Page 59 of The Bells of Triumph
“Why? I thought ye would have stayed with Flora.”
“Seamus wanted to send word to the villagers about the upcoming attacks so they would have time to prepare. He wanted to give the mothers and children and elderly the chance to leave if they wanted it. Connor and I and a handful of others volunteered to pass on the message. We have been here spreading the word and gathering more recruits.”
With every word that she spoke, Finn's heart grew heavier. Tears gathered in his eyes as he realized the gravity of the situation. Had he gone ahead with his plan, had Seamus listened to him, Finn would have been responsible for the starvation of his own sister. She was all the family he had left in the world, and he would have killed her.
He didn't see it that way when it was faceless strangers he was sacrificing. But it was impossible to see it any other way when he knew that his own kin would have been among them.
She tried to untangle herself from his hug, but he wasn't ready to let her go.
“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Brid.”
“What are ye sorry for?” she asked, confused by his display of emotion.
“I'm so, so sorry. Please forgive me.”
“Finn, what is going on?”
“Please, Brid, tell me that ye forgive me. I'm so sorry. I will never do anything like that again.”
“I forgive ye, Finn. Of course, I forgive ye. Ye are my brother. I will always forgive ye.”
Her words were a balm to his fractured soul. They threatened to send the tears in his eyes overboard. They vanquished all the rage that had taken root inside him, filling the gap with love.Burying his face in her shoulder, he breathed her in, counting himself incredibly lucky that he still could. After a moment, he pulled himself together and stood up straight. He unwrapped his arms from around Brid, but kept them on her shoulders so she would look at him.
“Ye ken I would do anything for ye. I would do anything to keep ye safe.”
“Of course. What is this about?”
“I just need ye to ken that. If I have acted strange, if I have nae been myself, it was only because I wanted to keep ye safe.”
“All right, Finn. All right. I'm safe. Everything is fine.”
He squeezed her shoulders and studied her, needing to check for himself that was the truth.
Her presence had rattled him so completely that he had insisted that she ride behind him for the rest of the journey inside the castle. Something in his face must have kept her from questioning him, as she climbed behind him almost as soon as he had offered his arm.
