would put yer own life in danger to protect me? Aye. I am furious. If Mary had not confessed yer plan to travel to England, I may not have gotten to ye in time.”
“You did not go to England?”
“No, I know my wife better than that.” His expression softened, and anguish filled his eyes, and when he opened his mouth, he couldn’t speak.
Cora clutched at his body and buried her face in his shoulder, and he stroked her hair. “I did trust you. I didn’t at first, but when I realized the kind of man that you were, I knew that I could trust you, but if I told you what Innes was doing, you could have gotten yourself killed. To save the Thistles, I could have gotten you killed. To keep you safe, I could have gotten them killed. I couldn’t live with either of those. I did go to sacrifice myself to Innes. I had hoped to speak to Mac, hoped that he did not know what his brother was doing.”
“Ye knew that there was a chance that ye would not make it,” Alec whispered harshly. “Ye knew that ye could be sacrificing yerself. Cora, nothing in this world is worth yer life. Certainly not me.”
Filled with love, she simply held him. “Will you be mad long? I do not know that I could bare it. You left, and it broke my heart. Promise me that you will forgive me soon.”
“Cora.” He pulled out of his embrace and stared down at her, and instinctively, she feared what he would say next. “I did not stay away from ye because I was mad at ye. I thought it would be easier for me. Ye have found naught but misery here, and I wanted to give ye some peace. Some happiness. I was going to let ye leave with the Thistles. Live yer life in England with yer family.”
“You were what?” Pushing herself up, she glared at him.
“Ye deserve happiness. Ye deserve the choice to live as ye please. I wilnae abandon ye. Ye will get an allowance that will allow ye to live like a lady in England. If there is a bairn…” His voice broke and he put a hand over her belly. “If we have made a wee bairn, then we will both be a part of his or her life, but I wilnae force ye to stay here.”
“Alec Sinclair!” Absolutely furious, she pushed his hand away and nearly smacked him. Instead, she scrambled off the bed and started to pace. “I have thought many horrible things about you, but not once did I think you were an absolute idiot! Live in England? I am your wife! Aside from them, I love you. Despite you being a bloody moron, I absolutely adore you. I cannot imagine a life without you, and you think it will make me happy if you banish me?”
To his credit, Alec winced. “I suppose I deserve yer wrath, but if ye continue to shout, ye will wake the whole keep.”
“Good! I want them to wake up. I want them to witness this so you can never again doubt me. If you even dare try to send me away, I will simply come back. Again and again until I drive you so mad that you have no choice but to accept me because I know that you love me, and I am so bloody tired of people making decisions for me. To hell and back, Alec, I will be by your side.”
“I had no idea ye could swear so,” he said, but he was grinning like a fool.
Her heart swelled with love. “I am just getting started. Oh, Alec, tell me that you love me.”
“Aye, Cora. I am a bloody moron, but loving ye has been the wisest choice that I have ever made. If ye will stay with me and find yer happiness here, then I will never leave yer side. I swear it!”
“Tis about time!” Grace yelled, and Cora turned and gasped. The door was partly open. Walking over, she opened it the rest of the way and saw that the hallway was filled with people listening in. Grace grinned sheepishly from her spot on the ground. “We’ve been here all night, waiting to see if ye were going to stay with my idiot of a brother.”
Alec growled behind her, but Cora only laughed. They were the strangest mix of people. Sinclairs. MacKays. Servants. Guards. And the Thistles. All nodded at her