Lady Brun lifted her head slowly and greeted Fionnghall with a nod.
“I sent Deirdre downstairs to eat and to rest,” Fionnghall said. “I would suggest that ye would dae the same. Ye will be no good fer her when ye are exhausted. We wouldnae want ye becoming ill as well,” he continued.
Lady Brun was an older woman, but now, with badly slept nights and no food to replenish her, she looked even older. She simply nodded and Fionnghall helped her up and walked her to the door.
“Addair!” he called for his servant.
“Me Lord,” he replied as he approached from around the corner.
“Take Lady Brun to the dining room and get her somethin’ to eat, will ye?” he asked and the servant left, escorting Lady Brun downstairs slowly.
Fionnghall returned to sit by Marion’s bed. Jack had been right the night before. There was no sense in him being drunk. That way, he would be no good to anyone.
“Marion, please wake up,” he said and ran his fingers down her face to her chin.
Her pale skin was ice cold, but not clammy anymore. He wasn’t sure if it was a good or a bad sign.
Deirdre was sitting outside by the well where Marion and herself had spent so many days. Her head was bowed and she simply couldn’t cover her desperation and sadness. Marion’s state had not improved at all and she was still asleep—or unconscious. The physician hadn’t looked exactly hopeful and it made Deirdre’s heart heavier than ever.
He had said all they could do was wait and see if Marion was strong enough to live. Though Deirdre knew that Marion was a fighter, she wouldn’t say no to any reinforcements.
Deirdre looked down the road expectantly, just as she had the whole day so far. She was praying and hoping that Marion’s parents would arrive soon, perhaps bringing more hope to her. Maybe hearing her parents’ voices would pull her out of her unconsciousness and she would wake up.
To Deirdre’s surprise, she didn’t have to wait long before she saw a fancy dark-wooded carriage pull up through the gates. It was pulled by two dark bay horses and there was a big red seal on the wall of the coach. It was Marion’s parents.
She stood up and walked up to the carriage steps. Their coachman wasted no time opening the door and helping down their guests.
Marion’s mother, a fragile-looking older Lady stepped out first. She was wearing a light blue traveling gown and was looking around, confused. Her husband, the Earl of Ackworth, stepped out behind her. He was a man that carried authority well on his shoulders, Deirdre noticed.
She stepped closer and introduced herself quickly.
“Good afternoon, me name is Deirdre MacIosag,” she said and curtsied.
“Miss MacIosag,” the Countess of Ackworth said softly and smiled. “You are the wonderful young lady who wrote to us about our Marion.”
Deirdre nodded and turned to the Earl.
“We will be eternally in debt for you for that,” he said. “We have been looking for her for months. Where is she?”
Deirdre bit her lip. She had been afraid of this. That she would have to deliver the bad news about Marion’s health.
“Please, won’t ye step into our castle. The Laird of Gille Chriost will join us shortly,” she invited them in and towards the drawing room. “Ye must be tired from the long trip.”
The Earl and Countess followed her, looking around curiously. Deirdre didn’t know what kind of castles people lived in in England, but based on their expressions, she assumed their accommodations weren’t alike.
As they stepped into the drawing room, the Earl spoke.
“Yer castle is very impressive. I am sure that Marion has felt right at home. Now, we have come a long way and haven’t seen Marion in months. Where is she?”
Deirdre was pouring water in cups to offer to Marion’s parents, and her hand trembled just a little bit. She should call for Fionnghall.
“Please, help yourself to a cup of water and I will have our servants prepare lunch for you. I shall fetch Laird Gille Chriost. Before we lead ye to Marion, there is somethin’ ye should ken,” she said carefully.
“What is it? Is Marion all right? You said in the letter that she was well. What is the matter?” the Countess asked, suddenly nervous.
“Just a moment, please,” Deirdre said hastily and hurried out of the room to fetch Fionnghall.
He was still in Marion’s room, holding her hand and watching her sleep. He lifted his gaze when Deirdre stepped in.
“Fionnghall, Marion’s parents are here. They are in the drawing room and wish to see Marion,” she said.
Without a word, Fionnghall stood up and passed her into the hall. Deirdre stayed behind. It wouldn’t be good to leave Marion alone, and Fionnghall could handle the situation on his own.
Marion’s parents stood by the fireplace in the drawing room. Fionnghall introduced himself to them and it was clear very soon that they wanted to see Marion immediately.
“I am afraid there is somethin’ ye should ken first, before I take ye up to see her,” Fionnghall said.
The Earl and Countess looked confused.
“Yes, that is what Miss MacIosag said. Please, what is it?” the Earl asked, impatient.
Fionnghall told them briefly about Marion’s departure and that she had fallen ill after returning to Gille Chriost. However, he didn’t mention the reason for her departure in the first place. It was best Marion would tell them herself, if she so chose. He also didn’t mention his role in Marion’s life, or that he had asked her to marry him. That would be a conversation best left for later. Right now, it wasn’t important. The most important thing was that the Earl and Countess saw their daughter and that Marion got better. Everything else could be handled later.
The Countess’ lower lip trembled and the Earl reached his arm around his wife.
“Take us to her, if you would be so kind,” he said quietly.
Fionnghall nodded and lead them upstairs to Marion’s room.
“Marion! My baby!” the Countess exclaimed as soon as she saw her and Fionnghall could only imagine that her pain was just as deep as his.
28
Miracles
“Marion, Marion, my darling baby, what has happened to you?” the Countess sobbed and stroked Marion’s hair.
It was painful to see Marion’s parents in such distress. They had come all the way to Scotland, thinking that they would see their daughter in great health. But instead, they witnessed their daughter possibly on her deathbed.
Fionnghall turned away. The sight before his eyes was too much and he felt the pain of everything deep in his heart. For the last days, he had tried to push aside the thought that constantly kept creeping to surface. That Marion was very sick and there was a chance that she would never wake up again. That there was a chance that Fionnghall would never make Marion his wife.
Suddenly, she heard three gasps almost simultaneously and he turned around.
Deirdre, the Countess, and the Earl were all by Marion’s bed and Fionnghall saw light movement. His heart jumped and his chest filled with careful hope.
With one big leap he was by the bed, and to his relief and joy, he saw Marion’s eyes open.
“Mother?” she whispered, barely audible, her eyes unfocused.
“Yes, yes, it is me! Your father is here, too,” she smiled and put her hand on Marion’s forehead.
“Deirdre, go fetch the physician immediately,” Fionnghall told his sister, who flew out of the door.
Fionnghall’s face relaxed and he felt like he was breathing properly for the first time in days. Marion was awake. She would be all right.
“Take some water,” the Countess said and offered her water from the cup that was on her nightstand.
Fionnghall and the Earl watched Marion take a sip and fall back on her pillow.
“What happened?” she whispered. Her eyes were starting to focus again and to see people around her.
The Countess and the Earl turned to Fionnghall.
“Ye have been un
conscious fer a couple of days, Marion,” he replied. His relief was immense.
The physician trotted through the door with Lady Brun and Deirdre at his heels.
“Out of me way, out of me way,” he panted and made his way to Marion’s side.
Silently, he examined Marion while everyone else stood by. In reality, his examination probably took only a few minutes, but to Fionnghall, it felt like forever. More than anything, he only wanted to know that Marion would be all right.
Finally, the physician straightened his back and let out a long exhale.
“The fever has let up and she is better. She will be all right, but she needs to rest,” he said.
The relief could be felt in the room.
Marion’s head was spinning. Her eyes were blurry and there were too many figures in the room. She could barely make out the faces of her mother and father by the bed. Marion had no idea how long she had been unconscious and she felt very disoriented.
After a sip of water and the physician’s examination, she was a bit more awake. Now she could make out the faces of Fionnghall, Deirdre, and Eilidth in the room as well. They were all there. All the people she loved more than anything else in the world.
“Mother?” she said quietly. Her throat felt very scratchy.
“Yes, dear?”
“This is Lady Brun… my real mother,” she said and nodded towards Eilidth, who was standing further away and watching the unfolding events.
Her father and mother turned around and without a word, her mother stood up and hugged Eilidth. It seemed to catch her off guard and she laughed nervously.
“Thank you for bringing Marion into our world. I am only sorry that it meant that you would lose your daughter. No parent should have to experience that,” the Countess said. “It is such a pleasure to meet you.”
“Ye as well. There are no words to thank ye enough fer taking care of me daughter all these years. We have much to talk about,” Eilidth said and smiled.
Addair entered the room with a tray full of fresh food. The room was starting to get crowded.
As if reading her thoughts, the old physician lifted his hands up.
“All right! There are too many people in here. I understand that everyone here loves Lady Marion and wants to stay, but only one, please. She needs to rest,” he ordered.
“I will stay. Ye all should get better acquainted,” Deirdre volunteered.
“We will be right downstairs if you need us, darling,” the Countess said and squeezed Marion’s hand.
Reluctantly, the Earl and Countess left the room with Eilidth and Fionnghall, leaving Deirdre and Marion alone.
Deirdre helped Marion to sit up and offered her some hot soup, which she gratefully accepted. She was starving, and it was no wonder since she had been sleeping for days.
“How are ye feelin’?” Deirdre asked, her face worried.
“Disoriented,” Marion replied truthfully. She hadn’t quite understood the events yet.
Deirdre smiled.
“Ye gave us a real fright.”
Marion ate in silence for a moment.
Slowly, the events from before were starting to get clearer in her mind. Fionnghall had proposed to her and she had said yes. And now her parents were here. Everything would be all right.
“Oh, Deirdre. I have some happy news for you that I didn’t get a chance to share with you yet,” Marion said, smiling weakly.
“What dae ye mean? What kind of news? Ye have been out fer days,” she chuckled.
“Well… the last thing I remember is your brother staying here with me. And he proposed to me,” Marion said nonchalantly.
Deirdre almost dropped the bowl as she shrieked in excitement.
“I knew it! I am so happy fer ye, Marion!”
Marion laughed out loud. It felt good.
“Slow down. Fionnghall still has to talk with my parents. And I should, too,” she sighed and let her head drop back on the pillow.
Surprisingly, though she had been asleep for so long, she felt more tired than ever.
Marion’s parents, Lady Brun, and Fionnghall were in the drawing room. He sat quietly on the couch, while Marion’s parents were getting to know Lady Brun. She had many questions for them—after all, she had missed Marion’s childhood and never saw her growing up.
Fionnghall was sipping on his brandy and going over the events of the past days in his mind. It had been emotional for everyone and Fionnghall couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible for what had happened.
Now that Marion was getting better and her health was not at risk anymore, he could think about other things. One of them being that he didn’t want to wait one second longer to marry Marion.
He would not give life another chance to take Marion away from him. Never again. Marion had already agreed to marry him, but now, he needed to ask for permission from her father.
Before Marion fell ill, he had already spoken with Lady Brun and she had gladly agreed. This marriage would unite Gille Chriost and Brun, ensuring wealth and a great alliance between clans. No agreements would be broken. And Laird Brun and his devilish daughter would be punished for their attempts to murder Marion.
Fionnghall didn’t want to waste any more time. He stood up.
“Lord Ackworth, may I speak with ye briefly?” he asked.
“Of course,” the Earl agreed and stepped aside, out of earshot from the Ladies.
“How can I ever thank you for taking such good care of my daughter? I cannot even begin to think about what could have happened to her, had she not come across such wonderful people as you and your lovely sister,” the Earl said, shaking Fionnghall’s hand.
“‘Tis our pleasure. Yer daughter has been a great friend to me sister and I am glad she has found her mother, Lady Brun. Briefly, we all felt the desperation in this task,” Fionnghall started.
The Earl was waiting for him to continue.
“In fact, in the past months, Lady Marion and I have become somewhat close. I have spoken with her alone and asked fer her to dae me the honor of marryin’ me. She has agreed, pendin’ yer approval, of course,” Fionnghall explained.
It was odd for Fionnghall to say these things out loud. Especially to Marion’s father. And more than anything, he was afraid the Earl’s response wouldn’t be what he hoped. His chest was tight and his heart was pounding.
The Earl was clearly taken aback by this notion. He stood quietly for a while, thinking about how to react to this news. Marion hadn’t had the chance to ease him into this knowledge, so Fionnghall understood his astonishment.
“Marion? To become the Lady of a Scottish clan?” he mumbled more to himself than to Fionnghall.
He paced around for a few minutes and Fionnghall grew impatient. This wasn’t unnoticed by the Countess and Lady Brun.
“What is it, dear?” the Countess asked her husband.
He stopped and looked back and forth between Fionnghall and his wife.
“Er….” he started. “The Laird of Gille Chriost has proposed something very… interesting.”
His wife tilted her head, looking at him curiously.
“He has asked for Marion’s hand in marriage,” he stated shortly.
“My Marion? To live in Scotland? That cannot happen,” the Countess said immediately. Realizing how blunt that must have sounded, she continued. “You have been very kind to our Marion, but she is an English Lady. She cannot move to Scotland.”
Lady Brun cleared her throat and stepped in.
“I am sorry. May I weigh in?”
The Earl and Countess turned to look at her.
“I realize that ye are more her parents than I am.” She suppressed a sob, “But there is somethin’ else ye should ken. Years ago, there was an agreement made between the late Laird of Brun and the Laird of Gille Chriost. Laird Fionnghall here is to marry the daughter of Laird Brun to unite the two clans and to keep the wealth and peace.”
“However, under recent circumstances, it is unfortunate that
my younger daughter, Lady Beitris, is nae... available... fer such an alliance. So, I would love fer Marion, whose place it was originally, to marry Laird Fionnghall. And to me understandin’, Marion has gladly agreed,” she finished.
Fionnghall was grateful for Lady Brun’s explanation, but based on the expressions on the faces of the Earl and Countess, he wasn’t sure if it had made any difference.
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