Without asking, Elspet transferred the baby into Kenneth’s arms, helping him to adjust his hold so her head was supported. He admired this new member of his family and was instantly caught in the wide-eyed stare of the newborn.
“Hello, my wee beauty,” he whispered to her. “I am your Uncle Kenneth.” He lifted her where she cradled in his arm until he could lay a gentle kiss upon her soft brow, and felt his heart open in a way he’d never experienced. “I have kept your da safe a long time, and I will do the same for you. Nothing will ever hurt you…” He realized he did not yet ken her name.
“Rowan.” Elspet leaned against his arm, then laid her hand on the wee one’s blanket. Her warmth pressed into him as the scent of peat smoke and sunshine surrounded him. Kenneth told himself she sat so close in order to keep her eyes on the bairn, but when she leaned her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh, he thought perhaps it was more than that. “It seems fitting,” Elspet continued, “as she came into the world with hair almost the color of ripe Rowan berries.”
“And her mum?”
“Lily is very tired, but Morven says all should be well in a day or two. She is strong willed, that one.”
“And Drostan? Where is he?”
“He is staying true to the promise he made to Lily. She grows quite agitated if he moves from her side at all. He said to tell you that when he can, he will speak with you.”
There was something else, a hesitation in her voice that he was already coming to recognize. There was more she wished to say.
“What else, Elspet?”
She settled her head heavier on his shoulder and sighed again, but he could not decide if that sigh was simple fatigue, or a sign that she did not wish to tell him.
“He said he will speak to you before they leave,” she finally said.
“Leave?” Kenneth had every intention of going with them…but it did not sound as if Drostan understood that. “When will that be?”
“As soon as Lily is strong enough. She is adamant they leave as soon as possible. I do not ken why she is so nervous amongst us, but she is clear that she will not stay here any longer than is absolutely necessary.”
Kenneth handed the baby back into Elspet’s arms. He and Drostan would speak, and it would be well before they left this castle. It would be this very day, promise to Lily be damned. He hadn’t come all this way to simply say hello to his only living kin and be turned away. Drostan knew Kenneth could not, would not, simply allow his brother to disappear into the wilds again.
He touched the downy softness of wee Rowan’s bright hair. She was the future of their family. She needed more than just her parents to keep her safe and help her thrive. She was almost as much Kenneth’s as she was Drostan’s, and Kenneth was determined he would be a part of her life. There was no time to wait before he made this clear to her father.
“Thank you for bringing her to meet me.” He kissed the baby’s forehead again. “Please tell my brother that I need to speak to him immediately.”
“He anticipated you saying that.”
Rowan started to wake with small noises that threatened to grow quickly. Elspet rose, rocking the bairn gently as she stood before him. She reached for him, cupping his cheek in her free hand, lifting his gaze to meet hers. The gentle caring of that gesture made him oddly happy, in spite of his ire at his brother’s obstinance.
“He said he will send for you when ’tis time to speak, and not before. He asked that you honor his wishes, and those of his wife.”
“His wife. His bairn. His family. I am his family, too.” He hated the anger that was so clear in his voice and his words.
Elspet pressed her lips together. Rowan gave a cry far louder than one so small should be able to.
“Give him time, Kenneth,” she said. “He is exhausted and cannot think beyond the moment right now. I know he loves you, for he has spoken of you often on his visits here. I do not believe he meant to disappoint you, nor to hurt you, by breaking his promise to return to Kilstrae.” She ran a thumb over his lower lip, drawing his attention back to her. “None of us can know when love will find us and change our destinies.”
As soon as Elspet disappeared back into the tower, Rab appeared, looming over Kenneth. Kenneth lurched to his feet, instinctively uncomfortable being at a physical disadvantage with the clan’s champion.
“’Tis time for you to leave,” Rab said, without preamble.
“I intend to, as soon as my brother is ready.”
“Nay, did you not hear what Elspet said?” Clearly the man had been somewhere nearby, listening in on their conversation. “Perhaps she did not say it directly enough,” Rab continued. “She has a soft heart that sometimes ties her tongue. Clearly to any of those watching his arrival, your brother was not happy to find you here. And just as clearly from what Elspet just told you, he does not intend to allow you to follow him back to wherever he lives. It appears he does not trust you with his family. You should be on your way, now.”
Rab actually grabbed him by the arm, as if to haul him to the gate. Kenneth jerked away, surprising himself with how easily he managed it. The champion was not as strong as he appeared.
Kenneth lowered his chin, prepared to fight the man if he must, but he also took care not to reach for his dagger. He dared not offend the rules of hospitality by drawing upon Rab. That would give the man all the reason he needed to banish Kenneth from the castle immediately. Kenneth was not ready to leave, not by himself.
“Try that again and you will find yourself face down in the dirt,” Kenneth said. “I have done nothing to justify your anger.”
“You dally with Elspet when you have every intention of leaving here. You distract her from her duty.”
“And you would say her duty is to marry your son?”
Rab glowered at him and it was then that Kenneth noticed the cloudiness in one eye. He looked at the man’s hands and found clear evidence of joints that must be starting to go stiff and painful. The champion would not be able to do his own duty to the clan much longer. Surely the chief knew this, and Uilliam. Perhaps this was a reason he was so determined to get Uilliam married to the chief’s daughter, so he could take his father’s place?
“Leave her be,” Rab said. “Leave this castle.” He pointed toward the gate, but did not try to grab Kenneth again. “’Tis my duty as champion to protect this castle and this clan. You have found your brother and he does not want you here. This makes me wonder why? Does he not trust you with his family? I do not trust a man whose own brother does not. Your quest is complete. Leave.”
Kenneth assessed his foe, putting together what he had learned of this man, and of this clan, in his two days here.
“You ken that Elspet will never consent to marry Uilliam, and that Uilliam does not wish to marry her, either, aye?”
Rab crossed his arms over his chest and glared.
“I will leave here with my brother and his family—my family—as soon as Lily is ready to travel.”
Rab continued glowering at him, but Kenneth simply waited, letting the silence grow between them. He’d said what he needed to say.
“You do not listen well, do you?” Rab growled.
“I ken that you do not wish me to be here and I respect that ’tis your duty to protect this clan, but anything between Elspet and myself is between the two of us, and you have my word I have no intention of dallying with her. Besides, ’twas not you that granted me hospitality here. ’Twas the chief. Does the MacAlpin desire me to go?”
“I am his eyes and ears.”
“Now ’tis you who does not listen well. Does the MacAlpin desire me to go?”
Rab’s stance didn’t change, but he looked away for a moment. “He will.”
“When he does, I will honor his request. Right now, I must speak with my brother.” Kenneth grabbed the tower door and yanked it open.
“I am watching you,” Rab said.
Kenneth responded without looking back at the man. “I ken it well.”
>
Chapter 9
Kenneth knocked on the door of the birthing chamber and waited. He knew Drostan was still within. Was he asleep? Nay, he could hear voices inside, though not loud enough to make out what they were saying. He knocked again.
The door opened, just far enough for Kenneth to see his brother.
“Not now,” Drostan said, closing the door.
Kenneth stopped it, pushing against his brother’s strength with ease, but he did not try to push it wide enough for him to enter the chamber. That was not his intention.
“Will you join me out here?” He held up a bottle of whisky someone had left outside the birthing chamber door. “I suspect you could use a wee dram…or three.”
Drostan shook his head. “Nay, I promised Lily I would not leave her.”
Kenneth pressed his lips together and looked away for just a moment to calm his ire. “I need to speak with you, and I fear it cannot wait.”
A murmur came from behind Drostan. “Very well,” he said over his shoulder to his wife. “But I will leave the door open so you know I am right here.”
Another murmur. Drostan swung the door open far enough so Kenneth could see the exhausted mother in the bed, cradling her bairn. Kenneth backed up enough to allow his brother to join him in the corridor.
“How did you find me?” Drostan finally said, breaking the silence as he leaned against the doorjamb and reached for the promised whisky. When Drostan handed it back, Kenneth took a drink himself, enjoying the smoky taste, then offered it to Drostan again.
“’Twasn’t difficult to find you,” Kenneth said, “though it took some time tracing your movements.” Kenneth had many questions for his brother, but he did not think he had long for this conversation so he kept to the important point. “I only arrived here a few days ago and was told not to search further. It was made clear that they would hold me to the promise not to.”
“They are good people who value their word and who do not give it lightly.” The tension in Drostan’s face and shoulders belied what would otherwise appear to be a man resting. “Now that you have found me, where will you go next?”
“Go? I thought to bring you back to Kilstrae, but now I see that is impossible. From what I understand, you live somewhere in the forest alone. ’Tis a precarious way to live, especially with a bairn to watch over and provide for.” He pushed his hair out of his face. “Why do you not want my help? Why do you wish to shut me out?” Kenneth was aware his voice had grown loud, but he could not seem to moderate it.
Drostan pushed off the doorjamb and stood toe-to-toe with his brother. “I made a promise.”
“Aye, to return to Kilstrae in six months’ time.”
Drostan nodded his head. “I did, but things changed and it was no longer…I no longer…I made another promise that I had to keep. You were fine in Kilstrae. Lily was not.”
“And that promise was?”
“To live with her, apart from all others.”
Kenneth’s concern for his brother prickled along his spine.
“Why would she require such a promise? ’Tis folly to live apart from those who can help you in times of need. Why?”
“I cannot say. ’Tis another promise I made to her, and one I am well content to keep. We do not need your help.”
“Just as you did not need anyone’s help this day.”
Drostan winced. “You are my family, Kenneth, but not my only family any more. I am sorry you traveled so far.” He started to step back into the chamber.
Kenneth grabbed his arm. “I made a promise, too.”
Anger sparked in Drostan’s eyes and in spite of Kenneth’s own anger, he was grateful to see something other than fear and exhaustion there.
“And you have held that vow over my head every day since. I do not need you to keep me safe anymore, Kenneth. You trained me well, though I did not wish it. I can take care of myself, and my family. I made a vow to my wife.” Drostan stood tall and shook his brother’s grip off his arm.
“We are grown now, Kenneth. We have seen what the world can do to people as weans and as warriors.” He regarded his wife and Kenneth saw a softness take hold of Drostan. “I have found peace with Lily, happiness. I have found a life that is no longer overshadowed by the past.” He gave Kenneth a look that said he was part of that overshadowing past. “I am truly sorry to bring more pain to you, but I made a vow to Lily when I married her to keep her safe and happy, and for that she needs to live apart.
“We must live the lives we have now, not the lives our parents wished they could give us, and that is what I intend to do. I love my wife, my child. I hope you can find such a love for yourself.” He started to step back into the chamber again, and once more Kenneth grabbed his arm to stop him.
“I will follow you. You cannot shut me out.” The tension between anger and concern was almost unbearable. He fisted his free hand to give the pain of his brother’s betrayal a place to go, lest he lash out in ways he did not want to. “We are family,” he said. “I made a vow and I intend to keep it.”
“Do not make me fight you,” Drostan said, “for I will not change my mind, and I do not want that violence between us. I ask that you find a way to leave the past in the past. Look forward, to the future. You are strong, brother, far stronger than I am. You always have been. Look forward and find your own life, as I have.”
Kenneth blew out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
“We shall talk of this again, when you are rested and thinking more clearly,” he said to Drostan.
“Nay. We will not.”
Drostan returned to the chamber, closing the door behind him with a loud thud.
Elspet heard the raised voices of Kenneth and Drostan and hurried up the tower stair with a small kettle of beef broth for the new mother. The door slammed just as she turned into the corridor. Kenneth stood staring at it, frozen in place. She approached slowly, speaking his name so she didn’t startle him, but he did not seem to hear her.
“Kenneth?” she said again. “Is aught amiss with Lily and the bairn?” She touched his arm lightly and he turned to her. What she thought had been shock was revealed by the snap in his eyes to be anger. The strength of his ire pushed her back a step, but she refused to retreat further.
“Excuse me.” She considered first the closed door, then the kettle in her hand. “I need to leave this for Lily.”
Kenneth stepped back with a mumbled, “Of course.”
She knocked.
“We are done, Kenneth!” came the muffled response, followed by the cry of little Rowan.
“’Tis Elspet. I am leaving a kettle here at the door. You need to put it by the fire to keep it warm.” She did as she said, then turned to Kenneth and held out her hand. “Come with me.”
Kenneth stared at the door, as if weighing the possibility of ambushing his brother against her invitation.
“He will not come out as long as he thinks you are here. I have known Drostan long enough to understand the stubborn streak that apparently runs in the family.” She stopped waiting for him to decide and simply took his hand in hers. She only had to tug hard once, and then he gave in and let her pull him toward the stair.
She waited until they were through the gate and outside the castle, before she spoke to him again.
“That did not sound like a happy reunion.” She dropped his hand, feeling suddenly awkward about holding it.
He quickly took it back, making her happier than it should have.
“’Twas not. How did you come to know about the MacGregor headstrong trait?”
Elspet laughed. “How could I not? First, the MacGregors are known for a fiery temper to match their fiery hair—though you do not have the hair. Perhaps your temper is more even?”
“I think not,” he said, with a rueful smiled. “I learned to hold my own with my kin long ago.”
“Of course.”
“You said ‘first.’ How else have you come to know our reputation?”
�
��Drostan has lived here, or near here for well over a year now. We are friends, of a sort, or were, until he met Lily in the forest one day. Since then he has been very stubborn about keeping us away from her. This is the first time I have even heard her name.”
“She seems to have woven a spell around him, making him break promises long given. Why else would he push his only family away? ’Tis not in the best interest of her or their child for him to be their only protector.”
Protector? ’Twas a very special sort of position in this MacAlpin clan, one meant for the husband of a Guardian. Odd that he should use that word to describe his intended position in Drostan’s family.
They were nearing the edge of the wood where it reached close to the water.
“Drostan does not strike me as one to be manipulated,” she said as they rounded the bend in the shore that took them out of view of the castle. “He clearly loves Lily, and Rowan. It seems to me he may have abandoned his promise to you when he met her, or perhaps even earlier, when he left Kilstrae. He spoke of you, but never mentioned returning when he was biding with us.”
“I had the same thought today. When he left ’twas as if he had been called to the Highlands and nothing was going to hold him back. I made him promise to return in a six month, before winter set in, but I do not remember his answer…or if he answered at all. It does seem likely he never meant to return.”
“Was he happy at Kilstrae?”
Kenneth released her hand and stopped to stare out over the water, though she rather thought he was casting his mind back for an answer to her question. She rubbed her hands together, missing the feel of his callused palm against hers.
“Nay.” He picked up a stone and threw it far out into the water. “He was never happy there.”
“Were you?” She watched him, trying to imagine him as a simple guard in someone else’s castle.
He looked over the water again and nodded slowly. “For a time. I felt useful and grew confident of my abilities as we were trained in sword and staff. Learning how to protect myself and others made me feel…powerful.”
The Summer Star: One Legend, Three Enchanting Novellas (Legends of Scotland Book 2) Page 32
