Page 86 of Wolfehound
Cambria shook her head as Liam inspected the offerings on the table. “Nay,” she said. “There is dancing and music happening now. Papa wants you to come to him and enjoy it.”
“I will,” Fair Lydia said. “I simply wanted to make sure your chamber was perfect. And my thanks to Lady Warenton for escorting you.”
She smiled at Annaleigh, who smiled in return. The women had developed a fond friendship with one another, which was lovely to see.
“Thank you, Mama,” Cambria said sincerely. “For everything you’ve done… thank you.”
Fair Lydia hugged her daughter before gently kissing her on the cheek. “You have been worth every joy, every tear,” she said, gazing at her sweetly. “Some women have daughters by blood, but I had a daughter by heart. Youaremy heart, Bria. And this life we have led at Folkingham is the life you were meant for. Sometimes destiny is not always what is expected. It is what is chosen. I chose your destiny the day I met you.”
Cambria hugged her mother tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I love you very much.”
Fair Lydia kissed her daughter once more and released her, heading out of the chamber. Annaleigh paused before following.
“I have something for ye two,” she said. “Liam, I want tae give ye something that William de Wolfe gave tae me on the day I married yer father. As ye can imagine, the subject of yer father was a difficult one with Jordan, though she never let on. She’s been nothing but accepting of War since the beginning. Even though he dinna carry the de Wolfe name, William wanted yer father and me tae have something from his family that meant something tae him.”
That had Liam’s interest. “What is it, Mama?”
Reaching into a pocket on her surcoat, she pulled forth a small, silken pouch. Taking Cambria’s hand, she opened the pouch and poured the contents into Cambria’s palm. A golden brooch suddenly came into focus, gleaming in the weak light of the chamber. It was of a flower design, with yellow stones in it, and Cambria gasped in delight.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, holding it up for Liam to see. “Where did it come from?”
Annaleigh watched Liam carefully grasp it and hold it up to the light. “It belonged tae William’s mother, Adalira,” she said. “She wasna born in England, but in a faraway country where a flower like this grows. William told me that the brooch is hundreds of years old and has been in his mother’s family all that time. All the way back tae the beginning of the world, she told him.”
“It’s beautiful,” Liam said, turning it over and seeing something on the back. “What’s this writing?”
Annaleigh smiled at him. “It’s not from this land,” she said. “It says ‘love is the beginning of forever’ in the Saracen language. William’s mother was half Saracen, ye see. From an ancient family with ancient bloodlines. He told me that she died whenhe was quite young and this was the only thing he had of her, so guard it well. It is meant tae be cherished.”
Cambria had it back in her hands now, inspecting it. When she looked up again, there were tears in her eyes.
“I have nothing from my ancient bloodlines,” she said. “Royal bloodlines that go back for centuries, yet all I have of that is who I am. I cannot even be called by my real name. All of that was taken from me, and although I do not regret the life I have or the people I love, I do regret having nothing that was part of my past. But this… this is part of Liam’s past, from a woman who passed it to her son because it was precious to her. It represented those who went before her. I shall always treasure it as a representative of those who lived and loved.”
Annaleigh smiled, giving her a hug and kissing her on the cheek. “It has been a beautiful day,” she murmured, blowing her son a kiss. “Make tonight the beginning of yer forever.”
With that, she was gone, shutting the door quietly behind her. Liam went to the panel and threw the bolt before turning to his wife.
“Well?” he said. “Do you want to eat something? I do not think you have eaten very much today.”
Cambria shook her head. “I haven’t,” she said. “But I am not terribly hungry.”
She was still clutching the gold brooch, looking at it as she wandered toward the hearth. He was just picking up a cup of wine, but when he noticed how close she was to the flame in her voluminous dress, he stopped her.
“Wait,” he said, setting the cup down and going to her. “Back up from that fire. It would not be conducive to a glorious wedding night if your dress went up in flames, so let’s get you out of it and then you can wander as you like.”
Cambria snorted. “That is an original excuse.”
He was already going to work on unfastening the stays on her back. “Excuse for what?”
“Getting me out of this dress.”
He started to laugh. “It is working, is it not?” he said. “Worse still, you fell for it. You carry the blame for shedding your wedding dress, not I.”
She giggled as he finished with the stays in the back, buffeting her around as he went for the ones on her right side. With everything loosened, she was able to step out of the dress without a problem. He picked it up and laid it on a chair near the wardrobe as she went to her dressing table and put the brooch in a small box that contained her jewelry.
“There,” she said. “The brooch is safe.”
He smiled at her, hands on hips as he looked her over in her shift. “It was sweet of my mother to give that to us,” he said. “Not that I need a brooch to tell me that our love will last forever, because I know that already. But the sentimental value of the piece is priceless.”
Cambria went to sit down to remove her shoes. “I must say that it is quite generous of the dowager Lady Warenton to embrace your father and your family as she has,” she said. “Honestly, Liam, if a woman came to me in twenty years and told me that she had your child before we knew one another, I’m not entirely sure how I would react.”
