Page 36 of It Began With A Kiss
Their mouths joined together, much like their bodies a short while later. Two souls each finding the one destined for the other since the beginning of time itself. And when they found their release together, husband and wife called out each other names. The heavens smiled. They were now together. They were one.
CHAPTER27
They had a fortnight of heavenly bliss before the world intruded on the paradise that Aiden tried to create for his new bride. One whole fortnight before his old life came back to haunt him. They could not dismiss the missive delivered by one of King Henry’s messengers. Aiden was expected to travel down to Bamburgh Castle where he was to board a ship to France to fight a war in the king’s name. Aiden wanted no part of such a mission. His heart just was not in it.
One of Iona’s hands was tucked into the elbow of his arm. She held on tightly whilst peering over his shoulder as he read the missive again. ’Twas a grim reminder of the life he had led in service to a king and the reason he had taken this land in the first place.
“I am to journey south with as many reinforcements as I can bring so I can join his forces in France,” Aiden said angrily. “He cares not that I leave this land unprotected if I were to supply him with the entire garrison!” He threw the parchment onto this desk before folding Iona into his arms.
“He canna do that,” Iona protested, whilst her head went to rest upon Aiden’s chest.
He stroked her hair, offering what comfort he could. “Aye, he can. He is the King of England. I am his vassal. He has snapped his fingers and I am now expected to obey his orders,” Aiden said, frowning. He had been torn for some time, his allegiance to England and its king warring with his Scots heritage. He had a stronger call on his allegiance now. He had a family and a clan to protect. Going off to fight in France for King Henry’s war with his sons hardly felt justifiable. ’Twas a foolish cause, designed merely to further the king’s dominance over his sons. Aiden had been summoned. How could he go against his king?
Iona reached over to retrieve the missive. She scanned it for several minutes, then gazed up into his eyes. “Sons again fighting tae gain control of land and the monarchy. ’Twas futile once before, years ago. What makes them think they will win against their sire this time?”
He placed a kiss on her forehead. “’Tis a quest bound to fail, and his sons should know they will not win against their father.”
“What are we going tae do?”
His brow rose as he looked down upon her. “We, my dear, are not going to do anything.Youare going to remain here and take care of Gregor and the clan,” he answered far more calmly than he felt. He had little choice in the matter, or did he?
“And what areyeplanning tae do?” she asked quietly.
“Do you trust me?”
She widened her eyes at his question. “Ye have to ask?”
“Do you trust me?” he repeated waiting for her answer.
“Ye know I trust ye with my life, my love,” she said, giving him what he could only term a weak smile.
“I cannot in good conscience serve an English King any longer, but must align myself with King William. ’Twill be considered treason to those I once served. I will no longer be able to step on English soil again and risk being taken by our enemies.”
“Are ye sure ye wish tae do this? Yer family home is on English soil. How will ye possibly not see yer family again? Yer sister is yer twin, Aiden. Such a bond is hard tae ignore,” she stated, clutching his tunic.
He placed his lips on hers and kissed her. “’Tis true Berwyck Castle has been my home and would have been mine to govern. But that all changed when my sister’s husband laid siege to the place. I have not called Berwyck home in many a year and ’tis why I have wandered both England and France trying to find my place in life. I took this assignment so that I would finally be able to call a place home and then I found you.” He smiled down, staring into her eyes.
She nodded. “I may have hated ye when ye first captured Dunborough, but I am glad now that ye did.”
“I will ride come the morn for Berwyck so that I may let Amir know of my decision to remain on Scottish soil and serve King William,” he declared. “She will understand and know my visits to Berwyck from this point forward will be limited or scarce.”
She cupped the palm of her hand to his cheek. “I could go with ye.”
“Absolutely not.”
“But Aiden…”
He took both her cheeks in his hands and quickly kissed her. “My lady love… as much as I desire for you to be by my side, to travel the world if that is your wish, I cannot allow you to follow me to Berwyck, at least not at this time. Surely you understand why you must needs remain here.”
Her sigh was heavy, much like Aiden’s own conscience. He had brought this war to their doorstep by invading this land in the first place. Now he needed to end this and ensure they would be safe from a grasping king.
She finally found her voice. “I will miss ye.”
“As I will miss you and Gregor. I promise someday I will take ye to Berwyck to meet my family, as long as I can ensure our safety. There is much to tell you about the place of my birth, but I will save that for another time.”
“We could always visit yer younger sister and her family up at Urquhart,” she murmured softly. “I am certain Lynet and Ian would welcome us into their home.”
“Aye. They are safe on Scottish soil. I promise you shall meet all my siblings, Iona. I am proud to call you my wife and Gregor my son. All shall eventually work itself out. And who knows… mayhap Berwyck will one day be conquered by a Scottish King. Such has happened before over the centuries. Anything is possible.”
