Page 77 of Bound By Honor
As dinner drew to an end and hazelnut tarts appeared, Angus said to her, “Will you walk with me on the promontory? There may be stars to see tonight.”
“I would like that. Brian will be sleeping but Lir may join us.”
Angus returned her a smile. “I am fond of the hound.”
“Like the man who gave him to us, Lir is good company. And he’s been known to take down a wolf.”
“If there be wolves about, I am glad you and Brian have the hound.”
Her eyes sparkled in the candlelight and the flames reflected in her silken hair as she said, “There will be more to see tonight than stars. Since it is clear, the lights in the north should appear.”
“We have the lights in the Isles, too. I should like to see them with you.”
Making his apologies to Lord Cumee and Dermot and leaving his brother and cousin to wonder what he was about, Angus accepted their cloaks from a servant and escorted Lady Áine to the door leading to the promontory. Lir fell into step behind them. Angus’ head guard, who had finished his meal, took up a stance with the O’Cahan guards at the door.
They stepped into the chill night air. Across the expanse of sky, a multitude of silver stars flickered like diamond dust scattered on black velvet. A nearly full moon hovered above them. Between sky and sea, bands of violet and green light danced on the horizon, like waving curtains of colored fire. Angus had observed the unusual moving lights before but this display was striking; even the moon did not dull the effect. Angus said, “Some believe the lights are harbingers of war.”
“I wonder if that is because war seems always near.” Her voice held a note of sadness.
He took her hand and, placing it between his hands, turned toward her. Her delicate skin felt cold to the touch; his hands were warm. “I know you have suffered from the wars here in Ireland, my lady. You have lived through them. And I know, too, that you love your home. Much is at stake for Scotland in this coming war. We Islesmen were long free of any crown but now that we must acknowledge one, I would have it be Scotland’s. But the country must be led by a strong and wise King of Scots.”
“Then I fear for you, my lord.” Her hand slipped from his as she took a few steps forward. Lir had gone ahead, scouting the promontory.
Angus joined her. “It will not be an easy road but I cannot avoid it, my lady, nor would I.” He would not speak of their future together until he could be certain he had a future and she wanted to share it. Knowing she was devout, a request for her prayers would not go amiss. “Will you pray for me while I am about the business of war?”
She inclined her head toward him. “I will.”
“Am I correct in thinking you have a choice and it is not merely whom to wed but whether to wed at all?”
“That is so.”
“Then I see my task is to convince you that a life with me would not take from what you have.”
She cast him a glance. “You are insightful, my lord.”
“In this path, I tread carefully, yet I must ask, will you wait for my return?” Angus held his breath, for her answer would tell him much.
There was silence for a moment as she gazed into the brilliant star-studded sky. Then, turning to him, she said, “I do not believe I can do otherwise, my lord.”
Her reply did not tell him all he would have liked to know, but if she could not fail to hope for his return, then mayhap he already had a place in her heart. “That being the case, my lady, might we begin with you calling me by my given name?”
She turned to face him, the moonlight shining in her eyes. “Angus.” On her lips, it sounded like a prayer.
He reached for her hands. This time, they were warm. “Áine.” He leaned forward, slowly, to give her time to refuse if she were unwilling. When their lips touched, she yielded to his kiss. Letting go of her hands, he drew her close, holding her shoulders as their bodies fit together beneath their cloaks.
The kiss continued, their breaths mingling. Angus had never tasted anything so sweet or so tempting. His heart pounded in his chest urging him on but, not wishing to overwhelm her, he held his desire in check. Ending the kiss, he pressed his lips to her forehead and inhaled her scent. She smelled of spring flowers like those blossoming on the cliffs. “Know that your face is ever before me,” he said into her hair.
THE NEXT AFTERNOON, under gray skies, Áine and her brother watched from the rise above White Fields Beach as Lord Angus and his men loaded ten horses onto the ships, leading them one by one up the gangplank laid through the opening in the gunwale. Brian, seated in front of Dermot, stared in fascination. Lir, who had trotted behind, sat next to them on the sand.
The Islesmen had adapted the galleys for their task by adding wooden stalls, mangers for fodder and slings for the horses’ protection should they encounter rough seas on the sail to England.
Angus’ men carried out his orders without question, working with him as a team. He checked all before he gave his approval. She imagined his attention to detail might be the same when he led men into battle.
Finally, when all was ready, Angus came to bid her goodbye. He lifted her from the saddle and, with her feet on the ground, she looked up to meet his intense blue gaze. The brisk wind swept her cloak and her long hair behind her. Her chest ached to think what could befall him.
“My lady,” he said. “We sail for Dunluce and then to England.”
She laid her hand on Lir’s head, for he had come to sit beside her. “I hope you will not long be away.”
