Forbidden Heart (Hearts of the Highlands #6) - Paula Quinn Page 0,99
to King David?”
Instead of waiting for an answer, the steward spun around and lifted his blade. But he didn’t run toward his captain. He ran screeching at her.
Silene lifted the hem of her chemise over her calves and ran for her life. Her uncle was going to kill her. She had no doubt. She prayed to escape.
She turned for an instant to look over her shoulder. The steward was upon her, reaching for her.
And then Galeren was there, in the air over him. He’d bounded off a tree stump and fell on the steward as her uncle’s fingers curled around the neckline of her chemise.
The two men went down and took her with them.
They weren’t fighting. Something was terribly wrong.
She screamed when she saw that Galeren had landed on her uncle’s sword. The blade protruded from his back and flashed with blood in the morning sun.
He moved! He wasn’t dead! When he rose up on the steward, she saw the hilt against his belly to the right. It hadn’t seemed to cut through anything more than flesh and perhaps some bone.
She made the sign of the cross.
He swung around to hold his blade over the steward. But her uncle grasped the hilt sticking out of Galeren and began to twist it.
Silene knew the damage would be much worse in another moment. She was still holding Morgann’s knife. Without thought or plan, she fell with it upon her uncle’s chest, burying the blade deep.
She looked down at what she had done. She felt ill. She had just killed a man. But… her husband still lived. She felt his hand on her. He was alive.
It didn’t take Galeren’s men long to find them after a villager’s daughter told Lionell that she’d seen the captain riding off into the night.
After a quick examination by Padrig, he deemed the sword could be safely removed from his friend and proceed to pull it out. Mac had whisky in a pouch at his belt. They poured it on Galeren’s wound, then brought his horse back to him.
He couldn’t ride alone without slipping from the saddle. Padrig offered to ride with him and hold him up.
Thankfully, Morgann lived and was taken back to the stronghold with Mac.
Her uncle was dead. She had killed him. She was responsible for making his children fatherless. How would God ever forgive her? How would she ever forgive herself?
“Where is Will?” Padrig asked.
Her husband grimaced. “Padrig, he…he is dead.” He turned his head to look at Silene riding close by. She saw his eyes shimmer with unshed tears. Will. She lamented. Will was dead.
“How?” Padrig demanded. “Where is he?”
“At the cottage,” her husband told him, grimacing in pain, then holding up his hand to stop her when she would have ridden closer. “He was tryin’ to save me. I had been…knocked oot and tied to the bed. I couldna help him. I am sorry.”
Padrig hung his head. Silene loved her husband for not telling Padrig that Will had betrayed them.
“My love?” he said, turning to look at her, as if knowing what she had done and what it had done to her. “We will get through it together, aye?”
She smiled and nodded. Her life would never be the same, but she would be able to face it with God and her warrior husband at her side.
One month later…
Galeren let Lionell adjust his formal plaid. He was wedding Silene today for the second time in the sight of all his kin. His side only pained him a little. He’d developed an infection and had grown quite ill. But besides Silene, he had plenty of people looking after him who helped him grow better, stronger.
Silene also was growing better every day. With him and his kin, and, of course, Father Timothy constantly at her side, she smiled more and more. She’d spent much time with the priest, discussing her feelings and thoughts and praying with him. Father Timothy was a soothing balm.
Galeren didn’t mind that she went to the Lord with her troubles before she brought them to him. She was almost fully recovered and finally laughed with him at Daffodil jumping off the walls.
“Ready?” Lionell asked.
It was what he wanted over and above everything else—to spend the rest of his days with her. He nodded and followed his brother outside and to the church.
His kin were there waiting, as well as his men, Mac, Padrig, and Morgann. He’d forgiven Morgann since he himself had done the same thing, and because Morgann risked his