Page 26

As Gwyn stood before the hearth within her chamber, the pain of all that had transpired over these last two days pulled heavily upon her heart.

Her son had been impacted dramatically by the devastating words of the laird and he was now forbidden to ride or carry either of his weapons.

Not only were those taken from him, but Durell was restricted to the keep and only the upper part of the bailey.

Until the laird of the Chattan spoke once again, he was not allowed to even enter the stables.

"Damn you, Errol!"

However, in Gwyn's mind, that was nothing compared to what the laird had done to Donnan.

This fine warrior was completely stripped of his ranking and from what she had heard from many, he was lucky to have his life.

Not only was he forbidden to sit at the head table next to Iver, he was banned from the gathering hall altogether.

He had been released of any standings he held within his own and was hereby and for what appeared to be the rest of time, only allowed to perform the lowest of duties.

As of late, he was restricted to the stables to complete the tasks of cleaning the stalls or caring for the steeds.

Gwyn could not have been angrier or more saddened by the laird's harsh actions.

She had no idea what had sparked his rage so vehemently or why he had reacted so severely.

She wished Donnan had not spoken and he would have allowed her to take the blame.

She would have much preferred it that way, especially since it truly was her fault.

There was little the laird could have taken from her that had not already been seized over the years.

"Donnan, I am so very sorry for all the blame that has fallen upon you."

When a knock came to her door, Gwyn was startled from her thoughts. She moved quickly to see who wished to gain entry. She was surprised to find it was one of the laird's own sentries.

"My lady. The laird requires your immediate presence in the gathering hall below."

"Yes, of course."

Gwyn quietly followed her clansman down the long stairway. While she understood the Laird Errol was standing before the hearth, she found she could not look up into his face nor acknowledge his presence until she found herself only two paces before him.

When Gwyn finally gazed up from where she stood, she could see out of the corner of her eye Iver just a short distance away.

His eyes were intent upon her and the feelings of all the turmoil she had caused nearly made her cringe in pain.

As she spoke, she tried desperately to remain calm and not allow the disdain she felt for her husband appear within her voice.

"My laird? You summoned me?"

As expected, he was not going to make anything easy for her.

Perhaps he suspected much of what her son had done was allowed by her very own hand.

Maybe he was just angry for the clear adoration Durell had shown towards the newest members of his keep.

Either way, his fury was unacceptable in her mind.

Slowly, Gwyn watched as he held a parchment up into the air. A sinking feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach because beyond that one so many years ago, she had never received a missive. And if this one was for her, it could mean nothing good.

"This communication is from your father."

The laird watched Gwyn's reaction and he appeared almost pleased when she could not hide the trepidation as it flashed across her face.

"Please, tell me. What does it say?"

In Gwyn's eyes, he could not have spoken soon enough.

"They and their small party travel here shortly and will arrive in just over a month's time. While they do not say exactly what their mission is, they say they are coming for the package you have kept in safekeeping."

Gwyn's breath caught in her throat as she tried desperately to prevent any sort of reaction display upon her face. She found immediately she could not speak and the pain upon her heart was debilitating as the air was ripped ruthlessly from her lungs.

'Oh, God, no…not now! I am not ready to say goodbye.'

It was horrifyingly obvious to her they were coming for Durell.

She closed her eyes as she fought both the tears that threatened and the anguish assailing her senses and tried desperately to remain unaffected on the outside.

It was no easy task and for the first time in her life, Gwyn felt helpless.

They were finally coming to take from her what had been her life and her existence, for this last decade.

"Is that all, my laird? Was there anything else said within the communication?"

"No, no, that is it."

"Thank you, my laird, it was kind of you to share it with me.

I believe I will go for a walk now in the bailey since it is such a fine eve.

I appreciate your thoughtfulness and providing this information to me.

It will be a pleasure to see my family once again.

Especially since it has been so many years since I saw them last."

As the words passed over her lips, Gwyn knew they were spoken with little emotion and much less fear then what was present within her heart.

Slowly, she turned from the laird and moved from the hearth and over the vast room with a devastation unlike any other building somewhere deep inside of her.

With this information shared, she knew that gone would be her life and forever changed would be her existence.

And the loneliness. God help her to survive that devastation.

Her parents were unknowingly stripping everything from her. They were taking from her all that made her the woman she was and everything that gave her the will to live. And Gwyn could not have been any more devastated for the knowledge of it.