Enchanted Cottage (Avador Book 3, Books We Love Fantasy Romance) (8 page)

He pulled out a chair and sat down.
“That’s the strange thing about my purchase. Something drew me to this piece, almost like magic beckoning me.” He laughed. “Silly, I know. But something urged me to buy this bracelet for you.”

Overcome with emotion, she fought the tears that threatened to spill.
Despite her efforts, tears misted her eyes. So happy to have this cherished piece returned to her, she wanted to kiss him and hold him and tell him she never wanted him to leave. But she could neither do nor say what her heart wanted.

Suddenly aware she would look even uglier than usual with her tear-stained face, she brushed her hand across her cheeks.
“Thank you, Colin. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

He reached over and clasped her hand.
“Something to remember me by. Tomorrow, I leave for home.”

Chapter
Nine

The following day dawned cool and overcast with the threat of rain.
Anxious to be gone but dreading to leave Alana, Colin studied her across the breakfast table. He noted her every movement, listened to each word she spoke, storing memories to last him for the rest of his life. He couldn’t bear to leave her, yet he knew he must. He wanted to see his family again and needed to return to the Elegian army.

He drained his mug of sassafras tea, then eased his chair back.
“Time to be on my way.” How inadequate. He wanted to tell her how much he’d miss her and how she’d taunted his thoughts night and day. She had saved his arm and no doubt his life. But gratitude didn’t begin to describe what he felt for her.

He turned away from her, reluctant for her to see the raw emotion that surely must show on his face.
He checked his knapsack to make sure he had all of his belongings and reached into his coin purse. He dropped several coins on the table, two golds, a few silvers and a few more coppers. “For you to pay the boy who will cut wood for you and buy anything else for which you might need money.”

She pushed her chair back and stood.
“Ah, Colin. You are too generous. I don’t need all this money.”

He held up a hand.
“I want you to have it. No arguments.”

She smiled, a smile he’d remember all his days.
“Very well, then. Thank you.”

He stood, too, and pushed his chair in.
“One more thing. Just in case you need to contact this young boy—if you need him for any other reason—his name is Eshyn McGill, and he lives in Domhnann. Do you know where that is?”

“I know every village and hamlet around here.”

“Good. He lives at the third house down from the blacksmith’s, to the east.” He realized he was rambling but couldn’t bring himself to say ‘goodbye’.

“Alana.”
At a loss for further words, he drew her into his arms and kissed her long and hard. He found himself reacting to her soft, feminine curves and breathed in deeply of her lilac fragrance. He ran his fingers through her satiny hair, something he’d wanted to do for the longest time. The kiss ended, and he drew back, his throat choking.

She rested her hand on the table and turned away, as though hiding her tears.

“Well, then….” He slipped his metal belt through his scabbard and buckled the belt, then slid his sword into the scabbard with a clang. Alana held the door open for him as he gathered his knapsack, saddle, and tack, making two trips out to the horse. After taking several minutes to saddle and bridle the horse, he divided his belongings in his knapsack into the saddle bags, one bag on each side of the horse. He pushed his sleeves up to his shoulders, as Alana had instructed, to let the sunlight touch his arm and prevent a return of his infection.

He mounted the horse and waved to Alana.
He saw tears running down her face and fought his own grief. Then he was on his way. A myriad of regrets taunted him as he left part of his life behind. He would never see her again. Ah, Goddess, how it hurt.

At midday, he stopped at a tavern to rest his horse and grab a bite to eat.
Shortly after, he rode on under an ever darkening sky. Hours later, he reached a small town whose name he didn’t know and found a tavern with a stable. The tavern, a stone structure with a sign hanging in front, ’The Sign of the Black Horse’, appeared to have a flourishing business, if the number of horses tethered outside was any indication. He led the mare to the stable and tossed a copper coin to the stable boy with instructions for feeding and watering the horse. After retrieving his belongings from the saddle bags and transferring them to the knapsack, he entered the tavern, and headed for the front desk to ask about a room. Rolling his tunic sleeves down, he walked to the main room, looking forward to the evening meal.

Talk and laughter filled the large room, and appetizing aromas floated through the air.
Candles in iron sconces cast a dim glow over the room. He pulled out a chair and sat down at a table, weary from riding. His muscles ached, from his hands to his stomach and down to his thighs and legs. Tiredness settled over him and seeped into his bones, a realization that it had been a long time since he’d last ridden a horse, and he had to admit, just recovering from an infection.
Well, old man, are you twenty-nine or fifty-nine
?

A serving girl greeted him and set a bowl of beef stew and bread on the table, then filled his mug with ale.
The stew was hot and rich with chunks of beef and morsels of potatoes, carrots and celery; the wheat bread was warm from the oven.

In the corner, a man played a fiddle and sang a plaintive tune about a girl who was unfaithful to her lover.

While Colin ate, he listened to the conversation around him, bits and snatches of talk about magic.

“Just hanged her two days ago,” one man said.
Clad in a velvet tunic and trousers, he looked to be prosperous. “A panel of druids convicted her of practicing black magic!”

Affecting an expression of nonchalance, Colin waited to hear what others would say.

“Well, what did she do to warrant a hanging?” another man asked.

“Turned one of her enemies into a rat and refused to turn her back.” He sipped his wine and dabbed a napkin across his mouth. “Maybe we shouldn’t permit magic at all. I suppose Queen Keriam thought she was doing the right thing by having the druids codify magic. But if these people—women, mostly, wouldn’t you know—use black magic to punish their enemies, perhaps all magic should be banned.”

“Or maybe they should burn ‘em at the stake like they used to, when Tencien was king.”

‘Ayes’ and nods followed that statement. Colin mulled over the talk, remarks that had given him much to consider. What in the name of the Goddess had Alana done to make an enemy of anyone? She didn’t have a vindictive bone in her body. No, there must have been another reason, and as soon as that thought entered his mind, the answer emerged. Jealousy. Another woman had been jealous of her and had put an evil spell on her, destroying her beauty. And she must have been beautiful, of that he had no doubt.
Ah, Alana, if only I could have helped you, kissed your blemishes away and made you beautiful again
.

Polishing off his evening meal with a cherry tart, he retrieved his knapsack and headed for the winding stairs to his room on the second floor.
He fitted his key in the lock and entered the room, gratified to see it was clean, a bowl of water on the table. He sat on the bed to find the mattress firm, as he liked it. Dropping his knapsack on the floor, he undressed and set his boots beside his knapsack.

Naked, he crawled into bed and pushed the covers aside, anticipating a good night’s sleep.
However, sleep eluded him, for he could think of nothing or no one but Alana. Thoughts whirled around in his brain, a never-ending cavalcade of ideas and plans, of wanting Alana so much he ached with longing for her. Ah, if only she were lying beside him now….

Fool!
Why hadn’t he told her how much she meant to him when he had the chance?

Suppose he resigned his commission in the Elegian army.
Would Alana be willing to marry him? He knew he had certain skills that would stand him in good stead. He was good with numbers; perhaps he could obtain a position as a bookkeeper. That prospect brought a grim smile to his lips. How much money would he earn as a bookkeeper? Enough to support a wife and any children they might have? He spoke fluent Elegian; perhaps he could find employment as a translator. Leith would inherit the estate, all the land going to him upon their father’s entry into the Otherworld. Possibly he could buy a portion of the land and farm it.

Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself? What makes you think Alana loves you or that she would want to marry you
? Even if no other man ever wanted her, he doubted if she would marry a man she didn’t love.
Why not take a chance and ask her
? He knew now what he must do. After he visited his family, he’d ride north to the Elegian army headquarters in Komartis to resign his commission, then ride south again to the cottage … and Alana.

With that tenuous resolution in mind, he fell asleep.

In the early hours of the morning, flashes of lightning lit the room, and loud claps of thunder shook the window. Torrents of rain fell, hitting his window like a flood. Upon arising, he looked outside to see the roads turned to mud, and still the rain fell.

Hours later, he prepared to continue his journey, then it was on to Ulaidh and his family.

* * *

After Colin left for his home, Alana stepped back inside the cottage.
A panorama of memories consumed her, of Colin when she’d first met him and his kiss upon leaving her this morning, and all the times in between.

His kiss, oh my, his lips on hers!
No man had ever kissed her quite like that before. Even now, a pleasurable warmth stole over her body, a feeling so new, so unexpected. She knew no man would ever kiss her again, not with her splotched face. Goddess, how she missed him, longed for him so it became a physical ache. Tears welled in her eyes, and she pressed her fist to her mouth, determined not to cry anymore. Tears fell, heartfelt sobs that came from deep within her soul. She sank onto the chair and clutched her stomach, rocking back and forth, saying his name again and again. She cried until she was certain she had no more tears left, and still she continued crying.

After an eternity of weeping, she drew herself up and scolded herself for bawling like a baby.
She stiffened her resolve. Colin’s departure wasn’t the end of the world. She had lived in this cottage before he had sought refuge here. She would continue without him.

Rising from the chair, she brushed her hand across her face to dry her tears.
Something felt different—her skin! Fewer blemishes marred her cheeks than before, she could tell. To satisfy herself, she rushed to her bedroom and reached for the hand mirror. Holding it up, she saw, as she suspected, fewer blemishes dotting her face. Strange but wonderful. Oh, so wonderful! Why had those splotches disappeared? She almost looked like the Alana Cullain from Cairn, before Morag’s curse.

A jumble of emotions sent her head spinning.
Now that he’s gone, I look so much better than yesterday
. Oh, the irony of it! A fresh spate of tears threatened to fall, but she fought her grief. She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. She missed Colin unbearably, but no longer did she have a face that frightened people away.

Just think!
If she continued to improve—to look normal again—she could return to her village. She would confront Morag Delaney and vindicate herself. She would prove herself innocent of practicing black magic and resume her old life again. All she needed was courage.

Don’t get your hopes up.
For all she knew, this improvement might be only temporary. She might look ugly again tomorrow. She rose from the chair, filled with resolve and a determination to be optimistic. And see what tomorrow would bring.

The next day, Alana could scarcely wait for daylight, so anxious was she to see her face.
In the darkness of her bedroom, she ran her fingers across her cheeks. Smooth, absolutely smooth! As the rising sun turned the western sky from lavender to pink, and a golden glow lit the land, Alana jumped from her bed and reached for the mirror on her dresser. She held the mirror in front of her and smiled as she hadn’t smiled in a long time. Setting the mirror down, she sang a little tune, dancing around the room.
Goddess, thank you, thank you
. She mustn’t be vain; no, she knew that was sinful. But oh! To look normal again! Happiness consumed her.

And Colin, what about him
? She loved him; there would never be another man to take his place. As that cold reality sank in, her thoughts sobered. In desperation, she latched onto a premise she hoped and prayed would prove true. If their love was destined to be, he would come back into her life.
Talmora, let it be so.
For now, she had a life to live, and she must live it without him. So many possibilities lay in store, so many things she could do now, places to visit, people to see.

And that reminded her of her last visit to Moytura.
Her dresses, cape, and shoes must be ready by now. She would leave for the city soon and spend more time than she had on her last visit. No need to hurry home. She had the money from her sale of the bracelet, and the bracelet returned to her. She also had the money Colin had given her, coins she must spend sparingly. From here on, she must support herself. She couldn’t depend on the Goddess’s bounty for the rest of her life.