“It is nearly complete. I would say a sennight, mayhap a fortnight if the weather doesn’t cooperate. There’s one more thing …” He pulled a pouch from his tunic.
“Is that …? James raised a brow. “… the pouch Llywelyn gave me? I gave it to you, Laird. I’ve no need of it, especially now with …” He waved a hand at the cottage.
“Nay, it was given to you and you shall keep it. Emlyn’s father paid a good bride price for his daughter’s marriage, James, accept it.”
His hand waned from the weight of the heavy sack of coins. “Can I live in the cottage you and Bree use until mine is ready? I need to be to bed.”
Grey laughed and shrugged his shoulder. “Don’t ye deem you should wait for her return before ye take to bed?”
He chuckled at his laird’s jest. “I’ll be there after she returns too. But nay, I promised Muriel I would stay bed-ridden until my leg properly heals. She gave me a salve and believes it will help. And I’ll need to have Gell bring me eggs. Will you ask Bree to come and see me? She’ll know what I need.”
His laird nodded. “Aye, I’ll tell her. You best get off your feet then.” Grey started to walk toward the keep.
“Before I take to bed, I must stop in and talk with Norman.” James turned and headed in the opposite direction.
“Why do you need to speak with the smith?” Grey shouted, as he got farther away.
James grinned. “I need to see him about a sword.”
*****
The journey to the Ross’ keep was more difficult as the weather hadn’t cooperated. Emlyn rode through three days of rain which hampered her progress. It was bad enough they’d been delayed because Griffen had to gain their father’s approval, which he gave after her brother had beleaguered him with all the reasons why he should be the one to take her.
What was worse was she didn’t feel well, and she admitted her fear that the Ross chieftain would turn her away. If that happened, she would very likely end up foraging somewhere in the woods akin to an old crone.
She stood inside the entrance of the Ross’ keep and winced at the water that dripped from her garments. She remembered Donal telling James that Adeline would be ireful over it. Donal was apparently out of the keep and his man-at-arms had gone to fetch him.
Griffen stood next to her silent and brooding. “Are ye certain about this, Emlyn? What if he doesn’t allow ye to stay? I know not where to take you.”
“He must. It is the only place I could think of unless you deem I should go to Marshall. But then I heard he was traveling with his king so I couldn’t even gain his aid.”
“Do not jest,” Griffen said with affront, and ran his hands through is hair, unsettling his locks. “He is the last person I’d allow you to go to.”
She fixed the errant strands that stuck out at the top of his head. “Quiet, someone comes.” Emlyn turned and saw Adeline and Anne approaching. “Good day, my lady.”
“Princess Emlyn, you have returned. Come, rest yourself and tell me who this handsome man is.”
She curtseyed to Adeline and followed her into the great hall. “This is my brother Griffen. He was my escort.” Emlyn noticed the blush that crept upon Anne’s cheeks and the grin her brother wore when he looked at Ross’ daughter.
“A prince. I do say we haven’t ever had a prince visit us before,” Lady Ross said.
Several servants came and set about refreshments. The hall busied with people coming and going, but Adeline paid no attention to any of them and kept her gaze on her.
Emlyn took a breath before she spoke of her problem. “I am not certain your husband will welcome my return, but you see, I haven’t anywhere to go for I’ve been banished—”
“Where is she?” Donal’s voice bellowed.
She heard Laird Ross’ heavy footsteps before she saw him. The moment she’d dreaded the entire journey was upon her. Emlyn swallowed and her shoulders sagged, for she knew he’d send her away.
“Adeline, what is she doing here?”
“Donal, cease being surly. Princess Emlyn has come to seek our aid. She was just speaking of her predicament.”
His brows furrowed. “Nay, she cannot stay, not after what she did.”
Adeline drew nearer to him and smoothed a hand down his arm. “I will not send the lass away. She has nowhere to go and has been banished, Donal. Have some sympathy for her.”
“Is this true?”
Emlyn raised her eyes to his, wary and uncertain what he’d do. She swallowed and a pain throbbed in her throat. A flush came over her and she felt warm. Whether the heat was due to Laird Ross’ piercing gaze or her own shame, she wasn’t certain.
She finally nodded in response to his question. “Lady Ross, I thank you. I understand why Laird Ross won’t give me aid, but in my defense I never meant to hurt James. I shall go if that is what you wish …” Emlyn took two steps toward the hall’s exit and the floor met her face. She groaned as her body hit the hard surface.
“Princess—” Adeline was at her side. “Anne, fetch the healer. The lass is burning with fever. You, ah, Prince …”
“Griffen,” he said.
“Aye, come and carry her.” She looked irefully at her husband. “We cannot send her away, not in her condition.”
He mumbled a blasphemy under his breath. “I suppose we cannot.”
Griffen carried her to a chamber up the stairs and set her upon the bedding.
Emlyn’s head felt hollow and she sneezed. “I shall be fine. I won’t be a bother.” She wanted to get off the bed, but her body became lethargic and all she wanted to do was close her eyes.
“Rest easy now. We’ll take care of you.” Adeline patted her shoulder, offering comfort. She moved about the chamber and lit a fire in the small hearth.
Griffen stood beside the bed. “She was complaining that her throat hurt. Are you not fearful? She has the fever.”
“We’ll need to send the children away. They’ll stay with Donal in a vacant cottage. But nay, I am not fearful. I’ve tended many a fever.”
“Griffen, if you see him, tell him I loved him.” Emlyn closed her eyes and discerned the worst was yet to come, for she wasn’t well and might not recover.
“Emlyn,” Griffen called, and shook her. “Answer me.”
But she couldn’t respond as her throat felt aflame and even if she wanted to, she couldn’t speak. Her last wish would be that James knew her feelings for him, even if she couldn’t speak of it herself.
Chapter Thirty
Griffen spent two days by his sister’s side. She was in the thorough of her fever and he paced the chamber with worry. But the maiden, Anne, assured him Emlyn would recover as did her mother whenever she tended Emlyn.
“Is your land afar?”
He glanced up at the beautiful maiden and nodded. “Aye, it took us days to travel here, nary on a sennight. Do you know the guardsman my sister traveled with?”
Anne continued to dab Emlyn’s brow with a dampened cloth. “Aye, I’ve known the Gunn guard and know James well. He’s an honorable man.”
Griffen scoffed. “If he were honorable, he would’ve wed Emlyn as my father bid and not allowed her to return home.”
“Mayhap she didn’t want to wed him. Although I don’t know any lass who would reject him, for he’s perfect. I heard my father speak of her rejection when she was last here. She broke James’ heart.”
“She broke his heart? Nay, for certain he broke hers. I have never seen my sister so distraught. She is not one to be melancholy over such matters, especially those of the heart or a man.”
Anne shook her head. “I tell you if anyone did the heartbreaking, it was her.”
“I will find out for myself.” Griffen walked to the door.
“Wait, what do ye deem to do?”
“I’m going to confront the man in question.”
Anne laughed. “All by yourself? You don’t know where you are going. Besides, the Gunn’s would know the moment you stepped on their land and they would refuse you entry to their keep.”