Page 87 of The Forest Bride
“We heard you were captured, that you had likely perished in captivity.”
“My family heard the same, unfortunately. I had no idea.” He explained as quickly as he could the years in England, then Flanders and France, with the escape to Ireland.
“Iain told us some of it,” Henry said. “Remarkable. I am amazed so many of you survived.”
“Aye, but we did what we had to do. When I was finally able to send word to my family, it had to be done secretly. I could not risk incurring Edward’s wrath.”
“Edward is a hard warden. While you were gone, Margaret was in a convent. When she came home, my father felt it was well past time to find her a husband.”
“She told me about that. I understand your mother died there. I am sorry.”
“Those were difficult days, to be sure. After my father died, I inherited Kincraig and the guardianship of my unmarried sisters. Our great-grandfather… You know? Aye, then. When I was young, Thomas impressed upon me the need to watch over my sisters. I took it to heart. Still do.”
“I missed years with my siblings. You are fortunate in your sisters.”
“I am.” Henry drew a breath. “It is good to know we were wrong about you, sir.”
“A chain of misunderstandings. I am glad to be able to unravel some of it now. I suppose you will want to take Margaret back to Kincraig when this is over.”
“Margaret is strong-willed and will do what she wants. She intended to go to Ireland with Bruce’s daughter and stay there for a while, but now I wonder what she will want to do once we have Lilias back again.” Henry glanced sidelong at Duncan.
“As you say, she will do as she wants.” They sat in silence watching the glen until Henry pointed toward the valley floor.
“Nothing much going on down there. Sheep and goats.”
“Aye. Whoever rode through earlier has gone.”
“May they stay away. Liam says you do good work for Bruce,” Henry said then.
Duncan took a breath. He wanted to be honest with Margaret’s brother, not only to make up for the years, but because he felt that he could trust him. He gave a half nod.
“I do. The bishop—you met him at Brechlinn? We are keeping him safe until he can be moved to the Isles and the English are not intently looking for him.”
“I see. If Bruce trusts you, that says all to me. It is good to know more about you. Very good.” Henry nodded half to himself. “I had my reservations, but I was wrong about you.There is much to admire.” He smiled quickly, as if he felt embarrassed. “I have news for my sister that I was not sure she would want to hear. But I think you should know it too. I have not had a chance to tell her yet. However, it concerns both of you.”
Curious, Duncan lifted a brow. “Aye?”
“I have been going through my father’s documents and belongings whenever I have time at Kincraig, which is not often, so it has taken some time. But recently, I discovered that he made an attempt to contact you just before his death.”
“Contact me?”
“He had heard a rumor that you had survived and returned to your family.”
“Perhaps it had to do with the dowry. Though I believe my father repaid it while I was away those years.”
“On the contrary, Duncan, it has never been paid in full.”
“God’s bones,” he growled. “I will make immediate recompense.”
“No need, sir. My father decided not to ask for it. What he intended to ask you was to renew the betrothal arrangement.”
Duncan stared at him. “Renew it?”
From the windowof her bedchamber, Margaret watched Duncan’s party ride out until she could see them no longer, past the castle and heading along the narrow river stream. Seeing her brother and Duncan riding in tandem, she wondered what they might talk about. She was not certain, not quite. Though Henry was easy-going for the most part, he could have an iron stubbornness. Yet the conversation earlier gave her hope that he no longer harbored resentment toward Duncan.
Every day, every hour, she too felt old walls dissolving as she understood more about why Duncan left, what he had endured, how much honor truly meant to him.
Turning away from the gray half-light, she lit a candlestick from the glowing peat bricks in the brazier and set it on the table. Paging through a small illuminated prayer book that she had found on a shelf, her thoughts were not there, but wandering outside, flying over moor and glen with Duncan and Henry and the patrol.
