Love Beyond Belief (Book 7 of Morna’s Legacy Series) (23 page)

“I know, but it wouldn’t be your fault. I want you to know that. Even though you love me, you are not responsible for me. So please, Callum, don’t use your fear over everything that happened to push me away. Tell me you won’t.”
 

He lowered his head to kiss me, and the need in his kiss was one of comfort rather than lust.

“Lass, might we make each other a promise, ye and I? I willna distance myself from ye, though for now, I’ll not be around ye as much as I’d like. I promise ye that when all of this is over, I’ll want ye as much as I do now. Now, will ye make me a promise as well?”

“What is it?”

“I know ye told me that ye doona want me telling ye what to do, but in this instance please doona take offense to it. ’Twill ease much of my suffering if ye agree to it. I beg of ye, Sydney, swear to me that ye will not enter my time again until we know the truth of what is happening with Laird Allen, and he has been brought to justice.”

All he wanted was for me to be safe, but even in times of peace, safety was never a guarantee—that was just the way with life.
 

“Callum, what if that takes years?”

“It willna take years, lass. I fully intend for all of this to be over within a fortnight. Just promise me, for now, that ye will stay safely here so I can see to the safety of others without worrying about ye as well.”

There would be much to attend to here. Regardless of the plans that were made in the morning, I knew that lots of little ones would remain here to ensure their safety. My hands, and the hands of anyone else around, would be full. If it truly was just for now, it seemed a simple enough promise to keep.
 

“Okay. I promise. I will stay right here until you tell me it is safe to go back with you once more.”

CHAPTER 32

“I sent a group of men out this morning to search for answers. I expect the Conalls are already doing the same, and we will hear something from them soon.”

I sat at the back of the sitting room with Cooper on one side of me and Jerry on the other. Everyone seemed to be in various stages of worry and grief. The atmosphere in the room hung heavy over all of us as Callum led the discussion.
 

Callum spoke for a long while, letting everyone know all that he did about the current situation. The room remained quiet while he spoke. Only when he finished did Laird McMillan—Baodan—rise to address Callum.

“I think it best that me, my brother, and Jeffrey leave for home to make certain no similar attacks are attempted in our own territory, though I doona think it wise for us to do so on horseback.”
 

Baodan turned and directed his gaze toward Morna.
 

“Can we still travel back at the McMillan Castle of this time? If so, would ye be willing to take us there and see us through today?”

Morna nodded. I could see from her unsurprised expression that perhaps the thought had already occurred to her.
 

“Aye. I’ll leave with ye lads today. Why doona yer wives and children come to stay with me and Jerry for a time? ’Twill be easier for ye to send word to me when things are safe if I am home—I’ve more powers at my disposal there. When I know that ’tis safe for them, and ye’ve let me know ye are ready for them to return, I can send them back. Jerry can go with the others tomorrow so they have time to prepare.”

Baodan glanced first at Mitsy then over at Eoghanan and Grace, followed by Jeffrey and Kathleen. When they all gave their agreement, Baodan turned back toward Callum.
 

“Does the arrangement suit ye?”
 

Callum gave his approval and continued to hash things out with everyone else in the room.
 

At Morna’s mention of their return home, I noticed Jerry stiffen in his seat next to me. Once the room began to hum with the noise of many separate conversations, I turned to ask him about it.
 

“Is everything all right?”
 

“No, but I canna discuss it with ye here. Once Morna leaves with the others, come and find me.”

Jerry stood and silently slipped from the room.

“Please promise me that ye will be careful, Callum. Ye doona know how much I care for ye. When all is over, ye will come and see me, aye?”

Callum held Morna close to him, squeezing the old witch tightly enough that her toes lifted off the ground.
 

“Aye, Morna, I do think I know, for I care for ye just as much. I shall see ye soon. Ye must be glad to be going home, aye? Ye threw a mighty fit when we wouldna let ye do so after Jerry’s attack.”

Morna blushed slightly, and Callum thought it the first time he’d ever seen her do so.
 

“I am ready to sleep in my own bed, but I am not glad for the circumstances that have me leaving here today.”

He released his grip on her, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and reached for the car door to open it for her. Rather than climb inside, Morna grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the car.
 

“Hold on just a moment. There’s something I wish to tell ye before I go.”

He moved to lace her arm with his own, escorting her away from the crowd as she clearly wished him to.
 

“What is it, Morna?”

“I want to thank ye. Not only for remaining kind to me in the midst of some verra bad behavior on my part, but also for being one of the few lads I’ve ever known to not do exactly what I told ye to.”

Callum frowned, trying to think on what the witch could mean. His mind was too filled with Laird Allen, with the Conalls, with trying to figure out all he didn’t understand to remember what Morna referred to.
 

“What do ye mean by that? Are ye pointing to a specific instance?”

“Aye, verra specific indeed. Do ye not remember when I asked ye to search for Grier? Ye told me ye wouldna do so unless ye had cause. I thought Jerry’s heart attack was plenty cause enough, and still ye denied my request.”

In truth, he never stopped his search for the witch. Morna didn’t know that the dance had been a failed trap to catch her. She didn’t know that he had a man searching day and night for her since the morning after Jerry’s heart attack. Callum knew it was best she didn’t know because nothing had been found.
 

“And ye are happy about that? It surprises me to hear ye say so. I thought ye were still rather sour about all of it.”

The old witch shrugged and reached with her free hand to pat his arm.
 

“I would’ve thought so too, but I find I’m quite pleased that ye dinna do as I asked. It seems that Grier has given up on whatever it was she wanted with Jerry and me. I couldna be more glad for it. ’Tis only here that she could reach us. My departure today means it has come to an end.”

At least one set of problems had reached a resolution. He was no longer concerned with his search for Grier either. There were much more pressing matters at hand.
 

“I am glad for it, as well. Though, I still protest that she is not as bad as ye remember her to be. She helped me the day of the fire. Whether ye wish to believe it or not, I believe she saved Jerry’s life on the day of his attack, as well.”

Callum knew Jerry had tried to make Morna see sense on the matter, but she refused to believe anything but the worst of Grier despite his pleas. Callum expected the same reaction. Instead she squeezed his arm a little more tightly as she spoke.
 

“’Tis true that I’m not sure I know anymore. As much as I’ve held on to the hatred I have of her now, there was a time that I loved her verra much. I admit that I thought Jerry’s defense of her was born out of his trusting nature. Perhaps this time it was only because he was right. Either way, I am at peace not knowing.”

Believing her to be finished, Callum slowly led them back toward the car.
 

“Peace is all I wish for all of us, Morna. I pray that it finds us soon.”

She turned to hug him one last time in farewell.
 

“Oh, I do too, lad. I do too.”

CHAPTER 33

Fatigue descended quickly upon everyone at the castle after Morna left with the McMillan men. Even Cooper, known for his insomnia, laid down for a nap. I did as well, only remembering as my eyes were nearly closed that Jerry asked me to find him.
 

I could sleep later. As concerned as Jerry appeared earlier, I didn’t wish to keep him waiting. I stood and did a few lengthy stretches for energy and crossed the hall to his room.
 

He didn’t answer at my first knock, and I wondered if perhaps he was napping as well. When no response came the second time, I opened the door to look inside. The room was empty.
 

My first thought was that perhaps he went to look for me instead. While I thought it odd that he wouldn’t check my room first, I made my way down to the kitchen to look for him there. All I found was a pile of dirty dishes awaiting my attention.
 

They would just have to wait longer, for now my curiosity—as well as my concern—was at an all-time high. Where could he have wandered off?

I looked everywhere that I could without disturbing sleeping babies or moms and eventually decided to look for him outside. It didn’t take me long to approach the stairwell and, much to my surprise, I found him sitting on a step halfway down.
 

“Jerry,” I called out to him as I approached. He turned around casually as if nothing were odd about his location.
 

“Ach, Sydney. There ye are, lass. I thought perhaps ye forgot my request that ye seek me out.”

“I’ll admit I forgot for a moment, but I thought you meant in your room or something. What are you doing out here?”
 

 
He stood and took one more step down the staircase.
 

“I am simply doing precisely what I told ye I would do. Today is the day I was meant to trick Morna into traveling through. Grier waits for us on the other side. While Morna canna go, I must.”

My heart suddenly felt like it jumped into my throat at his answer.
 

“No way. Get your ass back up here, Jerry, or I will drag you up these stairs myself. You can’t be serious? Surely you know with everything that happened that you have to forget about this right now. You can come back another time and try to heal the bad blood between them.”

He shook his head at me and took another step downward.
 

“No, Sydney. I broke a promise to Grier once before. I’ll not do it again. I only asked ye to find me so ye could stand from this side and wait for me so that if anything goes wrong, ye can call for help. I will do this regardless of yer thoughts on the matter. Will ye wait and watch for me or not? I willna be long.”

I took two steps down into the stairwell myself then stopped when I saw that he meant to run through if I approached him.
 

“Jerry, wait. Just think about this for a minute. No one is through there. Callum and Orick won’t be back through until tonight. At least wait until then.”

He held up a hand to stop me from taking another step forward.
 

“No. I canna wait, for I willna make Grier wait. I’ll ask ye one last time. Then I go either way. Will ye wait and watch for me?”

I groaned and gripped my forehead to push away the sudden pounding pain. I didn’t think I could take any more stress today. Clearly though, there was no fighting him on this. If he was going, I could at least be here to escort him out when he returned.
 

“Fine. You have ten minutes. If you’re not back by then, I’m getting Callum.”

He picked up one foot as he twisted to look over his shoulder at me, but his words were cut short as he tripped over the next step and began to tumble downward. Everything slowed down as he fell, but I couldn’t reach him in time.
 

Jerry picked up speed as he rolled. Even as he reached the bottom, he continued to skid until he hit the wall, disappearing before my eyes.
 

I screamed and closed my eyes in painful surrender of what I knew I must do.