Page 90 of The Defiance of a Scottish Heart
Taskill headed out toward the gates to see what was going on. No one was in the hall, so he thought this would be the place to learn what was happening. He spied Broc leading a horse into the stables and strode up to him.
“Anything new on the attackers?”
Broc turned back to him. “Nay. The men who went after them lost the bastards. They were too far ahead by the time we readied the horses. Dermot went in to speak with Neil to see what he knows of the gang.”
“Where’s Merryn?”
“She’s working with Sheona on archery. She says Sheona is a natural.” Broc brushed the horse down.
“I believe it. She’s always been able to accomplish whatever has been on her mind.” Now only if he could do the same. He still hadn’t been able to reconcile that his parents often took other lovers. What did that say about the two of them?
He tried not to think too hard about it, instead focusing on the fact that he was not likely to be a liar and a cheat since his sire wasn’t. After all, that was the issue that had eaten away at his insides for nearly four years. Something else popped into his mind.
He was free to marry. No reason not to anymore.
Roger, one of the MacLean guards entered, looking around for something. “What do you need?” Broc asked.
“I found it.” He reached onto a shelf and grabbed two pieces of cloth and a length of rope. He headed out without a comment.
“May I ask a personal question, Broc?”
“Sure. I’ll answer if I can.” He reached for an apple and gave it to the horse when he finished his task.
“How’s married life? Better or worse than you thought?”
“I didn’t expect that!” he said, smoothing his hair back in place. “But it’s easy to answer. I love married life. I had always been a wee bit jealous of all the others who married, especially watching Alaric with his new wife. But every day it gets better. Merryn is not the type to stick to my side all the time. That’s the only complaint I ever heard from some guards after they married. Some couldn’t get their wives to leave them be to hunt and fish as they wish, but Merryn has her own interests. We like it that way. She loves archery and spends time with Shealee. I like to spend time with my cousins, and I love to hunt. Though I think she’ll be hunting pheasant soon enough.”
“Good to know. My thanks for sharing.” Taskill wasn’t sure how he felt now, except for two things. First, if Dermot forced him to marry Sheona, he’d accept it without complaint. He’d come to admire her more than he ever did when he was younger. She was much stronger than he would have guessed, stronger and kinder. In fact, he was quite certain the way he felt about her might be considered love. And second, he no longer held the belief that he was destined to become a liar and a cheater like his sire.
But how did Sheona feel? He still was unsure. He’d thought himself in love with her at times, but did she reciprocate his feelings?
What did love involve? He didn’t know. “Can I ask you an even more personal question?”
Broc nodded.
“How did you know she was the right one?”
“Well, I do know now that I love Merryn, though I wasn’t sure about it before.”
“What changed your mind?”
“The first time we were in battle and she was taken, I was angry, furious at Kelvan and his men. But the second time? When we were at Drimnin, and I thought someone was goingafter her? I had such a fear that I thought I might heave out my insides. I had to conquer that feeling to keep moving.” He paused for a moment and said, “When the thought of living without her scared me, I knew we belonged together. Does that make sense?”
“I guess. So, for you, love is worth it?”
“Absolutely,” he replied with a grin.
Taskill nodded, noticing that a man sounding like Tristan was outside the stable. “That sounds like Merryn’s brother. Was he coming?”
Broc shook his head, tossing the brush into the nearby basket. “Nay. I’ll go see if there’s something wrong. He wouldn’t come unless there was important news.” He headed outside without hesitating.
Taskill followed, his gaze scanning the area but not seeing the lasses anywhere, though he knew the archery field was inside the wall behind the castle, a distance away from the stables. Tristan saw Broc and headed straight toward him. “I had to come as soon as I found out who the evil seed was.”
“You know?” Broc asked. “Besides Clyde?”
“Aye, I had to put pressure on some of my guards, but I found out that Roger has an evil soul, and he’s trying to make as much coin as he can in the next fortnight before he goes back to London.” Tristan panted, out of breath from hurrying so. “Where’s Merryn?”
“In the archery field behind the keep. Inside the wall so she’s safe. Where is the evil seed?”
