Page 81 of The Guardian's Bride
“Surely it will come clear someday. It has to.”
“Did Thomas mention another stone that might be significant for Scotland?”
“He said—there was another, but I thought he meant another guardian, which confused me then. It never occurred to me that he might mean two separate stones.”
“Two stones,” he said, “and two guardians. He meant both. But why?”
He lowered to one knee, as a knight would kneel before a king in loyalty and respect, and laid the sword in its place, wrapping it together with the other pieces. For a moment he bowed his head. Then he shut the box, locked the latches, wrapped the wood in the dark-patterned plaids and thongs, and stood. Hoisting the box up, an action that needed raw strength, he slid it back into the deep horizontal niche in the rock, where shadows absorbed it.
Rowena stood silent, spellbound by the moment and the meaning, awestruck by this man who carried such immense responsibility with earthy humility and grace. This man that she loved and respected beyond any she had ever known. Her heart surged.
“Aedan MacDuff,” she said, “there is no man more suited to this responsibility.”
“Ah,” he said, wiping his hands, “just luck that I knew of this cave. But it is damp at times, not a proper reliquary for the sword of Macbeth and the rightful King of Scots, and the regalia as it exists now. I did what I could.”
“You did well. I am grateful that you trusted me with this.”
“Itrustyou,” he clarified. “I love you and I honor you.”
“I love and honor you,” she whispered. “Trust and truth go with that.”
“They do. But I am sorry to have drawn you into my wee wicked scheme.” He glanced at the dark niche. “Someone else needed to know about this, should I fall off a boat or suchlike before I see Bruce again.”
She laughed softly. “You trusted me at Holyoak too, not knowing me.”
He cocked his head, smiled. “A beautiful lass with kind eyes and a pretty stone that looked oddly familiar—you were heaven-sent. You were my only hope when I thought I might die. Later I knew I must find you, for I had told you a grave secret. And I had fallen in love with you a little. I am glad to share this secret with you.” He kissed her. “Shall we go? The dawn will break soon and we have a busy day ahead. After a busy night, hey.”
“Very busy,” she agreed, kissing him, then being pulled into his arms.
“This cave is not the place for what I suddenly have in mind,” he murmured. “But we should go up to the castle before the others awake.”
She preceded him, turning sideways to pass through the deep, high crack in the rock that led out to the cavern. Together they headed up the incline toward the wide cave entrance. He reached out to lend her a hand but stopped.
“Get down,” he said. Dropping to his hands and knees, he crawled to the entrance and peered out. After a moment he drew back.
“God’s very bones,” he muttered.
She dropped beside him. “What is it?”
“Look toward the water. But stay low. We must not be seen.”
She peered out and saw what he had spotted. “A boat!”
“A galley. With Edward’s damned sail.”
Out on the water, the galley was visible against the dusting of pale pink color along the horizon. She could make out the ship’s silhouette, the billowed sail with gold lions on red, the dipping oars, and the shapes of men moving along the deck.
She gasped. “Malise?”
“Must be.” He looked out again, and she inched closer to him, shoulder to shoulder. “He may be patrolling through here looking for any sign that we might be at Castle Black. Coming back from Stirling, he might have noticed Brian’s longship at the quay at North Queensferry.”
“Perhaps he will sail back across the firth and away. He cannot dock here.”
“But they could send a small boat to shore if one is stored on the galley.” With a muttered curse, he sat back. “We need to get to the castle, but we could be seen on the beach. Is your ankle strong enough for you to run?”
“Thanks to Saint Margaret’s healing waters, I think so.”
“Ready?” He opened the lantern to blow out the candle. Then they moved cautiously out of the cave, keeping to the shadows as they crossed the beach beneath the overhang of the cliff, hurrying into the cave below the castle. There, Rowena peered out to see dawn glowing on the horizon.
