“What a ridiculous notion,” Liam asserted, hoping to ease the young man’s concerns. “I’m surprised you knew not of Calum. My cousin was not much older than you when he lost his father and fell into the role as laird. The man accepted his duty in earnest and has been a damned fine chieftain if I say so myself. Your fears are unfounded, Will.” He proffered a grin. “You’re a clever lad. Assuming the mantle of laird shall be no trouble. You will find a way to right the wrongs done to your clan and lead them the way a decent laird should.”
“Thank you, Liam.” The lad’s solemn gaze met Liam’s. “My sister loves you, you know.”
For an instant, the words caught Liam by surprise. With the next breath, doubt stomped into his mind, clogging his head with a slew of thoughts he’d rather not contemplate.
Unconvinced, Liam quirked a dubious brow. While he speculated Nora’s feelings for him, the lass had confirmed naught either way. He appreciated she was unlike any other woman in his acquaintance, but he admitted her guardedness and lack of speech might’ve wounded his male pride a bit.
There was no denying the demanding burden she must’ve carried, protecting and caring for Will. For years, she’d lived amongst the Frasers, never wavering in her duty to safeguard her brother. Liam wagered she was not a woman given to making rash decisions. Coupled with his harrying nature, ’twas hard to remind himself to not badger Nora into submission.
Though, one notion continued to turn sharp edges in his mind since he’d learned of her and Will’s true identities. For some ridiculous reason, he confided the concern to the woman’s brother. “I fear she will not give me the answer I hope and choose to remain here, instead.”
Mayhap ’twas irrational of him, but some wee part of him felt as if he competed with Will for her affections.
Frowning, Will hesitated a moment before speaking. “Liam, what you must understand is after our parents’ deaths, Nora was forced to confront challenges no young woman of six and ten should ever have to face. In her mind, any hopes or expectations she had of living a contented life, with a husband to love her and children of her own, perished with our parents. Without a thought to her own welfare, she vowed to protect me. ’Twas an oath she’s kept all these years.” Frowning at the furs covering his lap, Will smoothed his hand over the pelts. “For too long, she solely had to rely upon herself. She was careful to not give away details of our past, but I fear the years of maintaining her silence has cost Nora. She’s grown wary and untrusting for good reason, as you’re aware. Alas, ’tis difficult for her to speak her true feelings.”
At once, Liam regretted his prior thought. In truth, his heart ached for Nora. Despite the recent knowledge of his own parentage, when he lost the only father he’d ever known in his youth, he remembered the agony of grief and learning to cope with loss. ’Twas no simple feat to overcome for him or his mother, but they’d had their kin to lean on for support. With a young boy to care for, Nora had no one to help ease her heavy heart.
He cursed his own selfish naivety for never considering her plight. Never once had he asked of her parents, never bore in mind how she might’ve suffered her grief in silence for the sake of her younger brother. What a thoughtless fool he’d been.
He swallowed past the sudden lump lodged in his throat. “Your sister’s a brave woman.”
“The bravest I’ve ever known. I would not have survived without her.” Will’s earnest gaze met his. “I love Nora more than words and I’d do anything for her. I do not say this with malice, but she must leave here, Liam.”
Unsure of the young man’s meaning, he opened his mouth to inquire, but Will rushed to explain.
“I’m not a lad anymore, Liam. ’Tis time for me to take responsibility for myself and repair the damage our uncle has caused our clan. I’ve no doubt that as long as my sister remains, she shall never truly live for herself. This will always be her home, but ’tis time for her to forge a new path for herself. She’s earned a life filled with happiness and love. I can think of no one I would entrust my sister’s heart to more than you. I’m confident you will love and cherish her as she deserves.”
“With my dying breath,” Liam affirmed without the slightest hesitation.
Honestly, there was no question of his feelings for Nora. Since she’d entered his life, every other thought in his mind strayed to the lass. Never once had he pondered the notion of marriage before Nora but, now, he would accept naught less than the sacred bond tying them together for eternity.
He wished to prove his love, to show her how much she meant to him, and would always mean to him. Their pasts had molded both of them into the people they were, but he longed to build a future with his lass, grounded by love and loyalty.
A fleeting notion struck Liam and he snorted at his ridiculousness.
“What is it?” Will prompted.
He confessed, “At Fraser’s wedding, I distinctly remember thinking my kin mad for falling in love. I swore I’d never allow myself to fall prey to love’s grip.” Chuckling at his own folly, he raised a brow. “And yet, here I sit.”
“Aye, so you are.” Will narrowed his gaze. “So, what shall you do concerning Nora?”
No one understood the lass better than her own brother. Mayhap ’twas amiss of Liam, but he was not above asking the lad for help. ’Twas far too important a matter to blunder. “What would you advise I do?”
A knowing grin spread over Will’s features, as if the young man had awaited the query. “You must make a demand of her.”
Liam frowned at the recommendation. Somehow, he suspected demanding anything of Nora a poor choice. Challenging the woman would disagree with her prickly nature. “Um…I’m not so certain that would be a sound notion.”
“Wait, hear me out. Believe me, this shall work.” Will held his hands in front of him, as if the lad were about to expound some divine mystery. “I expect you might stay on for a handful of days, aye?”
Liam shrugged. “I’d not considered the matter but, aye, I expect I shall.”
“What I ask will be difficult, but you must distance yourself from Nora.”
When Liam opened his mouth to protest, Will held up a hand to silence him.
“I’m not asking that you ignore her altogether but merely give her the time she needs to voice her decision. Though she might not have spoken the words, I can assure you, she already knows her answer. You must simply remind her what she risks losing. Before you prepare to head for home, approach her and speak what is in your heart, then ask her to join you.”
What the devil sort of plan was that? Liam wrinkled his nose in disdain. Hell, if he prompted Nora to leave her brother behind, he anticipated she might make good on her promise to blacken his eye again before flatly refusing him.
“Lad, you’ve taken leave of your senses if you believe Nora would choose between the pair of us.”
Will rolled his eyes. “Saints, Liam, there’s no choice to make. You’re merely asking her to share a new beginning with you.” He snorted. “Besides, ’tis not as if an ocean resides between us. I’m certain we shall pay each other visits often.”
He comprehended what the young man asked of him. Though, he still discounted the prudence of his plan.
“Trust me, Liam,” Will added with a grin. “Nora does love you. She’s admitted as much to me.”
The admission stirred an odd flutter from the organ in Liam’s chest. Eagerness pressed his rumbling stomach with a tight cinch. He sat forward, his pulse leaping in his throat. The wee trace of hope he’d clung to bloomed into a greater prospect for their future.
“She did?” Damn, his voice cracked as though he were a youth on the cusp of manhood.
Will tossed his head back and laughed like a fool. When the young man managed to control his mirth, he nodded at Liam. “She will marry you. Of that, I have no doubt.”
Saints, he hoped Will was not mistaken. Otherwise, Liam was uncertain of what he might do. A life without Nora was simply unfathomable.
Chapt
er Twenty-Seven
SWIPING THE BOTTOM of her apron over her sweating brow, Nora shielded her eyes against the midday sun to inspect the freshly planted rows of grain and vegetables in the fields. With spring’s arrival, ’twas no better time for the MacNabs to plant their crops. God willing, the harvest would fill a portion of the holding’s dwindled stores.
Nearly a sennight had passed since her and Will’s return. She’d thrown herself into her work, toiling hard to help the clan begin the planting season. With the damage Tavish’s negligence had inflicted, ’twas hard to know where to start at times.
Even with the injury to his shoulder, Will had fallen into his role as laird with little difficulty. He labored as hard as the rest of the clan to bring the keep to rights. He’d catalogued the numerous projects demanding immediate attention and directed the clan which tasks needed tending first.
To her surprise, he’d gone as far as to reach out to neighboring clans such as the Sutherlands, kindling old alliances Tavish had severed. Within the first few days, the clans answered with tokens of goodwill, sending along dozens of cows and sheep, a pair of pigs, several chickens and sacks of grain.
Though Laird Fraser departed with his men a day after their arrival, Liam and his kin remained, freely offering their aid to the MacNabs. From hunting with the some of the clan’s men, stocking the stores with fresh game, to repairing cottages and buildings in the village and within the keep’s walls, the men worked tirelessly alongside the MacNabs.
Several of the women set about scouring the keep from the floors to the rafters, clearing out any trace of the misfortune that befell the hall a sennight ago. Others took to the fields with Nora, anxious to tend to the overgrown grounds that had stood abandoned for too long.
The promise of a brighter morrow shifted the dismal, downtrodden mood. A renewed hope—a rebirth of sorts—pervaded the air throughout the holding. From the clan elders’ beaming faces to the children’s excited laughter, the MacNabs had proven their resilience. Her mother and father would be proud.
Dropping her arm to her side, Nora knelt on the ground and gathered the gardening tools she’d used, tossing them in a bucket. Though the swift-moving changes pleased her, a certain sense of melancholy hung around her shoulders. Of course, her poor mood had everything to do with Liam. She would be lying if she said otherwise.
Since that morn in the great hall, when he’d risked life and limb to save her and Will, she’d seen little of the man. Aside from exchanging a handful of words, here and there, he’d been as scarce as her shrinking confidence.
At the Fraser holding, he’d often made a point to seek her out, if for naught else than the mere pleasure of her company. Frankly, she missed Liam and his silly grin. She missed gazing into his shining, blue eyes and, mayhap, she even missed the ridiculous comments he spouted at the oddest of times.
Nora straightened from her crouch and dusted the dirt away from her knees. In truth, she was utterly exhausted. With Liam’s absence and her brother attending clan affairs, she’d had little choice but to retreat to her own solitude. As a result, she’d released her building frustrations the only way she knew how—gardening and working in the fields.
Alas, doubt still managed to creep in her wandering mind. Over and over, her thoughts circled to Liam. What if he’d come to his senses and realized he did not truly love her? With the thought, she lifted her hand to rub at the ache in her chest. Was it possible for a heart to break in two?
“Ho there, Nora!”
Will’s bellow startled her dismal musings and her hand fell away. She spun on her heel to watch her brother limp across the clearing from the courtyard. “Holy Mother, you gave me a start.”
When he drew near, his brows lowered with concern. “What has you looking so pensive?”
She waved away his worry. “’Tis naught. Merely foolish thoughts.”
Pausing beside her, he gazed out over the fields. “Saints, you’ve been busy. No doubt the clan shall reap a bountiful harvest this year.”
“I should hope so.” She nodded, thrilled with everyone’s efforts. “The clan’s toiled hard right alongside me.”
“Well, the cottages in the worst condition have been repaired.” He beamed his pleasure. “Now, some of the villagers can actually return to their homes without fear of the roof caving in around their ears.”
With a grin, Nora shared his happiness. “That’s outstanding, Will. I’m truly pleased with our progress.”
His smile deepening, he shifted to face her. “Then it should please you to know, a few of the clan arrived earlier this morn.”
Astounded, she clutched at his wrist. “In truth?”
Merriment sparkled in his eyes. “Aye, as word of Tavish’s imprisonment spreads, I am confident more shall return to rejoin the clan.” He swept her in a firm embrace. “The path may be long and winding, but I feel as though we’ve succeeded, Nora.”
Contented with his enthusiasm, she pulled away to meet his bright gaze. “We never failed. Remember that, Brother.”
“You’re right,” he agreed with a nod. As he released her, the smile slid from his lips. “Are you going to tell me what’s amiss or do I have to pull it from you?”
“I’ve said ’tis naught.” Nora glanced away from his probing eyes and bent to retrieve the bucket at her feet. Starting for the courtyard, she glanced over her shoulder. “I’ll see you back at the keep.”
“Liam and his kin plan to leave soon.”
The words catching her off guard, Nora managed a few paces before her steps faltered. Striving to wipe the shock from her features, she pivoted toward him. “I thought he might. He has a clan of his own to look after, you know.” She tried to maintain an unaffected air, though the thought of Liam leaving lanced straight to her heart. “When?”
Perceptive as ever, Will watched her through narrowed eyes, gauging her reaction. “On the morrow.”
So soon?
Nora’s mind scrambled to process the truth. He was truly leaving? Without her?
“Oh.” ’Twas all she could manage to spit out in her present frame of mind.
Will latched on to her fumble. “Is that all you’re going to say?”
A tide of anger, borne from days of Liam’s silence, washed over Nora, mounting her agitation to a breaking point.
“What would you have me say?” Frustration yanked the words from her in a near shout. “If he wishes to leave, then so be it. He has a life of his own.”
A life that did not include her, it would seem. Uncaring of her foolishness, she reeled in her own wretched self-pity.
Moving closer, Will’s unyielding stare never wavered from her features. “Tell me what’s amiss, Nora.”
Air pushed from her deflated lungs while unruly thoughts clamored in her head, eliciting a pounding throb in her temples. Emotion burned in the back of her throat as she tried in vain to banish the hurt welling inside her. Despite her best efforts to remain impassive, she failed miserably.
When she met her brother’s gaze, a stray tear ran unchecked down her cheek. “We’ve hardly spoken a handful of words in a sennight. I did not even know he planned to leave so soon.”
Will lifted an arm to reach for her, but she raised a hand to ward him off. Saints, if he embraced her in that moment, she’d bawl like a bairn.
Brow tucked low with a frown, he searched her gaze. “Have you considered he might’ve given you space to understand your own feelings?”
“Why the devil would he do that?” Nora hissed. “He never has before.”
’Twas a part of his character she’d grown accustomed to—his dogged relentlessness. Many times when she would’ve withdrawn to her solitude, he remained firm, drawing a steady stream of speech from her and, at times, even a smile. ’Twas truth his absence stung.
Shifting awkwardly, Will grimaced. “I’m sure he must’ve had good intentions.”
“His intentions are glaringly clear.” She shook her head. “He’s changed his mind and no longer wishes
to wed me.”
Her brother’s features twisted with confusion. “How the devil did you arrive at that notion?”
“What else am I think?” She pressed her balled hands into her sides.
“And what of him? I do not recall you going to him one time in these last few days.” Will let out a derisive snort. “Hell, have you even bothered to tell the man you love him?”
The question hurtled through Nora, swiping the legs from beneath her affronted indignation. Her mouth flapped open and closed as she floundered for a response, but she could not muster an acceptable excuse.
She scanned her memory, searching for the moment she’d confessed her love to Liam. The night of the spring harvest feast, surely, she must’ve spoken the words. ’Twas the night he’d asked her to wed him, but she’d begged a reprieve, one of the many he’d kindly offered her. With a jolt of startling clarity, she realized she’d never uttered a sound of her true feelings for Liam. What little she might’ve admitted, he’d practically had to pull from her.
Closing her eyes, she released a harsh breath. “Saints, I am a fool.”
What was Liam to think? She could’ve kicked herself for not being clearer.
Will gripped her shoulders, giving her a slight shake. “Look at me.” Nora did as he bid, meeting his piercing stare. “I understand your reticence. ’Tis the life you’ve had to lead, biting your tongue and keeping your emotions under lock and key, but there’s no longer a need to hide yourself away, Nora. I pray to God you shall no longer sacrifice your own happiness for my sake, as I know you’ve done for years. You said so earlier—we’ve succeeded.”
Biting her bottom lip, she absorbed his words. Mayhap, she had sacrificed a portion of herself for the sheer sake of his protection, but she never blamed Will. ’Twas not his fault or hers their uncle was a vile fiend who deserved to languish away in the MacNab dungeons for the rest of his days.
Reckless Scotland: A Scottish Medieval Romance Bundle Page 120
