Gifts of Desire (43 page)

             
He was in the hall, forcing himself to eat
some bread and meat only
so that he would have the strength to keep
going
, when
Ethan
strolled
in. 
Ceann
suddenly
re
ali
zed he hadn’t seen
Ethan
for some time.  He hadn’t been here any of the times he’d come back to the castle in the last
week
.
 
Strange… shouldn’t Ethan have been by his side, helping him search for Ella? 
His friend scanned the hall, and seeing him there at the table, smiled and headed
over
.   His smile became a look of concern
as he took in
Ceann
’s appearance.  “
Ceann
?  You look like hell.  What in God’s name have you been doing to yourself?”

             
He scowled.  “Just leave me alone Ethan.  I’m not fit for company.”

             
Ethan eyed him, an amused
smile playing on his lips.  “You’re not fit for much of anything, as far as I can tell, but I’m not going anywhere
just yet
.”  He pulled up a chair opposite
Ceann
and sat down.  “Now, tell me what’s happened.
  I’ve only just come back.
”

             
Ceann
put his face into his hands and gro
wled, but he eventually answered
.  “She’s gone.  I sent her away, and now I can’t find her.”  He tried, but he couldn’t
quite
keep the anguish from his voice.

             
“You sent
Ella
away?
  Och, and here I thought you two were getting along so well, what with you not being able to keep your hands off her, and she with your babe in her belly.”

             
Shocked
by
his
blithe
remark,
Ceann
looked up at Ethan, his mouth falling open.  Ethan
gazed
innocently
at him.

             
Ceann
shot up, his chair crashing to the floor behind him.  “You know where she is!”  He couldn’t breathe.

             
“
Aye,
I do
”
.
  Ethan
sighed dramatically.   “I can’t
believe you’re to be a father
Ceann
!
I suppose our days as two care
free bachelors are over
now
.
”

             
“Tell me!”
Ceann
roared.

             
Ethan’s expression turned serious. 
“I will, but first sit
down;
there are some things you should know.”

             
“Ethan!
”
Ceann
growled
, “Tell me where
Ella
is!”

             
Ethan gave an exasperated sigh.  “I am not telling you until you hear me out, so you may as well sit down.”

             
Ceann
looked as if he might pummel him, but he
drew a shaky breath
and
righted the chair
.  “She is safe?”

             
“Safe and well, as is the babe.  Now sit.”

             
Slowly, reluctantly,
Ceann
lowered himself into the chair.  He had nearly lost hope.  She was safe.  His
child
was safe.  “Talk.  Fast.”

             
“You’ve heard of the
Auld
Ways, a
ye?
”

             
Ceann
gaped at him.  “Ethan, this is not the time for stories…”

             
Ethan held his gaze.
“
It’s not a story,
Ceann
.
  Listen.
”

             
Ceann
’s
already addled
mind worked to process
what
Ethan was telling him. 
H
ad his friend gone mad? 
He knew of the
Auld
Ways, of course.
  Iona had gone on about them to Ceann and Ethan when they were boys. 
He had spent much of his youth playing in and around her cottage with Ethan. 
She had believed in wondrous and mysterious things; spells and magic, the Sight and prophecy.  She had held them both rapt with her stories about the ancient kingdoms of Scotland, and the lives of their people.
  He hadn’t seen her in several
months though
…

             
“
Do you remember Iona?”
Ethan asked.

             
Ceann
frowned at him. 
Could Ethan read minds, now?
  
“Of course I do, she was
like a second mother to
me
when we were lads
.  Why are you asking me
this now
?”

             
“Because she
is
my
mother, Ceann.  You never knew, did you?  She thought to keep it a secret, to keep me safe.”

             
Ceann stared at him for a long moment. 
“Iona is your mother?”

             
“Aye.”

             
Ethan gazed consideringly at the shock
on his friend’s f
ace.  Perhaps he should save the rest for
later;
the whole truth may be too much for one man to handle all at once.
  “About Ella…”

             
“Tell me where she is
Ethan
!
”
 

             
“Well…
the lass didn’t seem in much of a hurry to see you again, last I spoke to her.”

             
No, after the way he had treated her, he would be damn lucky if she would even look at him.
  He thought of the horror in h
er eyes, the blood smeared on her delicate
chin from his punishing kiss. 
He groaned in agony
.  He would never forget what he had d
one to her, nor would he ever forgive himself.

             
“Anyway,
you should
know
,
it seems there is more to this whole
curse t
hing.  It’s not that you couldn’t
get
any
woman with child, just that there was only one, a true mate, if
you
like. 
All you had to do was
find her, or in this case, I suppose she found you, for the curse to be broken.”  He paused.  “This information was found, by the by, in the hands of Lord Ross.
  He had the
document
, a copy, I think. 
I took the liberty of sending Seamus to go through his personal belongings.  It was hidden, but the servants knew all about it.
”

             
Cea
nn
groaned
again
and pulled his hands over his face
. 
“Ah, God.” 
Could this get any worse? 
Seamus was their very best scout; he could either talk or sneak his way into anywhere. 
He did not doubt that he had found the document. 
If
his uncle
knew
about his one true mate
, and kept it from him, it could only mean he
was
bent on betrayal.  He
had
taken
Ella
.  She had been telling him the truth, and he
hadn’t
believe
d
her. 
She surely must hate him by now.
  How could she not?

             
“Ross seeks my ruin after all”, he said quietly.
  “He wants Tulloch for himself.”

             
Ethan nodded
in agreement
.  “Aye, he has the parchment, or at least a copy of it.  He
knows
that if
you
find your true m
ate, there will be an heir
, and Hugh will not
inherit
the lairdship
.
  Although, I suspect there is much more to all this than we know.
”  His expression turned grim.  “Ross and Hugh have fled.  I sent out search parties while you were… away, but there has been no sign of them.”

             
“God, Ethan, h
e could have killed her.  He could have taken everything I didn’t even know I had.”

             
“Well, I wouldn’t say you have
it all
yet…
the lass
is
rather angry at you.”

             
Ceann
sighed. 
“
I
know
it. 
Please, Ethan, tell me where she is.
  I have to fix things before I go mad.
”

             
He sounded so defeated that Ethan gave in. 
“That night, I saw her leave the stables, not long after you did.  She was crying, and she ran off into the woods.  I didn’t want to see her hurt, so I followed.  She told me what had happened.  I couldn’t believe you really meant it,
Ceann
, so I saw her safe for you.  I br
ought her to Iona’s cottage
.
  She’s been well cared for there.
”

             
“She has been there all this time?”

             
“Aye.”

             
“There was never any other man waiting for her,”
Ceann
said softly, “
And I sent her away from me, when she was mine all along.
”  He looked up suddenly.
The curse
is
broken
.
“I’m going to be a father, Ethan
!”
he said as if truly realizing it for the first time.  “I never
dared to believe
such a thing was possible.”  He felt his
chest
swell with the joy of it.
  He would think about all that Ethan had just told him later.  Right now he had more important things to do.

             
Ethan scrunched up his face,
looking doubtful. 
“Well, aye,
you
managed to get the lass with child alright, but winning back her favor is another matter all together.
”  He slapped him on the back.
 
“
You
’ll be
very
lucky to keep your ballocks.  I don’t envy you the coming battle, but I wish
you
luck.”

             
They rode fast and hard for the cottage.  All the way there
Ceann
wavered between elation and terror.  What if she refused him, despite
his apologies
?
 
What could he even say to her, to make things better? 
What if she simply walked away with his heart and his child? 
He could not blame her if she did, but he was
quite
sure it would kill him to lose her now.
 

***

             
Iona stood suddenly
from where she was sewing by the window
and smiled, clapping her hands together
excitedly
,
anticipation
lighting her face.
  “He
’s finally coming for you
!
  It took him long enough.
” 

             
Ella
looked up.  “
Ceann
?  He’s coming here?  Now?” 
Ethan, that scourge
,
he told
him where I am
!
 
Her heart beat faster even as all of the anger and hurt of the last time she saw him came crashing back down on her.  “I don’t want to see him.  I’m not ready.”