Page 22 of Love Me Forever (Highland Duo #2)

T he villagers called out greetings as the men entered, but they grew silent when their eyes fell on Royce.

He was a stranger scarred by battle and owed respect.

She had thought they would understand and be more accepting of him.

They were not. Their stares were blatant and their whispers hushed.

She felt a sad disappointment for him and herself.

Her brother would be different, Brianna was certain of that. He would greet Royce with the respect due a battle-scarred warrior.

The keep was of impressive size, though not overly large. It was well crafted and situated wisely for battle and protection. It loomed dark in the gathering gloom of night, though two huge torches mounted on either side of the large wooden doors lit the entrance.

Blair had ordered the men to return to their families before they reached the keep. Brianna was grateful, for then she would have the privacy of reuniting with her family and introducing Royce without anyone about. There would be time for all to learn of her impending marriage soon enough.

Royce helped her to dismount and assisted her up the few stone steps, Blair at her other side. The two men exchanged knowing glances before entering, but Brianna was too excited to notice.

“Ian!” she shouted upon entering the great hall and seeing her brother standing near the dais. She ran right into his arms.

He was a handsome man of formidable size and possessed a charm that empowered him.

His reddish brown hair fell past his shoulders and his eyes were sometimes blue and sometimes green depending on his emotions.

He stood several inches over six feet and was a skillful warrior and leader, and Brianna was proud of him.

He hugged her fiercely to him. “Thank the good Lord, I thought you were dead.”

She hugged him back, tears glistening in her eyes.

There was only the two of them, their mother and father having passed on.

“I am too stubborn,” she announced, kissing his cheek.

“Determined,” a familiar voice corrected.

Brianna turned to see her sister-in-law, Moira, entering the great hall with her six-month-old son, Duncan, in her arms. Her friend Anne came up from behind her, hurrying past Moira to hug Brianna.

Anne was barely a few inches over five feet with beautiful blond hair, a pretty face, and an independent nature. She was also Blair’s wife.

“It is good to see you safe,” Anne said after the hug, “and good that my husband was successful in finding you.”

Anne walked toward her husband. He in turn hurried to her side to greet her with a hug that swept her off her feet.

“I said that I would find her and I did. Now I deserve that reward you promised me.”

Anne playfully swatted at him and turned bright red. “You are no gentleman.”

Moira handed her son to his father and threw her arms around Brianna. “I have prayed for your safe return.”

Brianna welcomed her embrace. Moira was five years older than her brother’s twenty and five years, and plain in features, though her wide intelligent eyes produced a different kind of beauty that many found appealing, especially her brother Ian.

He loved her with all his heart, as she did him.

They made a good pair, and Brianna had envied them their love.

Now, however, she had found her very own.

She turned to give her nephew a quick hug and kiss, promising him that she would spend time with him later, and then hurried over to Royce, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward Ian, though he went willingly.

Brianna could not hide her excitement. “Ian, I want you to meet someone special.”

Sudden silence descended over the great hall. Even the few servants who mulled about froze where they stood and stared with wide eyes at Royce.

Brianna grew alarmed when Ian’s eyes fired with heat and he sent a quick glance to Blair. Blair in turn gently urged his wife aside and moved to stand beside Ian. Anne hastily joined Moira, and they quietly moved away from the men.

Blair spoke. “He saved your sister’s life.”

Brianna did not understand. No introductions had been made and yet Ian seemed to know Royce.

“I am grateful,” Ian said with a guarded stance.

Royce barely nodded in return.

Brianna felt the need to explain. “Royce took exceptional care of me.”

Ian kept his eyes on Royce. “Again I am grateful.”

Brianna was beginning to grow annoyed and she spoke bluntly. “I was severely injured and could do nothing for myself. Royce saw to my every need.”

Ian spoke calmly; though it was obvious he measured his words carefully. “I am indebted to you.”

Royce finally spoke and shocked all. “Then I request permission to wed your sister.”

Brianna’s eyes widened in surprise, though it took only a moment for her to smile, slip her arm through his, and look to her brother. “I love him. I do not know how it happened nor do I care. He is a good man with a tender heart and soul, and I wish to be his wife.”

Royce smiled, kissed her cheek, and focused on Ian. “What say you?”

Ian stepped forward. “I want my sister to be happy.”

Brianna smiled, relieved that things finally looked as if they would work out all right.

“As do I,” Royce said and waited. He knew what would follow, and he placed his hand over Brianna’s, where it rested on his arm.

Ian kept his eyes on Royce when he asked, “Brianna, do you know who this man is?”

Brianna spoke with pride. “He is a warrior. I thought he would serve the clan Cameron well.”

Blair moved up behind Ian, and Brianna noticed that several of her brother’s fiercest men had entered the great hall and were lined up along the sides.

“He serves his own clan well,” Ian said.

“You know Royce? He is not a stranger to you?” she asked, puzzled.

“I had the opportunity to see him fight.”

“He is a skilled warrior.” Once again she spoke with pride.

Ian turned his attention to his sister. “He is a legendary warrior.”

Her puzzlement grew. “Legendary?”

“His reputation precedes him.”

A sense of foreboding swept over her, and she attempted to ease her arm off his. Royce held firmly to her hand.

“What does my brother speaks of?” She could not keep the tremble out of her voice. “Who are you?”

Royce found it difficult to tell her. He knew her well and knew her reaction would not be to his liking. He simply said, “Remember.”

Brianna looked to her brother for an answer since she realized that she was the only one present who did not know Royce was a legend.

“He is chieftain of the clan Campbell. He is the infamous Royce Campbell.”

Brianna’s legs grew weak and her heart fluttered until she thought she would pass out, but she let no one know of her reaction. She stood straight and proud and spoke calmly, turning her attention to Royce.

“I have heard many stories of your exploits. You are known as a fearless leader who leads a fearsome clan. It is said you know no fear and yet men fear your presence, and women—women want nothing more than to please the mighty warrior. I have heard told that you have no tenderness or compassion in your heart. And it is whispered that you were born without a soul.”

A tear threatened to spill and she fought with all the courage she possessed to hold it back. She would show no weakness. “You were not truthful with me.”

“I told you no lies,” Royce said, making certain all heard him. “You asked few questions of me.”

“I thought—” She paused, thinking how foolish she had been yet again and shook her head slowly. “I thought the time would come when you would confide in me. I did not wish to intrude on what I thought were painful memories.”

She looked to Ian. “I am forever foolish.”

She moved to step away from Royce, but he kept a firm hand on her. “You know me.”

“I thought I did.” Sadness welled up inside her, and she could not stop the tear from falling.

Royce wiped it away with a gentle finger. “I love you, Brianna.”

“You kept the truth from me. How can I ever trust what you tell me is true?”

He wiped at the tears that followed. “Remember—that is all I ask of you. Please remember how much I love you.”

“At this moment I cannot. I am confused and hurt and can think of nothing else. I thought you a gentle man who cared.” She shook her head. “Your reputation speaks otherwise.”

At that moment his heart ached more for her than it did for himself.

He had not wanted to hurt her, and he had thought it best she did not know his identity.

He had not wished to frighten her any further than she was already frightened when he first found her.

He was well aware of his reputation. He had forged it with his own blood and sweat and created a mighty clan whom all feared.

He fought for kings and peasants alike, and he had fought victoriously and with honor.

And many times he had fought with a cold heart—and, he often thought, an empty soul.

Those reasons had driven him to seek solitude after the last battle.

He had not intended to completely keep his identity from her, but she had seemed so vulnerable, and when she began to speak of her past and her husband, he felt it was best that she did not know the darker side of him. So he had purposely remained silent.

While the legendary warrior Royce Campbell knew no fear in battle, he now feared losing the woman he loved, and battle was the only way in which he remained victorious, so he spoke as a man who commanded.

“Once we wed you will come?—”

She stopped him, yanking her hand forcefully from his grasp and stepping away from him. “Wed? I can never wed you.”

“I understand you are upset?—”

She stopped him again. “Upset? Nay, you understand nothing. But understand this—I will not wed you.” She looked to her brother. “I do not wish to wed him.”

Ian walked over to her and placed a comforting arm around her waist. “It is your choice.”

“It is not her choice,” Royce said with strength in his voice that caused many in the hall to shiver.

Ian stepped in front of his sister, and Blair moved in beside him.