Page 83 of The Laird's Vengeful Desire
The answer came to her with startling certainty. “Thank ye.” She breathed as she scurried down the hallway.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Ithought I’d find ye here.”
Ian didn’t turn around at the sound of Rhona’s voice, though his shoulders tensed at her approach. He sat on the moss-covered boulder beside the waterfall, staring at the rushing water as if it might hold answers to questions he couldn’t even properly form.
“How did ye ken?” he asked quietly, still not looking at her.
“Tristan said ye’d gone somewhere ye could think clearly.” Rhona’s voice was closer now, and Ian could hear the soft rustle of her skirts as she settled on a nearby rock. “I kenned this was the place.”
Ian finally turned to look at her, taking in the way the afternoon light caught the copper threads in her dark ginger hair, the concern evident in her blue eyes. She’d ridden hard to find him– her cheeks were flushed from the wind and her breathing slightly uneven.
“Ye should have stayed at the castle,” he said, though there was no real rebuke in his voice. “These lands arenae safe fer ye tae be ridin’ alone.”
“I ken,” she said quietly, approaching him with careful steps. “I had me dirk with me, and besides, Tristan seemed tae think ye might need… company.”
“Did he now?” Ian’s mouth curved in a bitter smile.
“What’s this about, Ian?” Rhona asked gently. “Council pressure about the marriage?”
Ian was quiet for a long moment, his gaze returning to the waterfall. The flushing water filled the silence between them, a constant, soothing sound that had always helped clear his thoughts.
“Among other things,” he said finally. “’Tis more complicated than just the Council.”
“Explain it tae me, then.” Rhona said, shifting closer on her rock. “Maybe we can find a solution together.”
The word ‘together’ sent unexpected warmth shooting through Ian’s chest, followed swiftly by a stab of guilt.
How dae I tell her that every solution tae this mess requires a sacrifice from her?
How could he tell her that the very conversation they were having might very well be the last honest one they could share?
“When I first came here,” Ian began slowly, “I hated this clan with every fiber of me being.”
Rhona’s eyebrows rose. “Ye hated yer own people.”
“Aye, but they werenae me people then. They were the bastards who’d cast us out, who’d turned their backs on me family when we needed help most.” His voice carried the weight of old pain, old anger. “Me grandfaither raised me on tales of their cruelties, their betrayals, and I swore tae never be like them.”
“But ye came anyway.”
“Aye. Because the king commanded it, and because…” Ian paused, struggling to find the right words. “Because I thought I could make them pay fer what they’d done. I thought I could come here and be the laird they deserved – cold and distant.”
Rhona was quiet for a moment, studying his profile. “But that’s nae who ye are.”
“Nay.” Ian’s laugh was humorless. “And that’s the problem. I came here expectin’ tae find monsters… and instead I foundgood folk who’d been hurt by poor leadership, who were just tryin’ tae survive and protect their families.”
“Like ye said before – they weren’t responsible fer Douglas’s actions.”
“Exactly.” Ian turned to face her fully, his green eyes blazing with frustrated confusion. “How can I hate them fer that? How can I condemn an entire clan fer the actions of one vile man? But if I dinnae… if I let myself care about them…”
“Then ye’re betrayin’ yer grandfaither’s memory?” Rhona guessed.
“Aye. And more than that – I’m betrayin’ everythin’ I thought I kenned about meself. About honor and justice and what ittrulymeans tae be a Wallace.” Ian scrubbed a hand through his dark hair. “Me grandfaither taught me strength comes from standin’ by yer principles, nae matter the cost. But now…”
“Now?” Rhona pressed gently.
“Now I dinnae ken what me principles are anymore.” The admission came out raw and honest. “I look at Baird, at the young soldiers, at the villagers we helped after the raid, and I see people worth protectin’.”
