Page 80 of A Virgin for the Icy Laird
“Do ye want to talk about it?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I daenae want to relive that moment. I am grateful to ken me real identity, but I am aggrieved that me faither and maither were taken from me because of one man’s greed.”
“He should have died a more painful death,” he grunted, clenching his fists.
“’Tis almost ironic that he died in the same place,” she said with a humorless laugh.
He took her hands in his own, drawing her gaze to his. The pain in it sent a lance through his heart.
“I cannae take away yer pain, Emily,” he rasped, injecting as much conviction as he could into his voice, “but I will live me life trying to protect ye from ever feeling such sorrow again.”
“How can ye be so sure that I will never get hurt again?” she asked softly.
“Because I daenae intend to let ye out of me sight ever again,” he promised. “If ye will stay, I will do everything I can to protect ye from harm.”
She looked deep into his eyes as a shy smile curved her lips. His heart skipped a beat, and he wondered what she was thinking.
When she nodded, elation filled him, and he pulled her in his arms.
20
Afterward, Emily insisted on accompanying him to the clan meeting, where he was going to explain what had happened the day before.
She kept worrying that his clansmen might not believe him if she wasn’t by his side to explain everything her uncle had done.
“I just took a wee soak in the loch,” she protested when he insisted she remain in bed. “I am nae an invalid. I can walk. I willnae be absent, nae when the topic concerns me and me sister.”
In the end, he had given up trying to persuade her to remain in bed. After all, she did have a point. The reason for the meeting concerned her and Elize. It would not be proper to tell their story without them present.
He offered his arm for support. The feel of her warmth beside him also served to ground him through the emotions roiling in his chest. The story might be hers, but it still affected him.
When they entered the Great Hall, the clansmen were already seated, and he could already hear theories flying on the reason why he and his men had returned drenched to the bone when there had been no rain.
He was not surprised that word had spread quickly. After all, many of his servants had families that lived outside the castle walls, so it was to be expected that they would take gossip home in the evenings.
He cleared his throat to draw the men’s attention as he helped Emily into the chair to his right. He noticed that Elize and Isla were already seated. Nodding in their direction, he began.
“A verra good morn to ye, folks. I ken ye have a lot of questions about yesterday’s strange events. I am going to address them now. Ye remember when me faither disappeared twelve years ago.” He paused, and they nodded. “I have finally learned the truth of what happened. Me faither didnae leave us willingly. He died while trying to save his friend, Lair Ewan Scott, and his family from drowning in the frozen loch.”
He was surprised that his voice remained steady despite the anxiety coiling in his stomach.
Murmurs rose from the table, his men’s expressions ranging from confusion to disbelief. Indeed, the truth was contrary toeverything they had thought they knew. He knew it was more painful to hear for those who still held fast to the good memories of his father.
“Well, it would seem that he was partly successful in that rescue,” he continued. “He rescued his friend’s daughters, even though they had been lost with no memories. We just recently discovered that me betrothed and her sister are those daughters.” He gestured toward Emily and Elize.
He watched as disbelief flitted across the men’s faces. His councilmen might be old, but they weren’t fools. He had known they wouldn’t make this conversation easy for him.
Thankfully, he had all he needed to convince them, though it would take some time for them to finally come to terms with the truth.
Even he still struggled to understand the twist of fate that had brought Emily and Elize to him with the answer to the question that had haunted him for twelve years.
“How are ye so sure that they are who they claim to be?” a voice asked from the opposite end of the table.
“She has had this since childhood.” He raised his father’s pendant, eliciting more murmurs.
He knew they would recognize the pendant, as only the laird and lady of the clan owned the pendants. Plus, it was common knowledge among his people that he wore his mother’s pendant.
He saw some of the councilmen regard Emily and Elize warily.
