Meredith remembered the way she had suffered when Brice had lingered near death"s door. Seeking to comfort him she placed her hand over his.
"You need worry no longer, my lord. I am home now. And I am here to stay."
A look of pain crossed his handsome features and she longed to draw him close and ease his suffering. Instead she asked,
"Why is my throat so constricted?"
"You do not remember?"
At her arched brow he said softly,
"Gareth MacKenzie cut your throat."
She touched a hand to the dressing that covered the wound.
"And Gareth?"
"Dead."
She seemed to take a long time to let that fact sink in. She remembered the horrified look on Brice"s face as he yanked her free of Gareth"s grasp. But nothing more. Neither the pain nor the panic.
In a voice still softened by sleep she whispered,
"Leave me, Brice, and take your rest. Tis over at last. Now we can all live in peace."
Peace. He watched, tormented, as her lids fluttered, then closed. How could he have forgotten her position as leader of her clan? He had foolishly nurtured the dream of making her his bride and uniting then- clans. But she was a Borderer, whose gentle, rolling countryside was a battleground that divided Scotland and England. And he was a Highlander, whose people depended upon his leadership for their very survival in a harsh environment. His father had been brutally taken from them. It would not be fair to leave them without a leader again.
Neither of them could go with the other and leave their people leaderless.
Brenna, who had paused in the doorway, reluctant to intrude, now walked to the bedside and touched a hand to her sister"s forehead.
"Already the healing has begun. With rest she will soon be as strong as before."
She was surprised to see the stricken look on Brice"s face.
"I.
thought that would make you happy, my lord Campbell."
"Aye. I am delighted that Meredith is regaining her strength." He stood wearily.
"But now that I know she will survive, I must leave."
"Rest here a few days, my lord, until Meredith is strong enough to speak with you. From what I know of your time together in the Highlands, you have much to talk over."
So she had confided in her sisters.
He shook his head and ran a hand over the beard that darkened his chin.
"She has already spoken. She desires to live in her home in peace."
"I heard her words," Brenna said softly.
"But when she is stronger..."
"When she is stronger," Brice said firmly, "she will unite her people and rebuild that which Gareth MacKenzie sought to destroy. And I," he said, strapping on his sword and tossing a cape over his shoulder, "
"have a clan depending upon me as well. I have left them leaderless long enough."
"Meredith will wish to thank you, Brice."
He took Brenna"s hands in his and kissed her cheek.
II.
"Thanks are not necessary. It is my fault that she has been j denied her home for so long now. Tell her only that I..."
He stopped abruptly as Angus and Megan walked into the room. With a wry smile he said,
"Tell Meredith that I wish her every happiness."
In a low voice the others could not hear Brenna asked, "Do you love her, Brice?"
"Aye. With all my heart. And for that reason I must leave her. She has a duty. As do I."
"You once said that you would even risk losing her if it meant her happiness."
He said nothing.
Brenna and Megan watched as Brice strode quickly from the room without a backward glance. Within minutes he and Angus could be seen urging their mounts into a gallop toward the river Tweed.
With a heavy heart Brenna draped an arm about her sister"s shoulder.
The two sisters stood at the balcony window and watched until both figures disappeared into the Highland mists.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Brice leaned a hip against the window of his balcony and watched as a falcon slowly circled, searching for prey.
From below stairs came the sad, sorrowful sounds of Jamie"s lute. For days now the lad"s music seemed to mirror Brice"s feelings.
What had he once told Meredith? That he had never felt lonely in his Highland fortress. He gave a bitter laugh and lifted his face to the sky, seeing the falcon"s mate suddenly appear. The two birds soared together, looking as though they could touch the sun. Then they suddenly swooped, skimming low to the ground before once more lifting, soaring, until they were lost from view.
He felt a terrible, aching sense of loss.
Ever since he had returned to Kinloch House he had felt restless and irritable. In his absence the great hall had been restored. The women had completed the new tapestries, relating the proud history of the Campbells. Tradesmen in the villages had made new chairs, tables, and settles. Weavers had provided fresh linens. The castle sparkled under the loving care of Mistress Snow and the servants, who filled it with the fresh scents of mint and evergreen.
It was so empty.