Highland Love Song (DeWinter's Song 2) (28 page)

He reached out to her but then dropped his hand to his side. "I don't suppose you would agree to—no, you wouldn't."

Her heart was thundering with excitement. Had he been trying to ask her to return to Ironworth with him? When he said nothing further, she held out her hand. "Good-bye, Warrick. I hope you will find peace in your life."

He met her eyes, feeling very unsure of himself. "Are you happy about the child?"

She could have told him that she was happy to have this child because it was a part of him that she would always have with her. But instead she said, "A child should be born from love, not through hate."

He nodded and released her hand. "You have every reason to feel that way."

"Yes, I do."

"I believe a child should know its father."

"I will tell the child about you, Warrick, omitting of course, many truths."

He quickly masked his pain. "Will I ever see you again?"

Her eyes were heavy with sadness. "I don't think so. But I wish you well, Warrick."

He watched her leave, still unable to understand all that had happened in this room.

Arrian and her father said good-bye to Lord Thorndike, and Warrick watched them leave before he moved to the window. The sun had just come out from behind a cloud to bathe the land with its golden light.

Suddenly it came to him. Hate was what destroyed lives. God only knew it had destroyed his family.

He had been given a child, a reason to turn away from darkness into the light.

How could he allow Arrian to walk out of his life forever? He could not give her up without a fight. His jaw set in determination. He would go to her and ask her— no beg her, if he had to—to come home with him.

Raile handed Arrian into the carriage, and the horses clipped along on the cobbled streets in the direction of the
Nightingale
.

"This has been the most difficult day of my life, Father."

"No, there will be others, Arrian. But you took the first step of ridding yourself of this cursed land."

She turned to look out the window. "I long for Ravenworth," she said, slipping her hand into her father's and leaning her head against his shoulder. "Please take me home."

27

Lord Michael met Warrick as he stepped onto the deck of the
Nightingale
. "I thought you might come, but I expected you earlier, Lord Warrick."

Warrick stared at Arrian's brother. There was no dislike in the boy's eyes, only humor and a searching look.

"Is your sister aboard?"

"She is, as are my mother and father. You see, my lord, no one but I expected you to come. I've been waiting for you for over two hours."

He motioned Warrick to follow him. "The family is below. I must say, I admire your bravery in coming here. My mother and father will not welcome you."

"And your sister?"

"I'm not certain, but only because she doesn't yet know herself. For what it's worth, I'll advise you not to allow my father to intimidate you."

"No one will make me leave until I know your sister's true feelings."

"Then come with me, my lord. This will surely prove to be entertaining."

Warrick would have thought Lord Michael's attitude flippant, were it not for the serious expression on the boy's face. They crossed the deck and went down a brightly lit companionway.

Michael led Warrick into a roomy salon, complete with thick rugs and polished furnishings. Warrick had not expected such comforts on board a ship.

He searched the room for Arrian but saw only the duke and duchess. From their grim expressions, he knew Lord Michael had been correct: He was not welcome.

Kassidy was the first to speak. She stood and walked slowly toward him. "Lord Warrick, I had not anticipated your visit."

"You should have known I'd come."

Raile's face was stoic as he looked at the young lord. "I can't imagine why you thought you'd be welcome here," he said at last. "After I accompany my daughter home, I had every intention of returning to Scotland. You and I have something to settle between us."

"Arrian and I had little chance to talk this morning, Your Grace," Warrick said. "I will not leave until I've seen her."

"My daughter does not wish to see you. Don't you think you've already done enough to her?" There was no mercy in Raile's eyes. "I want you to know that when I helped you this morning, it was for Arrian's sake and not for yours."

Warrick and Raile were of the same height and stood facing each other. "I realized that, Your Grace. I would not expect you to have any liking for me."

"I care little what happens to you. If I had my way I'd throw you overboard right now and leave you for fish bait."

Warrick didn't flinch. "If I were in your place I'd feel the same."

"I only agreed to talk to Thorndike this morning because I couldn't fight both my wife and daughter when they asked me to intercede on your behalf.”

"You and I both know there was another reason you helped me."

Raile's eyes bored into Warrick's. "Yes, the child was also my concern. I do not want there to be any gossip about my daughter, and for that reason, I agreed that the marriage could not be set aside—not yet."

"Whatever the reason, I'm grateful for what you did, Your Grace," Warrick said. "But I didn't ask for your help, and I didn't want it."

Raile's voice was cold. "Humility isn't one of your strong points, is it, Lord Warrick? Nor, perhaps, is genuine gratitude."

"I have never been accused of being humble. But I have thanked you, Your Grace."

Raile nodded toward his son. "It seems you have a friend here to champion your cause. My son seems to endow you with characteristics you probably don't possess, such as loyalty and honor."

Warrick's face whitened as he looked from father to son. "My honor has never been in question."

"I would not have called you an honorable man. Not after what you've done to my daughter."

"Your Grace, I care not about your opinion of me. I have come to take your daughter away with me, if she will come."

"The devil you will!" Raile yelled, taking a threatening step closer to Warrick. "You will live the rest of your life without ever seeing my daughter again. And you will wish to God you had never heard of me."

"Hello, Warrick."

Everyone turned to Arrian, who stood in the doorway. The black mourning gown she still wore for her grandfather was most becoming. Her hair hung down her back in curls, making her look very young and vulnerable.

Kassidy rushed to her daughter. "You don't have to be here if you'd rather not."

"This concerns me." She took a hesitant step closer to Warrick. "I will hear what you have to say."

Warrick's eyes swept her face. Only now, seeing her in these surroundings, could he understand the life to which she had been born. How could he expect this beautiful woman to give up everything and go with him? Still, he had to try. "I have come to ask you to return to Ironworth with me. I hope you will consider it."

There was silence as they all waited for Arrian's answer. "Why would you want me to come with you, Warrick?"

"Because you carry my child. If it is a son, he will one day be chief of the Drummonds. The child should be born at Ironworth."

"By God!" Raile said, striding toward Warrick. "I'll break you with my bare hands."

Kassidy came between her husband and Warrick. "For Arrian's sake, Raile, allow him to have his say."

Raile's eyes burned with anger, but his wife had a calming effect on him. "I'll allow him to state his reasons before I toss him over the side."

Warrick would have preferred to speak to Arrian in private so he could make his true feelings known, but her family would never allow that. He reached for her hand, and she didn't pull away. "Arrian, come with me." He was good at masking his feelings, and he did so now. "I ask it of you for the child's sake."

She searched his eyes for softness or some sign of love but she saw none. Even so, Arrian didn't hesitate in her answer. "I'll go with you, Warrick."

She saw joy shining in his eyes. His grip tightened on her hand. "Your Grace, I'm taking your daughter with me. Don't attempt to stop me."

Kassidy put a restraining hand on Raile's arm. "Arrian, are you certain this is what you want?" she asked.

"Yes, Mother." She looked at her father. "Try to understand. I'm having Warrick's baby and the child should not be denied a father."

There was anger and sadness in Raile's heart. "I wanted more than this for you, Arrian."

"This is what I want, Father."

Michael had been watching the confrontation with interest. Yes, it was clear to him now that Arrian loved Warrick. He wasn't so sure of Warrick's feelings, however.

"Don't try to pretend," Raile said, "that you don't know my daughter is an heiress of considerable fortune. You can't deny you know nothing about the seventy thousand pounds I set aside for her."

"You're the one that seems to be obsessed with money, Your Grace. I want nothing that doesn't belong to me. I didn't marry Arrian's money or her family. This is not England, but Scotland. You cannot bend me to your will as you did Lord Thorndike today."

"Upstart," Raile mumbled.

Kassidy caught her husband's hand. "Perhaps we should all take a deep breath and calm down. Raile and Warrick, you have both said many cruel things. We are Arrian's family and want only what is best for her. It is only right that we question your motives, Lord Warrick. "There was remorse in Warrick's eyes when he looked at Kassidy. "I do apologize, Your Grace. I did not come here to insult your family. I only came for Arrian."

"You may as well cede, Father," Michael said. "Arrian is determined to return to Ironworth with Lord Warrick."

Raile pulled Arrian to him, looking deeply into her eyes. "Are you certain this is what you want?"

"Oh, yes, Father, very certain."

Kassidy and Michael came to Arrian and hugged her. Warrick felt like an outsider, a spoiler, and suddenly he had an aching need to gain the respect of the DeWinter family.

At last Kassidy came to Warrick and took his hand. "You will be taking our most precious jewel, Warrick. I beg you to treat her with gentleness."

"You have my word on that."

"Michael has expressed a wish to go to Ironworth and remain with Arrian until the baby is born. I will also be sending my maid, Elspeth. Is this satisfactory to you?"

Warrick could hardly contain his elation. He had not expected Arrian to agree to go with him, or her family to relent so easily. What did it matter if others came also? "That is acceptable."

"Raile and I must return home at this time. But we will come to Ironworth before the birth of the baby."

Warrick nodded. "I'm sure Arrian will want her family around her at such a time."

Raile was not so easy on Warrick. "In my eyes you don't deserve any consideration. However, my wife and daughter seem to feel differently. Perhaps they know a side of you I haven't yet seen. But be warned, Warrick, if Arrian isn't treated with kindness and respect, I won't need His Majesty to pass judgment on you—I'll do that myself."

Warrick's face seemed carved out of stone. "I'll do my duty by Arrian. But I will not answer to you for anything, Your Grace. You cannot buy me with your money, and you cannot impress me with power."

Raile's eyes hardened with anger, but there was also a growing admiration for the young Scottish chief. Certainly he was more impressed with this man who spoke his mind than he'd been with Ian Maclvors, who was secretive and cunning.

"Now," Michael said, "I'm going to rescue my new brother-in-law and show him the workings of the
Nightingale
. We get underway within the hour. We'll just go above and tell Captain Norris to chart a new course."

"I won't be sailing with you," Warrick said.

"You must," Kassidy told him. "A long carriage ride would not be good for Arrian at this time."

"I cannot go with you," Warrick explained. "My men are waiting for me in Edinburgh." He turned to Arrian. "We will next meet at Ironworth. It is a three-day ride, so you may arrive ahead of me."

Kassidy drew Warrick's attention. "Come with us and allow my husband this time to get to know you better. He is a father who loves his daughter. Surely you can cede on this one point—you won all the others."

"I'm sorry, Your Grace, but I must decline. I believe Arrian would benefit by these few days alone with her family."

"Perhaps you are right," Kassidy said.

"I would like to see Arrian alone now, if you don't mind," Warrick said.

"I'll walk with you on deck," Arrian said.

He wished her family a pleasant voyage and followed Arrian up the companionway.

They stood on the deck of the
Nightingale
, watching the sun as it appeared to sink into the sea. Neither seemed able to put their thoughts into words until Warrick spoke. "I never dared hope you would come home with me."

The sun hit her golden hair with a halo of light. "I have little choice, Warrick. We have to put our feelings aside and think of the baby."

"Yes, the child."

She gripped the railing, unable to look at him. "My family was very hard on you."

"It was to be expected. I deserved their contempt and distrust." He looked down at her. "Arrian, I have known little softness in my life, and certainly not the love and affection you have with your family. All I have known is how to fight and how to hate. I don't know if I can change."

Oh, how she wanted him to take her in his arms and say he loved her, that she would soften him and teach him to love. "I will try to make you a good wife," she said.

"I am ashamed of many things I have done to you. I can't tell you how I felt today when you came to my rescue with Lord Thorndike. You should have hated me and wanted to see me suffer. I have never met anyone like you."

Arrian managed to smile. "I have always been the champion of lost causes."

He returned her smile. "Am I a lost cause?"

"I don't know," she admitted in all honesty. "I hope not."

"Now that I have met your family, I can see the extraordinary bond you have with them."

"Did you know that I was adopted?"

He stared at her in shocked surprise. "You never told me that."

"My mother died the day I was born. You see, she was Kassidy's only sister, so she and I already had a bond almost from the first. My real father was Raile's half brother."

"I never suspected."

"Before I had reached my second birthday, my real father died, unexpectedly and rather heroically. I won't go into the details because I still don't like to think about it. I have always known that I belonged, and I never doubted that I was loved."

"I'll be good to you, Arrian."

Arrian wanted to take his face between her hands and kiss away the sadness she saw there. "I believe this child may teach you to love, Warrick."

There was a tightness in his throat, and his voice was deep with emotion. "I feel very humble, Arrian. I'm not worthy of a second chance, since I got you by trickery."