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Since she was so innocent, she couldn’t possibly kno her touch affected hi her how crazed she could make him
He caught up with her as she was opening Rogue’s stall He reached around her and kicked the gate shut, then ordered her guards to leave Without questioning, they filed outside and waited at the stable doors
Colentle as he forced her to turn around and face him There were tears in her eyes
“You are not leaving,” he told her
“As you say”
“No, you are not leaving me”
“But Colm—”
“You are not leaving me” His voice shook with emotion
She pushed against his chest, but she couldn’t budge him “I cannot stay here,” she cried out “I can’t I won’t be able to stop chasing you and kissing you and de me, but you can’t, Col I want” She took a breath and whispered, “And I want you”
And there it was, out in the open for hione co She knew she’d shocked hi her heart out to him It was unseemly for a lady to admit she felt passion, but it was too late to take the words back, and Gabrielle wouldn’t have wanted to anyway
“You say you cannot marry me, and I will accept your decision,” she said “But if I stayed, it wouldn’t matter if ere married or not I would still chase you, and eventually I would wear you down You could not get away from me”
He stroked the side of her face with the back of his hand as he struggled to find the words to give her “There are times I don’t knohat to think of you You constantly astoundin return I offer you e, and you worry that I will ruin h Hell, and you show only kindness Now you think I reject you, and you open your heart to me I don’t kno thisthe rest of my life without you I want you, Gabrielle, and I will not wait five months to have you We will marry now”
THE WEDDING WOULD TAKE PLACE IN TWO WEEKS IT WAS AS long as Col to wait, and he believed fourteen days was h time to prepare for the celebration
Maurna and Willa were frantic Everything needed to be perfect for their laird and his bride Maurna took charge of the wo while Willa and her helpers begantheir special recipes There would be pheasant, fully dressed and tris; pullets, of course—four dozen would do nicely—meat pies; and berry tarts Honey would be mixed in almost every sweet dessert The best ould be served
“You’ll be a vision,down the stairs in your finery,” Maurna said “Father Gelroy will hear you say your vows outside in the courtyard There will be pretty flowers to garnish your hair and more floill be strewn in a circle around you and our laird, and the priest as well Father thought the ceremony should take place at Arbane Abbey As he explained, you are a princess of St Biel and should have a royal wedding, but our laird wouldn’t hear of it He isn’t explaining why, but Willa and I think it’s because he knows his clan would want to join in the celebration”
“It will be a grand day,” Willa predicted, “and here before you know it”
The best-laid plans had a way of changing
GABRIELLE RECEIVED JOYOUS NEWS fro to tell her that he had received a e from Baron Geoffrey
“Your father is well He has not been har, nor have his estates been seized He knows that you are living with the MacHugh clan, and he wants you to know that he will be here soon to see you, and to explain what happened with the king
“There isat Col home with him”
“He knows I have been banned Why would land with him?” she said
Brodick had no answer
Not an hour later, while Colm and Brodick discussed the trouble the new Monroe laird was stirring up, one of the MacHugh soldiers on duty at the drawbridge caate of the courtyard to announce that an envoy fro permission to speak to Lady Gabrielle
“There are a bishop and three other holywith the envoy,” he said “They insist that you ant to hear what they have to say They brought a scroll with theift for Lady Gabrielle”
“And soldiers?” Col’s soldiers as well?”
“He did, Laird Twelve in all They have already placed their weapons on the ground to show their good intentions”
Colood intentions”
Cole, but Brodick urged him to reconsider “Aren’t you curious to knohat they have to say? And if you don’t like what you hear, you could always—” He stopped when he realized Gabrielle was listening
Colave his order: the soldiers would remain outside, but the others could come forward
The shout to lower the bridge echoed down to the guards
“Gabrielle, go inside,” Colm said
“As you say”
She wanted to stay She was as curious as Brodick to find out what the envoy had to say, but she would not oppose Colm in front of his ally and friend Besides, she knew protesting wouldn’t do any good Once Cole his mind
Although no coan to line up on either side of the worn path froe to the courtyard Most were arht they were being overly cautious What harm could one envoy, some holy men, and a handful of servants cause? None of the priests or servants would be armed, and the envoy would not dare to carry a sword To do so would be a grave insult to the laird
Stephen appeared at Gabrielle’s shoulder and explained as happening as they made their way into the castle “It is believed that the procession is co you away The clan knows there are English soldiers waiting outside the walls, and word has spread that the envoy brings news to you He could be carrying an order for you to return to England” He nodded toward the hs are letting it be known that they will not let you be taken away froht”
“These men came here unarmed, and are few at that,” she said
“But they will report back to the soldiers waiting outside the walls, and those soldiers will tell King John what has happened here today”
“There has been so much deceit of late How can we even be certain the envoy co John?”
“We ravely
Just as he reached for the door, Liam pulled it open and came outside He nodded to Gabrielle, stepped aside so that she could pass, then crossed the courtyard to take his place beside his brother
They were a fearsoht Colm stood in the middle of the warriors Liaht Christien and Lucien joined the line next to Braeden Faust went to the opposite side to stand beside Brodick
“Go and take your place with the others,” she said to Stephen “I will stay inside and cause you no worry”
Stephen bowed his head and turned to do as she asked
The door had just closed behind her when it was flung open again as Father Gelroy ran inside, looking like a pack of wild dogs was on his heels
“The bishop has come,” he told her, “and I’m not ready to receive him!”
He rushed ahead of her to the steps Then, rememberin
g courtesy, Gelroy stopped suddenly and let her go in front of him But as soon as they reached the second level, he cut around her and raced up the next flight He didn’t have tie his robes, but wanted to at least wipe the dust off and wash his hands and face
Gabrielle paced in the hall while she waited for someone to come and tell her the news
Panting from his haste, Father Gelroy joined her a moment later “I’m to stay with you until I am called outside Our laird will not allow felicitations until the envoy has explained the purpose of his visit”
“I would stand by theso that I would see what is happening,” said Gabrielle, “but those outside would also see me It would be unseemly”
“Aye, it would,” the holy reed
“And it would be wrong to try to overhear what is being said, but if you were to stand slightly closer to the , you couldn’t help but hear so if you were to just happen to walk toward the …”
Gelroy nodded “No, no, of course it wouldn’t be wrong, and I am certainly in need of fresh air”
The priest positioned hie of the ith the hope he wouldn’t be noticed
“I’m just in time to see the procession,” he reported “There is pomp and splendor The bishop is dressed in his rich finery, riding a docile horse He’s not a young man, but he’s not so old, either”
“And the envoy?”