Page 77 of Love Me Forever

“Let her be.”

Brianna walked off on her own, letting her tears fall and her heart ache.

* * *

Several days passedwith Brianna spending most of her time alone. She spent the time alone in thought, deep in thought, until she could stand her solitary time no longer. She climbed the winding stairs to Moira’s workshop.

Moira had been raised in a convent since the time she was twelve. She had always been inquisitive, and when a monk had arrived seeking shelter and care at the convent, she soon found an eager teacher. When she had arrived at the keep, she had found an empty tower room and had converted it to her workshop, where she did her studies and experiments.

Brianna had been an eager student herself when she learned of Moira’s unique skills. She now needed to immerse herself in something other than her confused and indecisive thoughts.

“Do you need help?” Brianna asked of Moira, peeking passed the partially opened door.

Moira waved her in. “Help is always appreciated.”

Brianna hurried in, quietly eager to talk with her, seeing that Duncan was fast asleep on a thick fur near the hearth. “I have been sulking.”

“Understandable.”

“Do you understand everything?” Brianna joined her on one of the stools that sat at the worktable.

“When a situation is examined, it can be understood, though not always accepted.”

“As with you and my brother when you first met?” Brianna asked, her curiosity caught by the bubbling potions in front of her.

Moira made a notation in her journal, and then laid the quill aside. “Aye, I did not understand your brother’s intentions until I paid close heed to his words and actions and realized that his decision was meant for the good of many. I could not fault him for being unselfish.”

“It took you time to realize this?”

“Of course, I was angry at being used and understandably so, and yet your brother was an honorable man with good intentions, and then . . .” She smiled with delight. “He fell helplessly in love with me.”

“And you with him.” Brianna smiled.

“I had never thought to love.” Moira was serious. “I had thought the remainder of my days would be spent in the convent, and I was content with that. I learned much and continued to learn. I had not known a man’s touch, a lover’s kiss, or the depths of love, so I did not know what

I missed. Your brother changed all that for me, and I am grateful, for my knowledge would never have reached its full potential locked away in a convent.”

“You have no regrets?”

“Not one.”

Brianna thought on this and wondered over her own regrets.

“We cannot change our past. It is the present that should concern us. What do you wish of your life now?”

Brianna considered Moira’s words. “I wish to feel free to love.”

“Why do you not feel free to love?”

“I worry that I make the same mistake—that I trust too easily and too foolishly.”

“You compare Royce to Arran.”

Brianna nodded. “At times I cannot help it. I know it is foolish of me, but then, I think it is foolish if I do not look for similar traits. If I go blindly into this marriage, what then? Do I suffer the same fate?”

“You thought Arran was honest and honorable, and you gave your heart without question.”

She almost laughed, but the sound was anything but humorous. “Arran charmed me and won my heart easily, but then I believed every word he told me.”