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That he’d never lay eyes on his child was a crushing loss. It would be the single greatest tragedy of his life. Second only to saying good-bye to Felicity.

The ride was a blur, silent and anguished. Seeing Felicity’s newfound joy, his pain redoubled. His love for her would grow on, in this child she carried. And sending them away would destroy him.

They arrived, and a letter awaited him. Ewen left them, going straight to check on Lily. But Will opened the envelope immediately, standing there in the entryway.

“Who’s it from?” Felicity shrugged off her cloak, handed it to a maid. “Who even knows we’re here?”

She felt light and giddy, and in the way of all great moods, she had the sense that everything was now going to go her way. She was sure the letter would bear some additional bit of amazing news. Like Jamie was apologizing, or maybe the whole king thing was settled.

“What’s it say, Will?”

“It looks to be two letters, actually,” Will muttered.

“Are they both to you?” She craned her neck to get a better look. “Why don’t you open the other one?”

“It’s not to me.”

“What do you mean it’s not to you? Who’s it to?”

“Och, woman,” he snapped. “Please give me a moment.”

She’d been riding so high, his brusque tone came as a shock. “Ouch,” she mumbled, feeling herself deflate.

“Och,” he growled again. “I’m sorry, love.” He looked at her, and his expression startled her. There was a blankness there, a deadness in his eyes. “ ’Tis only . . . this is happening sooner than I’d expected.”

“What is?” she asked quietly. “What’s going on?”

He sighed. “The letter. It’s from Ormonde. A summons from the Sealed Knot men,” he said, showing her the opened letter. “And”—he gestured to the elaborately sealed envelope—“a message for the King.”

“The King?” she asked, taken aback. “What do they need to write to the King about?”

“Cromwell.” Will was remote, his mind seeming to whir on other things. “He’s dead.”

“Wow . . . well . . . that’s a good thing, right?”

“His son Richard has been named his successor. Be it one Cromwell or another,” Will mused distractedly, “time will tell what that means for Charles.”

“But what does this all have to do with you?”

“Don’t you see?” He pinned her with his gaze, his attention clicking back to the moment. “The Sealed Knot asks that I be the one to deliver word to the King.”

“I . . . I’m still not getting it. Where is he? I thought the King was—”

“In Belgium? Aye.” Will crumpled his letter in his fist. “He’s in exile, in Bruges. And I’m to deliver this message to him.”

“Oh.” It finally hit home. Will had to leave, to see the King. In Belgium. “Well, I’ll just go too. I’ve never been there before.”

“The only place you’re going is back to your own time.

” He stared at the King’s letter in his hand, his face a hard mask.

“This has become far too dangerous. My brother, witch-hunters . . . they are nothing compared to this. Cromwell’s spies hope to intercept just this sort of correspondence.

To capture and kill those who carry it.”

She’d been feeling so joyful, and the intensity of her emotions took a pendulum swing to anger. “So you’re still going to send me back.”

“That’s why we came,” he told her, subdued. “To get instructions from Cameron’s witch.”

“But we just found out I’m pregnant. You’re going to let me go even though I’m pregnant?” He simply nodded, and so she pressed, “So you’re just going to say good-bye. Even though I’m carrying your baby . How can you do that?”

“I do it to save you.”

“I don’t get it,” she snapped. “I don’t get how all these other women are allowed to stay here. Lily, Maggie, whatever the hell their names are. Why can’t I stay?”

“It’s not safe for you.”

“Ewen let Lily stay! She’s even had babies, and she’s still fine.”

“Ewen is chief of his clan,” he said evenly.

“Who am I? I’m not even an eldest son. Jamie won’t rest until he sees you dead.

And a child of mine? Even worse. He’ll rally religious zealots, Parliamentarians, my old Covenanter enemies, he’ll use all at his disposal to see me .

. . to see us destroyed. I cannot see you and a baby . . .”

He shut his eyes as if to gather himself. When he opened them, the man she knew had retreated, and before her stood the stoic William Rollo once more. It made her unutterably sad. “I cannot see you and our baby in danger. I love you, Felicity, and this is the only way I know to protect you.”

“You could come with me then.”

“No.” The foyer was dim, and torchlight flickered on the edges of his features. A handsome face, through some strange alchemy turned to steel. “I can’t. I have obligations. I made a promise. I must see the King restored.”

“Seriously, Will.” She was grasping at straws. “Listen, England had a queen when I left. They’ve got princes coming out of their ears over there. The monarchy was alive and well. Your work is as good as done.”

“I would,” he began, looking pained. “I would go with you. But I made a promise, and I am a man of my word.”

“How’d they even know how to find you?”

“The Sealed Knot men can’t be underestimated.”

“Well they sure found you mighty fast.”

“Perhaps I’d mentioned to Ormonde that we were traveling to Lochaber.”

“ Perhaps you’d mentioned it,” she said testily. She put a hand up to silence whatever excuse he was about to give her. “Whatever. I get it. There’s no convincing you. It’s bye-bye Felicity. The noble hero is gallivanting off into the sunset and certain death.”

Her voice cracked on those last words. Anger and confusion and grief clawed at her, paralyzing her thoughts, freezing her tongue in her mouth.

And, for the first time in a very long time, Felicity was silenced.