their job and rushed her toward the steps, leaving behind Inga and Father Padraig. She ran and ran until she couldn’t breathe, finally stopping at the base of the stairway and staring up at the woman.

“Mama?
Is it truly you?” she whispered.

The woman sobbed and opened her ar
ms and Celestina flew into them. “My bairn, finally you have come home. How I have missed you.” Celestina’s mother rocked her in an embrace, and then stepped back to cradle her daughter’s face in her hands. “You are so beautiful, my dear. Look at you, fully grown. I am so glad to have found you again.” She kissed her forehead and both cheeks.

Celestina smiled up at her mother, still unable to believe it was
true. She had aged, there were fine lines next to her eyes and grey streaks in her hair, but her smile was still the same. After all these years, it felt as though she had never left.

Her mother clasped her hands and stepped back.
Then she turned to the man next to her and said, “Celestina, I would like you to meet your father, Ranald MacLaren.”

Celestina took one look at the man and her knees buckled
.

She dropped
into a dead faint.

***

When Celestina awoke, she found herself in a soft feather bed covered in fresh sheets. A fragrant vase of wild heather sat on the bedside table, where her mother had always put them when she was young. She sat up to survey her surroundings and her gaze found her mother, who was sitting at her bedside, wringing her hands in her lap.

“Och, good, lass, you are all right?”

“Yes, Mama, I am fine. Just a bit tired and surprised.” She reached over and enfolded her mother’s hands in hers. “‘Twas a bit of a shock, aye?”

“
Aye, and I am sorry for it, my child. I did no’ know how to do this right. It has been so many years. It has tormented me to think of you at the mercy of that nasty man. Truly, you have come to no harm?”

Celestina vowed not to tell her
mother the truth about the baron. Finding her mother alive was a dream come true, and there was no need to sully this moment with bad memories...

“Mama, I fare well, but I have so many questions. I found your letters and I am so confused. I thought my father
was dead.”

“Och, you found them. Thank the
lord for that. ‘Tis a long story, but your da did no’ die from the boar accident. He was near death, but he is a fighter. I did no’ find out for a long time, but I am grateful he survived. I understand your shock. I felt the same when I found out Ranald was alive. What did Baron Lunde tell you about me?”

“He told me you had died
of the fever.”

“
Och, child. Finally, you deserve the truth. Your father is anxious to see you. He has waited for this moment for a very long time, we both have. May I bring him in so we can answer your questions together?”

Celestina nodded, though she was unsure how to greet her father. How did one gain a father after one was married? Her mother stepped out into the hall and returned with
Ranald MacLaren. They sat in the chairs next to her bed.

Her father was a brawny, tall man,
with red hair and kind eyes. Those eyes misted as soon as he stepped inside the room, and he gave her a nervous smile complete with the same dimples she had inherited from him. She wasn’t sure whether to be happy or angry with him. Could he have prevented all the years of abuse she had been forced to live with? Couldn’t he have done something? And why had her own mother left her?