by Cosby, Diana
“We must leave,” Seathan said. “For your protection, you will travel to Rothfield Castle. Duncan and Alexander will ride with you.”
She glanced from Seathan to Griffin. “What of Lord Caelin?”
“He is doing well, my lady,” Griffin replied. “Though he remains locked within my dungeon, rest assured he is well cared for.”
“The charges against him?” she asked, fear roughening her voice.
“Are serious,” Griffin agreed. “But with Frasyer dead, there is no one to contest my findings to King Edward that Frasyer’s claim of Lord Caelin supporting the rebels are unfounded.”
“He will be freed then?” Her voice wavered with hope.
“With as moody as King Edward has become,” Griffin said, “nothing is assured. I swear to you, I will do all within my power to ensure he is released.”
“My thanks.” Isabel worked to regain her composure. “And again my thanks, to all of you.”
Duncan squeezed her hand, understanding her worry for Lord Caelin, the same concern he harbored as well. At least Isabel was safe. His heart swelled with love. Once they were alone, he would ask her to be his wife.
The hiss and crackle of a spark caught his attention.
Duncan turned toward the hearth. Given the passage of time, the flames had receded to glowing embers. Standing on end, wedged against the blackened wall of the hearth, lay the charred outline of the Bible. He stilled.
Had the Bible survived?
Isabel clasped her hand on Duncan’s arm. “What is it?”
“The Bible.” Duncan whispered the words, as if to speak them aloud would cause the miracle to disappear.
Everyone turned toward the hearth.
“I see it,” Isabel said, her voice shaking with excitement, “but it is blackened.”
“Blackened for sure, but it is not destroyed.” Ignoring the pain the burns caused, Duncan crossed to the hearth and bent before the glowing embers.
Isabel knelt beside him.
On an exhale, he removed his sword. He pushed the blade against the blackened Bible.
It didn’t move. More important, the holy book didn’t deteriorate into a pile of blackened ashes.
“I will catch it on the side and push it toward the right.” Duncan gestured to Seathan. “Use your sword to ensure it does not fall into the embers.”
His eldest brother positioned his blade to hold the Bible secure. “Ready.”
Isabel held her breath.
“Now,” Duncan said. Together they pushed.
The Bible slid onto the earthen floor with a heavy plop. The pages sprawled open with an erratic flair—pages he could read.
Tears of relief streamed down Isabel’s cheeks. “The Bible is intact!”
“Aye,” Duncan agreed, his relief matching hers. “The leather binding protected it from the heat of the flames. That and the Bible sliding to wedge itself against the back of the hearth.”
“Thank God.” Overwhelmed with joy, Isabel lifted the volume into her hands. It did not hold the evidence for Lord Caelin’s freedom. Instead, it held proof of her tie to a man whose sheer name was synonymous with Scotland’s freedom. A man who she’d long revered.
William Wallace.
Her father.
Isabel’s fingers trembled as she withdrew the yellowed parchment from the secret compartment. It mattered not that the edges were scarred by smears of yellow where the flames had heated them, or that the pages carried the scent of smoke. Within was documentation that Frasyer had intended to wield for his own gain. Proof of how much Wallace had sacrificed for his daughter. A child he had always loved.
She turned to Duncan, and he drew her into his arms, her tears warm on his neck. His body throbbed with pain at his every movement, but nothing would keep him from celebrating the fact that proof of Isabel’s heritage was safe.
A woman he was blessed to hold.
A woman he would always love.
Epilogue
Morning sun spilled through the hand-crafted windows in golden rays. Isabel smiled, welcoming the warmth of the new day.
Duncan’s fingers grazed her cheek in a soft caress. “You are awake then?”
She turned. Green eyes rich with desire watched her, and warmth cascaded through her body. She leaned forward to meet his kiss, accepting, savoring his rich male taste, how he seduced her with his mouth as his hands caressed her with knowing intent.
“Good morning, my wife,” he said, pulling the sheets down and exposing her to his heated gaze. She watched as his hands explored her every curve. Her groan of pleasure as he cupped her most sensitive place had him lingering, touching her with infinite tenderness, until he lay his body over hers and filled her, taking her again to a shattering bliss. After, he held her. Content, Isabel snuggled against his chest.
“My wife,” he repeated reverently. “Three years past, I never would have believed this day would exist.”
Her heart melted. “Aye, it is a dream come true that yesterday we wed. Or that almost a moon has passed since we discovered the Bible had not burned.”
Warmth filled her soul. “But wonderfully true.”
Duncan lifted the halved sapphire hanging on the chain around her neck, shared with her pendant bearing Wallace’s arms. “My other half.” As he joined the gem to bond with its mate, a shiver of energy washed through her. He smiled. “Magic.”
“Magic,” she whispered, having no doubt that indeed faeries intervened in their union.
“Aye. Compliments of my grandmother.”
“That makes no sense,” she replied.
Green eyes danced with mischief. “Aye, it does if you talk to Alexander and Nichola. They, too, were touched by the magic of the stones left in the bowl within my grandmother’s chamber. It would seem that whenever a gem within the bowl glows and warms to a woman’s touch, the brother who wears its mate will end up with her as his wife.”
Stunned, she shook her head. “You never told me.”
“It was more a fable Seathan and I made up to tease Alexander. Now, one I believe.”
She settled into his arms. “I am thankful for your grandmother’s hand, however magically bestowed.”
“As I.”
“But there is still one halved gem within the bowl,” Isabel added thoughtfully. “Its exterior is rough and the color of crushed gold, but inside it is green with what appears to be moss.”
A playful smile curved Duncan’s mouth. “It is a moss agate. It is said to hold the ability to make warriors powerful and shield them from those who would bring them harm. Seathan wears the other half around his neck.”
“Then the halved gemstone in the bowl is for Seathan’s mate to find?”
“So it appears,” Duncan said. “With all the events since our battle against Frasyer, I doubt my brother has considered the woman who will be his match.”
At the mention of Frasyer, the lightness of the moment fled. “I am thankful that Griffin finally convinced King Edward to drop the charges against Lord Caelin.”
Duncan skimmed his fingers along the soft column of her neck. “Aye, more so with King Edward’s fury at learning of Frasyer’s death.”
“The English king will keep his vow to find Frasyer’s murderer.”
“He also plans to claim Scotland as his own, both goals he will lose,” Duncan said with confidence.
Pride filled her as she remembered meeting Wallace, but this time aware he was her father. She’d cherished his embrace, their long, heartfelt discussion after. As she had when Griffin had allowed her to see Lord Caelin. Though not her true father, he would always hold a place deep in her heart. Her joy more so when but two days later, Lord Caelin had been freed.
“Aye,” Isabel said. “King Edward will learn that greed can never compare with the passion of the Scots, nor our desire for freedom.”
Duncan laid his hand upon the flat of her stomach. “Our son will grow up knowing only freedom.”
She smiled, amazed they could talk of th
eir future, the children they would one day have, and of all the happiness before them. Only weeks before, she’d played the part of Frasyer’s mistress. Now, because of Duncan, a life promising untold happiness lay before her.
The embroidery framed on the wall caught her attention, and sadness washed through her. “I miss Symon.”
Duncan nodded somberly. “He was a great man, a fierce warrior, and a stalwart friend. His courage will always be remembered.”
“When our child is born, I would like to name him after Symon.”
“And if it is a girl?”
Warmth touched her. “Do you think we would have a lass who could bear such a stubborn name?”
Duncan’s laughter filled the room. “With you as her mother, aye.” He rolled over and captured her beneath him. “It is our first morning wed. Time for discussing the names of babes will come. Now, it is my wish to again make love to my wife.”
His mouth covered hers and she returned his searing kiss, wanting him, needing him, cherishing his love.
Once she was so foolish to doubt him. But Duncan had taught her that he was a man to turn to, a man she could love, a man she could trust forever.
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Copyright © 2008 by Diana Cosby
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