Page 62 of Forgotten Secrets (Secrets of the Heart 4)

Chapter 20

As soon as they got to the gate and through the crowd, Morag saw her father as well as her mother, brothers, and Fia with her baby. They were in the courtyard talking with Willow, Rook, and Maira, and it was obvious they had just arrived.

“Oh no! It’s my da,” Morag said, holding on to Bedivere from behind. As soon as he stopped the horse they both dismounted.

Reed looked up and his face clouded over when he saw Morag riding with Bedivere.

“Morag, come here,” Reed ground out, motioning her over with a wave of his arm.

“Go on,” said Bedivere. “I’ll get to the solar and stop anything bad from happening to your Uncle Rowen. Hopefully, I’m not too late.”

“Bedivere, dinna leave me alone with my faither,” whispered Morag. “I ken that look on his face and the angry tone of his voice. Someone must have told him that we are betrothed and he doesna like it.”

“If I stay here, Rowen will die.”

“Then I’ll come with ye.” She gripped his arm tightly for support.

“Be strong, Morag. I’ll be back to talk to your father, but first I’ve got a job to do. If you slow me down, I might not get there in time.”

“Then go,” she told him, releasing his arm and slowly raising her chin. “I will do this on my own.”

As soon as Bedivere ran off toward the keep, Reed stormed up, looking madder than hell.

“Da, I am so glad ye decided to come to Rothbury after all.” Morag reached up and kissed her father on the cheek. “I think ye might win the earl’s holdin’s.”

“I am no’ here for castles and lands. I only came because I am worried about ye and so is yer mathair.”

“Now, Reed, I heard that,” said Morag’s mother, Maggie, walking up with Fia, holding her baby. “That’s no’ true. Ye were the only one worried about our daughter.”

“Fia, ye came and brought the bairn.” Morag hugged her sister and gave the baby a kiss on the cheek.

“I wasna goin’ to miss yer weddin’,” said Fia.

“Oh. Ye heard.”

“Of course we heard,” spat Reed. “Branton told us ye were kissin’ Sir Bedivere.”

“Branton,” she said under her breath, looking at him talking with her cousins and brothers across the courtyard. He looked up, smiled, and waved.

“I kent ye were goin’ to end up marryin’ him,” said Fia. “And when we got here and Willow told us ye were betrothed, I realized I was right.”

“Willow told ye?” She glared at Willow across the courtyard next. Willow raised her chin and looked the other way, pretending not to see her. “Faither, it is true I am goin’ to marry Bedivere. He is a verra nice man and will take care of me and protect me, so ye dinna have to worry.”

“Protect ye?” Reed’s face turned red and his hands balled up into fists. He leaned over and his face came close when he spoke. “I hear the man is an assassin. He’ll kill ye is what he’ll do.”

“Dinna believe gossip, Da.”

“Is it true?” asked her mother. “Willow told us his secret.”

“Willow is naught but a gossip,” answered Morag, shooting her cousin a dirty glance.

“Morag, what kind of trouble are ye courtin’?” asked Fia, bouncing her baby on her hip. “Ye had better be careful. Ye dinna want to marry a man like that.”

“Me? Fia, ye married the man who kidnapped ye. I dinna think ye should be judgin’ me.”

“I’m goin’ to kill Bedivere before he touches ye.” Reed squinted his eyes and pursed his mouth. “He hasna touched ye, Morag, has he?”

Morag’s stomach clenched and she felt as if she were going to retch. She wrapped her arms around her and looked to the ground. What had she been thinking, sending Branton with a missive to bring her father here? And why had she let Bedivere talk her into signing up her father and uncles when all it did was put their lives in danger? She wanted to tell her father everything, but it wasn’t her place to do so. She needed Bedivere by her side. Plus, she didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize the life of his poor mother.

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