Highland Love Song (DeWinter's Song 2) (27 page)

"You said this isn't Ian Maclvors's doing?"

"Ian allowed it after being persuaded that it was the right thing to do."

Warrick stepped to the carriage and ran a trembling hand over the cold stone. "At last, Gwendolyn, you have come home." He glanced up at the young man, whom he judged to be no more than sixteen. "I don't know who you are, but I'm grateful to you."

"If you have no objections, my lord, I would like to remain for your sister's burial."

"May I ask your name?"

"Let's just say I'm someone who wants to see justice done."

Warrick nodded. "Reason enough. Yes, you may attend my sister's burial."

"I have a message for you. There is proof that Lady Gwendolyn did not take her own life. She died by accident."

A tremor shook Warrick's body, and he looked quickly toward the horizon as his eyes misted. "Praise be to God, it is as I'd hoped."

His gaze moved back to the young gentleman. "Whoever you are, you have my eternal gratitude."

Warrick then turned to the stable boy, who looked on in puzzlement. "Ride as fast as you can, Tam, and alert the clan that today we bury my sister."

Warrick knelt while Gwendolyn's body was placed in the stone vault along with untold numbers of Glencarins who had gone before her. The villagers gathered around, their heads bent in prayer.

Michael stood apart from the clan as it buried one of its own. He had purposely asked to stay so he could study Lord Warrick. He saw much to admire in the man Arrian loved. He also thought it was right that they should be together, especially since she was having his baby.

When the ceremony was over and the clan members dispersed, Warrick came to Michael. "You have come a long way. Will you sup with me?"

In truth, Michael wanted to know more about this man, but he dared not remain longer. He'd promised his mother he would return immediately. "I have a long journey ahead of me and I must leave at once."

Warrick ordered Tam to saddle his horse because he wanted to ride alongside his mysterious guest to make certain that no well-meaning clansman took it into his head to harm the lad.

They rode together in silence until they came to the crossroad, then Warrick reined in his horse.

"At first I couldn't think who you were, and then I realized you had to be Arrian's brother, Lord Michael."

"I am."

"I can't say that you favor your sister, but you have the same green eyes as your mother."

"I'm told I favor my father."

Warrick used his powerful leg muscles to control Titus. "Is your sister well?"

There was a serious expression on Michael's face. "As well as one would expect since she is with child."

"So it's true."

"I can assure you it is."

"Is it also true that she works to set aside the marriage?"

"As to that, you will have to find out Monday next in Edinburgh. I understand you will be meeting with Ian and Lord Thorndike."

"Will your sister be present?"

"I shouldn't think so. I don't believe my parents would allow it."

"Well, young Michael, I haven't met a member of your family thus far that I haven't liked."

"I'll carry the message to my mother and sister."

"Arrian was the one who convinced Ian to return my sister's remains, wasn't she?"

"Yes, she was."

"She was also the one who discovered how Gwendolyn died, wasn't she?"

"Arrian can be most persuasive when she feels strongly about something."

"So I've learned."

Michael held out his hand. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, my lord."

They shook hands. "It has indeed, Lord Michael."

"Is there anything you wish me to convey to my sister?"

Warrick's eyes took on a sudden sorrowfulness, but he only smiled. "No. I have nothing to say to her, except to thank her for what she has done on behalf of my sister."

"Is that all, my lord?"

"I will have a proposal to put before your sister after the meeting with Ian Maclvors and Lord Thorndike. But not knowing what the outcome will be, I can't approach her at this time."

Michael turned his horse onto the road. "Good-bye, Lord Warrick. I believe we shall meet again."

26

Unlike the first meeting with Lord Thorndike, where Ian arrived first, Warrick was there an hour before the others. He sat at the council table, his hands folded, his eyes reflecting nothing of what he was feeling.

He had little doubt that today he would be stripped of title and land, and his clan would scatter to the winds. One did not expect the king to overlook a transgression committed against the daughter of the duke of Ravenworth.

No matter what happened today, Warrick had decided to take his sentence without comment. He would make no excuses and would beg no pardon of anyone.

Ian Maclvors sauntered in, followed by his brother, Jamie. Ian's eyes were hard when he looked at Warrick.

"Today is the day I have waited for with great relish, Glencarin. I didn't have to do anything to bring you down." Ian beamed with satisfaction. "Fool that you are, you brought about your own destruction this time."

Warrick stood slowly, his eyes cold and threatening. "I came here today because I was commanded to—but I don't have to listen to the croaking of a bastard."

Ian laughed. "I, a bastard? No, Warrick, you have it wrong. You were surely speaking of your—"

At that moment the door was thrown open and Lord Thorndike entered, carrying his leather satchel. He said nothing as he settled his spectacles on the bridge of his nose and fumbled through his papers until he found what he needed.

"Lord Ian, Lord Warrick, I didn't expect to see the two of you again this soon. It seems nothing will stop this feud between the two of you except His Majesty."

Ian put himself between the mediator and Warrick. "Did the king read my complaint? Is he prepared to act upon it today?"

"With a matter of this great import, you can be sure it was brought to His Majesty's attention as soon as it came to me. You made very serious charges indeed, Lord Ian. I went to Ravenworth to confer with the duke to authenticate your charges. Unfortunately His Grace was not at home."

"The duke of Ravenworth is a guest in my home this very moment, Lord Thorndike."

The mediator looked startled. "Was it not the duke's wish to appear here today?"

"This is Scotland, not England." Ian said, strutting to the table and sitting down. He hooked his thumbs in his belt and leaned back. "His Grace preferred to leave these proceedings to me, and of course to your good judgment."

Lord Thorndike's attention turned to Lord Warrick, who had stood silent and brooding. "Are you aware of the new charges against you, my lord?"

"I can imagine."

"Shall we all be seated around the table so we can get on with the proceedings? I have no liking for this and would see it to its conclusion today."

Ian smiled at Warrick but spoke to Lord Thorndike. "All you have to do is hear the circumstances and you'll quickly decide that Lord Warrick has committed a grievous wrong."

Lord Thorndike's expression was serious. "The charges against you, Lord Warrick, are serious indeed. You are accused of abducting Lady Arrian DeWinter."

Warrick leaned forward and folded his arms across the table. "The charge is false as it stands. Lady Arrian was traveling through Glencarin with her aunt, Lady Mary Rindhold, when their carriage overturned and they were brought to Ironworth Castle in a snowstorm. Had they not been rescued by my people, they would both have died in that storm."

Lord Thorndike exchanged glances with Ian. "Is that the truth?"

Ian traced the pattern of velvet on the cuff of his coat. "When I wrote you the letter I believed that my bride-to-be and her aunt had been taken by force. I have since learned that the carriage did indeed overturn." I see.

"But that does not alter the facts of what this man did to Lady Arrian while she was under his protection," Ian said.

Warrick held up his hand, realizing for the first time that what he had done to Arrian might cause her shame in England. "Can I assume anything that is said here today will not go outside this room? I would not like Lady Arrian's name sullied."

"I'm glad you are concerned for Lady Arrian's welfare," Lord Thorndike said. "As it is, Lord Ian has already petitioned me to keep these proceedings sealed so that no damage will be done to Lady Arrian's reputation. I take it that is agreeable with you, Lord Warrick?"

Warrick nodded.

Lord Thorndike cleared his throat. "I shall go on with the charges." He raised his eyes to Warrick. "As I previously stated, the charges herein are most serious, Lord Warrick. I warn you beforehand that, should they prove true, you will be stripped of your title by order of His Majesty. There might even be criminal charges brought against you if the parties involved deem it to be appropriate."

"I understand," Warrick answered, his voice devoid of feeling.

"Did you or did you not force the Lady Arrian into a marriage that was not of her choosing?"

"Why don't you ask me, Lord Thorndike?" a woman's voice spoke up. "I can tell you exactly what happened."

All eyes turned to the doorway, where Arrian stood casually removing her gloves. The man behind her helped her out of her cape and draped it over a chair.

Warrick watched Arrian move gracefully across the room, followed by the tall, aristocratic-looking man who could only be her father, the duke.

Lord Thorndike scrambled to his feet. "Your Grace, I did not expect to see you here today."

"Why not, Thorndike? This meeting involves my daughter," Raile said, his eyes falling for the first time on the man who had caused his daughter so much unhappiness.

Raile and Warrick stared at each other until Lord Thorndike spoke up. "I don't know if the two of you are acquainted. Lord Warrick, may I present His Grace, the duke of Raven worth."

Each man acknowledged the other with the slightest nod.

Lord Thorndike offered Arrian a chair. "Is it your wish to bear witness here today, my lady?"

Arrian had not yet looked at Warrick. "It is. I'm sorry if I have caused any inconvenience."

"No, not at all, my lady."

The duke sat beside Arrian, his presence overshadowing everyone else. "When my daughter makes up her mind about something, Lord Thorndike, she's like her mother. Arrian insisted on being here today and I agreed that she should be heard."

The king's representative was puzzled as to what to do next. "How is Her Grace?"

"She is well and sends her regards." Raile's eyes became hard. "I want you to know that this meeting was none of my doing. Had I heard about it in time, I would have put a stop to it." His eyes bore into Ian. "I will not have my daughter's good name tarnished in any way."

Ian squirmed beneath the heated gaze of the duke.

Lord Thorndike spoke up. "I'm glad you've come, Your Grace. Now we can get the problem solved in short order. When I received the complaint from Lord Ian, I took it right to His Majesty, and he instructed me to act upon it immediately. If I'd found you in residence when I called on you, the hearings would not have gone this far."

"I would have preferred that William had consulted me before engaging you in this action," Raile said. The fact that he had called the king by his first name was lost on no one in the room. Again his eyes met Ian's. "I learned of the meeting only this morning when my daughter came to me."

"What would you have me do?" Lord Thorndike asked.

Raile gazed at his daughter and then at Lord Warrick. "I'm not pleased with either Lord Ian or Lord Warrick. And especially not Lord Warrick."

Warrick had been staring at Arrian, and his gaze moved to the duke. "I care little about your goodwill, Your Grace."

Now Raile's words were hard. "You should, because I'll deal personally with you later. But for now, will you and my daughter explain why you couldn't wait to be married until her mother and I arrived? Did it not occur to you that, as a father, I would want to attend my only daughter's wedding?"

Warrick was struck dumb. He had come here expecting to see his world collapse about him. Until now, he'd hated all Englishmen. But this one, for reasons unknown to him, had just saved him from the English king's harsh judgment.

Ian jumped to his feet. "Surely you aren't going to pretend that you approve of this marriage when we all know it to be a farce, Your Grace. I'll not have it!"

Raile glared at Ian, but his words were for the king's mediator. "Lord Thorndike, I will never understand the young people of today. They are so impulsive. And as for young women," he gazed at Arrian, "they can never quite make up their minds whom they want to marry. It seems first she wants one and then marries another. It wasn't that way in our day, was it?"

"No, it wasn't, Your Grace. We were all aware that Lady Arrian was coming to Scotland to marry Lord Ian."

"And so she was. Can you explain the workings of a woman's heart? I certainly cannot."

Lord Thorndike shook with laughter. "No, Your Grace, I can't either. I have five daughters of my own, and I never know what mischief they will get into next."

Raile looked down at Arrian. "Thank the good Lord I have only one daughter."

Ian was furious. "I will not stand here and listen to lies. We all know what happened and what that man did to Arrian. She belongs to me and I won't give her up!"

"Ian, I would advise you to control yourself. I am going to assume that you are overwrought because my daughter chose Lord Warrick over you. It's understandable, and you will be forgiven for the insults you spoke."

Ian shrank away from the dark look in Raile's eyes. "She still belongs to me, Your Grace." Ian turned to Warrick, who had not spoken a word. "We have not finished, Glencarin. We shall certainly meet again." He turned toward the door and stalked out, leaving Jamie to hurry after him.

"I'm sorry you were inconvenienced, Lord Thorndike," Raile said, slapping the king's man on the back. "Lord Ian is suffering from rejection. I believe that after he's had time to reconsider, he'll come to realize his petition to you was a mistake."

Arrian stared into Warrick's eyes and saw only confusion.

Warrick stood up, his mind unable to grasp the significance of the moment. He watched Raile DeWinter and Lord Thorndike move across the room, deep in conversation.

"I never expected you to be here today, Arrian."

Her eyes were shining as she looked at him. He looked thinner and haggard, as if he had not been sleeping. "I had to come, Warrick."

"But why? You owed me nothing."

"No matter the reason, you are the father of my unborn child, and I don't want my baby to grow up knowing its father is in prison. My mother and father agreed that you should not be judged and punished by His Majesty or Lord Thorndike."

"So it's true about the child." His eyes dropped to her stomach. She wore a full gown, so it was impossible to see if she was with child. "I haven't the words to tell you how I feel, Arrian."

Uncertainty reflected in her eyes. "And there's the pity. Between us we created a life, Warrick, and still we have nothing to say to one another."

He stared at the ceiling until he could bring his emotions under control. "I want to say so much." His voice came out in a raspy whisper. It seemed that at the most important moment of his life he had no words to express his true feelings.

Arrian had hoped he would at least be happy about the baby, but apparently he was not. She wanted only to make a hasty departure, but first she had to close the door on this part of her life forever.

"I'll say it for you, Warrick, and save you the trouble. What happened between us is over. Our lives touched for a brief moment in time. The only lasting effect is the new life we created."

"I still don't understand why you came here today."

"Surely you didn't think I would let our marriage be put aside and leave my child without a legitimate name."

Warrick swallowed hard. "Yes, of course." His voice came out in an even tone. "That's why you did this. I can see the legitimacy of the child would be a great concern to you and your family."

"Of course it is. Does it not matter to you, Warrick?"

"I've thought of little else."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence until Arrian spoke. "I must be leaving now."

"Will you one day want to marry Ian?"

"No. I have found we are not suited."

Warrick let out his breath. "Arrian, I want to thank you for having my sister's body returned to me."

She made a great show of working her fingers into her gloves. She wished her hands would stop trembling. "It was little enough to do, Warrick."

"Will you be returning to Davinsham?"

"No. My family and I sail tomorrow at first light for England. I'm going home."

He took in every detail of her face, wanting to burn it into his memory. "You will let me know about the child?"

She wanted him to hold her and tell her he was happy about the baby, but of course he didn't. "I'll send you word when the child is born."

There was concern in his eyes. "You are feeling well?"

"My health is good."