Page 31 of Claimed
Drew inhaled slowly and forced a gentle smile, before shaking her head. She was used to providing a façade to the world; she could do so now too. “The journey has just wearied me, that’s all.”
“Ye will be looking forward to reaching Inishail then?”
Drew nodded, not trusting herself to speak, lest her voice betray her.
Now that she focused upon it, she was dreading her arrival at the priory—a cold dread that clawed at her belly.
“I’m looking forward to returning to Dunan, milady,” the warrior continued, unprompted. Studying his face, she saw the gleam of excitement in his blue eyes. “My love waits for me there.”
Drew forced herself to keep breathing steadily, even if an iron band was now tightening around her ribs. “Really … what’s her name?” Her voice was higher than usual, forced, yet Aidan didn’t appear to notice.
“Brenna,” he replied, grinning widely. “We have been promised to each other for years now … but as soon as spring arrives, we shall wed. I feel like the most fortunate man alive.”
Drew saw the way the young man’s face softened as he spoke of his love, how his eyes darkened as he’d said her name.
Swallowing hard, she forced herself to keep smiling, even if her face ached from the effort. However, her next words, when she managed them, were heartfelt. “Brenna is also very fortunate. I wish ye both happiness, Aidan.”
15
Parting Ways
INISHAIL PRIORY CAME upon them too soon.
Drew wasn’t ready for the sight of the high grey walls, etched against an emerald carpet behind them. As her mother had mentioned, the priory sat near the shores of the loch, less than a furlong back from the pebbly shore. A blanket of milky-white mist crept in from the loch, curling around the base of the priory walls.
And as they approached, an iron bell clanged, tolling through the mist.
Drew tensed.Vespers.
From this day forward, her day would be ruled by the clanging of that bell. It would tell her when to rise, when to pray, when to eat, and when to go to bed.
The thought made the queasiness she’d been fighting all day rise in the back of her throat.
The farewells to the men who’d accompanied them were brief, yet Drew held each of their gazes for an instant and wished them a safe return to Dunan.
“Make sure Brenna carries a posy of heather with her when ye wed in the spring,” she told Aidan with a conspirator’s smile. “It brings good luck.”
Her comment made Aidan grin, while around him the other warriors laughed, ribbing the love-struck young man. Only Carr remained still and silent. Waiting while she said her good-byes to the others. He alone would escort her the last two furlongs to the gate.
Turning her horse, she urged it up next to Carr’s, and the pair of them rode in silence up to the arched gateway. When they were a few yards distant, they drew up their horses and dismounted, leading them the rest of the way.
The heavy iron knocker loomed before Drew. That knocker represented safety to so many. A fugitive could claim sanctuary just by touching it, and yet Drew was loath to reach out and curl her fingers around the cold iron.
Instead, she turned to Carr.
He was watching her with that same intense, focused look he’d given her when he’d revealed his feelings.
Please don’t gaze upon me like that, she thought, something twisting deep within her chest. His expression made her long to throw herself into his arms, to dig her fingers into his short blond hair, and to ravage his mouth with her own.
But instead, she squared her shoulders and forced herself to remain in the present—to not think about what they’d done together or the things he’d said to her. It was the only way she was going to get through this.
“This is where we part ways,” she said softly.
“It doesn’t have to be,” he replied, stepping close. Suddenly, he was towering above her. “It’s not too late. Ye can take my hand now and go. No one but us will know.”
Drew stared at him, her pulse thundering in her ears. The Lord give her strength, was he trying to reduce her to a pathetic wreck? It was hard enough as it was to bid him farewell, without him saying these things.
“Yer men will know,” she said, her voice hoarse now. “How will ye explain this to them?”
