The Wellspring (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #12) - Diana Knightley Page 0,42
keep Quentin here, or if I need him with me, I will send Hammond tae guard this house, much like I have just done. We, ye and I, will do this until we ken the bairn are ready tae accompany us, or we ken they can be left without us. There will be a long time we are apart, mo reul-iuil. Ye ken I daena want it tae be this way, but ye hae been gone long from the bairn and this is the price we must pay.”
I watched his thumb as it rubbed up and down on my foot, soothing himself. It was hard for him to make proclamations like this, he wouldn’t know if he was deciding well.
A lump rose in my throat, but it was a moment when I had to think of the bigger picture: the bairn, the family, the kingdom, Magnus.
“I understand, but couldn’t you spend more time here than there, Lady Mairead is on your side—”
“Nae anymore, I canna trust her, she is the root cause of it all. She canna even trust herself.”
“Oh, right.”
“Besides, her heart inna in it. She wants tae be at grand parties in the past and she daena hae the temperament for managing a kingdom without a war. She is frustrated by my lack of brutality and is likely tae start a war out of boredom.” He smiled. “I will always come home, we just practiced it and it worked.”
“I think you’ll be exhausted by coming and going…”
“Aye, but twill keep ye safe with the bairn. Tis only until the bairn are ready tae come with us.”
“When would that be?”
He grinned widely. “Isla needs tae be able tae ride a horse.” He added, “Did ye see Archie on Sunny? He is a natural rider.”
I returned his grin, to set him at ease, to get us past this, onto plans and hope and a better future. “How old is that, two? A year from now?”
He said, “When she is ready, we will ken.”
“Okay, that makes sense. How long will you stay when you come home? A month?”
“Ye tell me, only remember we daena want me tae grow verra auld, daena make me stay here for years and there for years between.”
He joked, “Ye daena want me all bent over, m’girneywhibbles hangin’ low under my kilt.”
I laughed and stared off into space. “Wait, do we want that? I’m imagining it, maybe... you are pretty hot, maybe you’d be even hotter with your balls peeping under your hem, but also, let’s wait until you’re truly old instead of bringing it on early.”
“Tis a deal. I hae plenty of time for danglin’.”
I laughed. “We’ll decide as we go. Your priorities will be to keep the kingdom safe, stay young, love me, watch over the bairn. Phew, that’s a lot for you to manage.”
He shrugged. “Och, tis nae so hard—”
I crawled into his chair and fit my knees on either side of his hips and looked down on him from my perch above. “You, my love, are taking on too much.”
“Tis okay. I will rise tae the occasion.” He held my hips and pulled me down firmly to his lap.
We looked deep into each other’s eyes.
“And we can check in. We can make sure it’s okay as it goes, sound good?”
“Aye.”
“What do you want in return, how can I help you?”
He continued the deep gaze. “We will need ye tae help me remember things I may forget. Ye could make lists of what we need tae keep track of. Look out for discrepancies and note them. When I come and go, ye will help me remember the vessels.”
“I will do that, I will be keeper of the lists and the number, twenty-three.”
“Now twenty.”
“When you jump I’ll take the book from the painting for a few hours, then put it back. That’s what I did last time. I don’t know if that’s what kept the numbers straight, but we’ll do it going forward.”
“Aye, twill be yer job tae keep the record straight.”
“What else?”
He held my hips and wiggled me bouncing me on his lap. “Ye can give me proper welcome-homes.”
“Check, my pleasure.” I kissed him on his brow.
“Ye can take care of the horses when I am away, so I winna worry. I think if ye daena mind, I will take Osna with me, she is from the future, and she is a good horse. I ken I gave her—”
“Yes, take Osna, I like that she’ll be with you. What else?”