“Princess Emlyn, welcome to our home. I’m Bree and these are our children. Sunny is the tall lass.”
The girl curtseyed. “Are you really a princess? You don’t look akin to one.”
Emlyn laughed because she certainly didn’t appear as a princess garbed in her manly breeches and tunic. “Some may say I’m a princess, but I don’t deem to be.”
“Sunny, that is not a question to ask of our guest. The two younger are Grace and Greer. Be careful around them. They often cause ye to lose your footing.”
The children were wee versions of their parents. It had been sometime since Emlyn had been around lads and lasses of such an age.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Gunn.”
“Call me Bree. I hear you stayed with Alys and Joseph. How are they? I haven’t seen Alys since last autumn.”
“Aye they were very hospitable and are well.” Emlyn was surprised that the lady and James’ mother visited each other. She’d heard there was strife between James’ family and that of the Gunn clan, but she didn’t ask questions since it was none of her affair.
“There is no need to be formal, Emlyn. Come, we shall go where the men’s ears are not so prevalent. And you can tell me this far-fetched story of how you saved James. For I disbelieve it. James is usually the one doing the saving.”
Emlyn turned toward the door and saw James standing there watching her with his deep brown eyes. She sighed before moving ahead when Bree linked her arm with hers.
*****
As soon as James took a seat at the large trestle table, Grey plied him with questions. He was in no mood to placate his laird and was beginning to get a headache.
“Do you wish to see Catherine? Why isn’t your leg healing? What the hell happened? How were you captured? I want a full accounting of the details.”
“Nay,” he said in answer to the first question about the healer. “I don’t need a healer.” James didn’t deem their clan’s healer could do anything more for him that hadn’t already been done. He shook his head and took the cup offered by Bea, the keep’s maid. He gave her a smile in greeting.
Grey cleared the hall with a wave of his hand. Three maids took the children away, but before Sunny departed, she ran to him and hugged him.
He clasped the sweet lass in his arms. “I’ve missed ye, lass. You’re getting taller and look well.”
She released him and smiled as she followed the maids from the hall. Sunny didn’t speak much and still maintained her shyness. She was sired by Greer, their comrade, who died protecting Bree from a foe. Grey and Bree raised her as their own, but she much resembled her father and that made James think of his friend.
Duff entered the hall and held out his hand as he stood next to him. “Give it back.”
James shook his head.
“Nay?” Duff said incredulously.
“I told you I was going to keep it and give to Ranal when he reaches training. Did ye forget?” James threw his bad leg upon the chair next to him with a bang and winced at the shot of pain that reverberated. “I got it right here in my boot.”
His friend laughed and sat across from him. “Aye you’ll be his champion. I did forget you spoke your wish. Ranal could do with no finer champion.”
Duff’s words humbled him and James raised his cup in honor. “I actually forgot about it too until I saw you.” James felt an ease of contentment come over him at being home. He’d missed his friends, the keep, and the land. It was good to be home, but he was a changed man and didn’t know how his life could continue as it had. For he was in no condition to guard anyone, least of all his laird or his family.
Grey pulled on his tunic sleeve. “I take it you didn’t win the lass’ favor?”
The contentment he’d felt was replaced with the frustration he’d experienced in the past weeks when dealing with Emlyn. “Nay I did not.”
“Why the hell not?” Duff asked.
“I told her of her father’s betrothal, and she didn’t take it well. She’d rather be off to war. I’m hesitant to broach the subject of marriage with her.” James would only admit such a flaw to his friends. He wasn’t one to be sullen, but this entire situation caused his apprehension.
Grey chortled and practically spit out the sip of ale he’d taken. “What has you afeared?”
“Her rejection. She will not accept the role of wife to anyone, least of all a man who cannot walk without limping.”
Grey’s face turned grave. “Your injury is that serious? James, you are and always will remain one of the best guardsmen this clan has ever had. It matters not.”
He was humbled again, and shook his head. “But it is not enough to win her or her heart. Aye, it matters greatly to me.”
“What will it take?” Duff asked.
James sighed, for he was damned if he knew. “She wants to be a warrior and to fight with her father’s army against Marshall. There is nothing I can do to win her.”
“Christ Almighty,” Duff said, “I wouldn’t allow my wife to take to arms.”
“Therein rests my problem. She won’t give up on her desire to be a warrior and I won’t allow my wife to use arms. Mayhap I should let her return to her father.” And even as the words left his lips he regretted saying such. He was not wont to let her go. Not now, not ever. But he didn’t have the means to support her now what with his injury and with that of her desire to take to warfare.
“It is not like you to give up so easily, James.” Grey sat back and eyed him curiously.
“There’s no answer to this dilemma. Believe me. I’ve thought long and hard over it for the past few weeks, for that’s all I had to occupy myself. The woman is stubborn and insists only she can save her family.”
“I say take her to the cottage Bree and I use when we wish to be alone. Keep her there until she sees reason. Sometimes you must force a woman to accept your will and in the end they are appeased.”
Both he and Duff laughed at Grey’s remark.
“When have you ever forced Bree to accept your will? Is that what you did to win Bree’s hand? I seem to recall it differently.” James laughed, knowing he spoke falsely for his laird’s wife ruled the keep, but Grey would have it no other way.
“Cosh, don’t remind me. For those were troubling times then and thank God Almighty I was able to convince her to accept me.” Grey finished off his drink and slammed his cup on the table.
“I’ll take ye up on the offer of the cottage.” James wanted to be alone with her and hadn’t been the entire time he was held up at his father’s farmstead. Emlyn avoided being alone with him and he knew why.
“Use it to woo her,” Grey said.
Duff grinned. “Do you need pointers?”
James would’ve laughed, but Duff was not one to jest with and he didn’t want to make banter of his remark even though it was laughable. Besides, Duff had his own troubles wooing his wife Cait, and it took a long time for his friend to accept and commit. “Neither of you are able to help me, I promise you.”
Grey looked up and signaled them to silence when the women returned.
“Have ye heard from Sean or Colm?” James hastily changed the subject.
“Aye. Frances bore Sean a son. His message was joyful. She’s well.”
“That is good news. Nothing from Colm?” James asked.
“Nay, but he’s likely helping Kenneth ready the clan for the planting season. I’m sure Colm will send word when his bairn is born.” Grey sat back and eyed him curiously.
James rose from his seat and went to the buttery and dunked the flagon into the barrel. He limped back to the table and set it down in front of Grey. His laird refilled their cups.
“I would’ve gotten it, James.”
“I needed to stretch. Besides, I can walk, just not afar.”
Emlyn appeared and was dressed in a bonny gown. Her hair was arranged with a golden woven headdress. She looked beautiful and James couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He stilled as she approached, and swore his heart fell from his chest when she smiled at him.