Page 63 of The Defiance of a Scottish Heart
“Who else knows you love cinnamon?”
“My mama and papa and my siblings. Sloan, Rinaldo, and Marta.” Then she scowled as she reviewed the conversation in her mind. Could it have been Rinaldo leading her in the wrong direction?
Brynja asked, “Were your siblings there when you were sickened from eating three tarts?”
Sheona stared at Brynja wide-eyed. “Nay. Only Mama. Even Da doesn’t know I ate three. She made me promise not to tell him.” She broke into a wide grin. “My thanks to you, Mama.”
Hildi said, “That boat is almost here. Will you go with him?”
And the oddest thing happened. Sheona knew exactly what to do.
No quandaries, no doubts, no questions. Unlike how the last few days of her life had been, she was certain this time.
She would go with Taskill.
She raced to shore and found a boulder to sit on after hugging her friends. “I promise to visit again. Take care of my axes.”
The two hugged her. Brynja held out her hand with a proffered treat. “Here. Take some bread and Godspeed with you. Do what the angels tell you to. Beware the storm. I hope you’ll come back when your wonderful life has started. Then mayhap you can ask your mother about our lives.”
Hildi whispered, “I would like to know if we’ll find happiness someday.” Her voice was so quiet, it nearly broke Sheona’s heart. They’d helped her in so many ways.
Sheona gave Hildi and Brynja each a hug. “I will. I promise. I appreciate all you’ve done for me, but I must go.”
Sheona sat on the boulder and waited for Taskill.
Chapter Thirty-One
Lennox
Lennox and Sloan headed straight toward Duart Castle at the first flash of lightning. He had a great respect for the powerful bolts that he’d seen kill a guard and his horse in one quick flash. He’d been a suitable distance away but was tossed off his horse like a fabric animal thrown by a one-year-old angry at the world.
“Duart Castle is closer, so I agree with you,” Sloan said. “Move along. This storm is blowing in like a bastard.”
The gate opened as they approached, Hagen coming down from the parapets to help a few guards close it after. “Welcome. Get inside before the squall, MacVey. I’ll take your horses. Jowell is inside.” He collected the reins of both beasts after closing the gates. “No more parapets in this thunderstorm. I’ll be in soon. Do they need feeding?”
“Aye, if you please. We came from MacQuarie’s.”
Lennox grabbed his saddlebag and headed toward the keep, Sloan behind him. He had no idea where his mother had gone, and Sloan had no more thoughts than he had. He pushed the door open, the wind blowing it out of his hands once it finally moved, banging against the wall.
Logan Ramsay and Connor Grant sat inside near the fire, the rest of the clan eating their evening meal at the tables. Gwyneth sat closest to the hearth, working on a pair of leggings.
“Hellfire, close the door, MacVey. That’s a stiff wind brewing,” Logan bellowed.
“My apologies. I did my best.” He hung his mantle on the wall, then stomped the dirt from his boots in a box by the door.
Connor moved over to a side table and grabbed two goblets of ale. “Ale or food first?”
“I’ll take the ale and the fireplace first,” Sloan said, accepting the ale and settling in the chair. “It’s a hell of a gale brewing out there. We were halfway here when it started and hoped we could make it home first, but decided the lightning had a mind of its own. Hope you don’t mind.”
“You’re welcome any time, you know that,” Dyna said from the table.
Logan asked, “Why were you at MacQuarie’s?”
Lennox let out a long sigh. “We still haven’t located our parents.”
Connor nearly spit out his drink. “Rut and Dermot are both still missing? For how long?”
“Nearly a day. Dermot came to see my mother this morn. Taskill overheard them talking about Sheona. We thought they may have gone to Iona, but we came from Thane’s. He hasn’t seen any boats going that way. Artan would know. He said they were not on Iona or Ulva. We have no idea where they could be,” Lennox said, taking a long swig of his drink.
