Knight's Legacy (25 page)

Catherine gave him no reassurance she would stay, which infuriated him. Edna implied she was a poor lass with no means of making a good marriage. Roderic would gladly give her title of his holding, his lands, his name. He would defy even Alexander, should he rule their union invalid. The devastating thought brought a realization that he was loath to admit. His emotions were not logical about the red-headed vixen he had married.

Catherine was agile and as quick as Kenneth, as strong for her stature as many men in his army. The lady was unlike any he had ever met. She had a gentle wit that could be sharp and biting, accepted her own faults and laughed at them, and held no arrogance at her station as Lady Montwain. Edna's theory that she hailed from humble folk was not to be discarded. Her gentleness with others, her unassuming manner brought his respect. She spoke to his warriors with courtesy, deferred to their knowledge in a way that won their loyalty, and infused them with pride and courage. Roderic concluded that their promise made to defend her was now won by loyalty, not only to King Alexander and himself, but to Lady Montwain.

Roderic had little patience for his own lack of discipline. A woman must not dictate to a warrior and leader what he must do, and he could not risk his honor. He must give her up if the King willed it. At the very thought, however, he despaired.

I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

~Psalms 3:5

R
un, Kenneth! Run! We just lost Cameron, but if I know that burly Scot, he will be crashing through the trees any second,” Cat said.

She pulled her bow from over her shoulder and took careful aim at the bird in her sights. Kenneth came at a dead run to slide silently to a stop, kneeling at her feet. Forever amazed at his stealth, Cat whispered to him as she took aim. “You could slip out a dagger and cut the blazon off a man's chest and never wake him, laddie.” Letting her arrow fly to its target, the bird fell and she smiled at Kenneth. He smiled back and stroked his cheek upward with his fingertips. They had their own signs of communication, he and Cat, and she frowned apologetically.

“I'm sorry, sweet, did I give you no affection today?”

Leaning over, she embraced him and he held her tightly, nuzzling her cheek. She kissed his forehead. Kenneth needed an exceptional amount of tenderness, and Cat freely gave it, for the emotional loneliness of leaving her own time had left her wanting.

Kenneth and Hope filled her heart when she felt bereft. Roderic was a strong and noble husband, but she constantly resisted the position of subservience which was thrust upon her. Careful to keep a bit of her heart tucked away, only with Kenneth was she free to vent her frustration in the adjustment to this time.

“You know what I miss, Kenneth? My cell phone! I used to view it as an electronic leash that David had on me, and now I would give anything to talk on one. I miss fried chicken bought and paid for, served to me in a cardboard bucket. I was so spoiled by modern conveniences! I miss my father, and my own independence. Here, I have to beg just to touch my sword.”

“And dost thou suffer from the loss of these things?”

Kenneth startled and moved out of her embrace to look up in the trees. The booming voice had come down from above. Cat gazed up at the trees, squinting her eyes when the sun dancing through the leaves briefly blinded her.

“Merlin? Where are you? I know you are there!” she called out.

Kenneth looked about, and then closed his eyes as a gentle breeze caressed his face and brow.

Cat stood and walked about, searching the treetops for a sign of her friend. The sky was bright, the clouds soft and white. The air suddenly turned cooler.

Kenneth scrambled up and ran, and she turned to see him bound into Merlin's arms.

The older man was dressed in full knight's garb. No drab robe this, but regal, in deep blue and gold. His white hair glowed as it flowed past his shoulders. Wearing no hat, he held a sword at his side. “You must address me as Sir Raven, Catherine,” he said with a frown.

She smiled. “Very well, if you favor it. Kenneth seems to know you are a friend.” Cat walked over them.

“Aye, lass. This one is a funny little frog, a bit of an amusing sprite content with his own magic. Go … boy. Leave us for a time. I need a moment with your lady.”

Kenneth reacted as if he understood every word uttered by the old time traveler. Traipsing away to stand over Cat's kill, he picked up the bird and began plucking off the feathers. Cat kept him in sight.

“You have come to take me back, have you not?” A bit of frightened anticipation touched the tone of her voice.

“You must make a judgment as to your path, Catherine. I will come for you in three days. Forever gone, or forever stay; you must ponder and declare your resolve.” He turned strode away from her.

“Why only three days' time?” Frantically, she tried to keep up with his swift pace. “Surely it can be postponed for a bit?”

He stopped with a flourish, and the color of his blue eyes turned a deep sapphire in anger. “You would bargain with me, lady?” he said in an outraged roar.

“Nay. Forgive me, Sir Raven. I did not mean to make you angry. But, it will be so hard to …”

“Leave forever the man that holds your heart?” His blue eyes were penetrating as they stared into hers.

“Maybe that's true. Still, I wish to be no man's property! My time gave validation to women. They were not treated as silly pets. They were listened to, valued.”

“You speak, and he does not listen?”

“Nay, he does listen to me. But if he chooses not to, I have no recourse, no choice! I am only what he allows me to be in this time!”

“Bah! Did he ignore your love for the Gordon babe? Did he beat you when you disobeyed him to cross another clan's border?”

Folding her arms about her defensively, she huffed. “You know he did not! He made a pretense of it for the others, but he has never hurt me. Roderic is … very tender with me.” She spoke the last in a breathless whisper as if the thought were a sudden one.

“Aye, and this tenderness is a precious gift. Most women would thank God, fasting, for such a man.” He pulled out a small scrap of paper from his belt. “May this lend a help in your decision, lady, and your arrow be straight and true, as always.”

Putting the piece of paper in her hand, he continued as he walked away from her, “Be at the east landing of the castle at sunset in three days time. If ye judge to stay here, know ye never to plead to go back, for this will be your home!”

Watching him disappear through the trees, Cat felt suddenly cold. She looked down at the paper in her hand. It was a newspaper clipping from Houston, Texas. The date was only six months from the date she worked in Scotland. Merlin had gone into the future! The article documented the tragic loss of Howard Terril after a long battle with cancer.

Her father was dying.

Cameron was vexed at the fey young boy. Kenneth had taken hold of his arm and dragged him to Lady Montwain. The urgency with which he conveyed his need of help was merited when Cameron observed her condition.

Her skin was cold and clammy. Tears streamed unheeded from her eyes as she sat rocking back and forth on the ground under the trees. He wrapped her into his arms and took her to Roderic.

Roderic sat in the great hall at the long table sipping ale.

“Sir Roderic!” Cameron shouted.

Roderic rose and moved swiftly when he saw his wife's condition. He ran to take her from Cameron.

“What has happened? Is she injured?”

“Nay! I found no wound. She is pale, and cold, and wouldnae answer,” Cameron said.

Roderic shouted, “Edna!”

The woman appeared at once.

“Fetch Glyniss. Your lady is ill,” he said.

“Aye, Sir Roderic,” Edna replied. She went to do his bidding.

Roderic held Catherine tenderly and carried her to their chamber, placing her in their bed. Her skin was like ice, and she tossed about on the bed, crying.

Crooning to her, he tried to take her in his arms and give her comfort. He begged her to tell him what troubled her so he could make it right.

Glyniss came to see to her and pronounced her illness not one of body, but of spirit. She was inconsolable. Another mystery flogged his brain as he viewed his wife. She lay on the bed and cried as if her heart had been rent in two. He made small attempts to give her comfort and affection, but she would not be consoled.

Roderic sat with her throughout the night, wrapping her in blankets hoping to warm her. Wanting no further outcry of her madness, he allowed no one else near, explaining only that she was ill. Her constant tears wrenched his heart, she whimpered, cried, and continued to speak two words again and again as if they beset her with a quandary.

“Three days.”

The simple believeth every word, but the prudent man looketh well to his going.

~Proverbs 14:15

C
at roused herself from her grief after the long night of tears and depression. Roderic demanded the reason for her collapse.

“I've had some grave news. My father is … dying.”

“Dispense with this mystery, Catherine. Tell me the way to your home, and I shall take you to your father at once!”

“No, Roderic. You cannot. If I leave, and it will be soon … I can never return,” she said.

His expression clouded in anger. “You will not leave me! Let your clan come for you! Lay siege if they must, but take you they will not. You stood before the priest with me and took vows, in spite of your lies! You could carry my child even now. King Alexander will understand Mackay's trickery. When I speak to him of this, he will sanction our union. If your family has cast you out, how did you know of your father's sickness?”

Cat sighed, shook her head, and was silent. She was weak and tired in spirit from her night of grief. Her father's illness had been an almighty blow. Howard must have been ill long before she went to work on the film in Scotland; he said nothing.

She felt not only profound grief, but despair born of betrayal. The decision to stay or leave Roderic was made more difficult in the knowledge that she could never say good-bye to her father, though he was ill. Her mind was tired from the frantic thoughts that plagued her. Merlin was adamant in his command, and there would be no changing her mind once the decision was made.

Roderic walked to her and with a graceful movement took her in his arms to sit on the bed. The lethargy she felt, coupled with her depression, made her numb. Sitting in his arms like a broken doll, she pressed her cheek to his collar bone, and sank gratefully into his warmth, his embrace.

“My love. You will not leave me. My life, my heart will be barren without you. You are tired and overwrought. Do not be afraid of the future with the loss of your loved one. I took you as my wife for all time, and honor has this pledge from me to care for you in your father's place from the day we wed. Don't cry, for I will be your shield and shelter.”

Embracing him, she kissed his cheek, and sighed. “Roderic. Let's not speak of the future, and enjoy our time together.”

He kissed her passionately, his tongue sweeping past her lips to caress the inside of her mouth.

Cat wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed her fingers in his hair, determined to enjoy every precious second she had left with Roderic, her husband, her heart. She only hoped she would have the strength to leave him.

The next two days were a trial for Cat. She tried to be with Roderic and Hope every second, knowing she would return to her time when Merlin came. Roderic continued to have her guarded, but she knew Cameron would be no match for Merlin's powers.

She found herself hoping that she would have a child for her comfort. She wanted to stay with Roderic. She wanted to go home. Determined to stand by one decision, only hours later she would relent and change her mind.