Page 31 of The Highlander's Dangerous Bride

“I had a maid, Ava. She was supposed tae spy on me fer Struan, but we became so close, she refused tae dae it any longer. She told him I’d given up tryin’ tae flee. It was her who helped me get away. Ye see, the window of me chambers is the only one on the second floor of the castle that looks out tae the sea. It has ivy climbin’ all around it, and beneath it there is a bit of grassy, rocky ground, with a path that leads down tae the beach. It is the only possible route of escape, so Struan always had two guards stationed there, mornin’, noon, and night.

“Anyway, as time went by, I realized I might as well be dead if I couldnae see Thorsten again, so me and Ava began tae plot and plan.”

“Wait, so ye have nae bairns with Struan then?”

She shook her head, and glimpsed a shadow of relief in his eyes. “If I had then I would never have left Barra without them in the first place, would I?” she asked, the answer being obvious to her. “That was one of the reasons Struan was angry with me, because I couldnae give him the son he craved. He blamed me fer it. When I got with yer child, I was ecstatic. Then, I kent it was down tae him, nae me. I count it as a blessin’ that we had nae bairns. I think he would have made as bad a faither as he is a husband.”

“Tell me more about the night ye escaped.”

She went on to explain how Ava had helped her make her daring escape by arranging her passage on the boat the storm had eventually destroyed and putting laxative in the guards’ supper that night.

“After I lost consciousness in the sea, the next thing I remember was wakin’ up and seein’ ye. I think the shock made me swoon.”

“Aye, so the healer said.” Arne paused, his eyes searching her face. “’Tis an unlikely story.”

“It happened, I tell ye! How else d’ye think I ended up in that boat wreck?” she cried defensively.

He shrugged. “I dinnae ken. All I ken fer sure is that I have a hard time deciding when ye’re bein’ truthful and when ye’re lyin’.”

That hurt her deeply, but it was no more than she expected from him.

“I’ve told ye before, I kent ye’d hate me fer leavin ye and Thorsten, and I ken ye’ll never forgive me either. I made me peace with that a long time ago, I didnae come back fer ye, Arne. I came back tae see our son.”But how wonderful would it be if ye’d kept on lovin’ me just the same, as I still love ye.

“Very well. I suppose there’s nae much more tae be said about yer reappearance in our lives then. Fer the moment at least.” He glanced at the clock on the mantel. “’Tis getting late, and it’ll be Thorsten’s bedtime soon. I usually spend some time with him around now, so it would be good time fer ye tae meet him,” he rose from his chair, but Raven was already on her feet, galvanized by the thought of seeing her boy at last.

“Ye’re still gonnae let me see him?” she asked, her pulse starting to race with excitement.

“What else am I gonnae dae? Ye’re his maither. Every maither should see her bairn.”

Raven could not keep the beaming smile from her lips as she clasped her hands to her heart. “Och, thank ye, Arne, thank ye from the bottom of me heart! I cannae believe I’m actually gonnae see Thorsten after all this time. I’ve dreamt of it so often, and now ’tis really happenin’!”

“Come along, then, and follow me,” he said, and she hurried eagerly after him, out of the study and along the hallway to the vestibule, almost vibrating with excitement. He led the way up the stairs to the first landing, then down another long, tapestry lined hallway lit by oil lamps before halting outside a doorway.

“This is his chamber,” he told her, putting his hand on the door handle. “Remember what I said, ye’re nae tae tell him ye’re his maither, all right?”

“Aye,” Raven agreed with a nod, swallowing the pain in her heart his insistence caused her. She knew it would not be fair to Thorsten at this stage to confuse him by telling him who she really was when she was supposed to be dead.

“All right. Let’s go in.” Arne opened the door and went inside, with Raven on his heels.

CHAPTER TWELVE

She found herself in a warm, airy chamber, with a fire blazing cheerfully in the hearth behind a metal fireguard. Nearby was a clothes rack with some small clothes hanging upon it to dry, scenting the air with lavender. By the window stood some chairs surrounding a big table full of games, toys, books, and various paraphernalia.

But Raven’s eyes went immediately to the big space in the middle of the room. There, laying on his belly on a large, brightly patterned rug, was a small boy. His feet were waving in the air as he clutched a pencil in one hand, his tongue peeping out of the corner of his mouth as he scribbled on a piece of paper laid out in front of him.

When he heard the door, he looked up, and Raven nearly collapsed on the spot. He was Arne in miniature, with the same bright blue eyes and features, the same dimples on either side of his grin as his father. The only difference was the mop of thick black hair on his head.

Raven trembled as a seismic shift took place inside her, leaving her temporarily unable to speak or move as her world turned upside down. Her heart pounded as she stared at Thorsten, feeling as though it was going to burst out of her chest from the overwhelming need to be close to him.

“Da! Come play with me,” Thorsten cried, jumping up and running to Arne, his cheeks rosy with delight.

Raven watched, a lump in her throat, as his father caught him and swung him up in the air before hugging him close and kissing his hair. His love for their son was glaringly obvious, and it made her heart ache even more that she was not a part of it. Her whole body yearned to hug and kiss Thorsten as Arne could.

“Sorry, lad, me work took a wee bit longer than I thought. But ’tis all done fer the day now. I’m all yers until bedtime.”

“Hooray!” Thorsten crowed happily as his father set him back on his feet. The little boy peeped up at Raven shyly from beneath the cap of midnight hair.

“This is a friend of mine I’d like ye tae meet, Thorsten. Will ye mind yer manners and say hello tae her?” Arne asked him, gesturing at Raven with his eyes.

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