Page 29 of Proven By The Highlander (Highlander Forever #15)
CHAPTER 29
T he trip back to the Keep was a long one, but the time seemed to pass quickly on horseback, and she was surprised to see the familiar shape of the castle looming ahead on the horizon so soon. It must have been very late, to judge by how few lights were still burning in the windows, but there were still men on guard when they approached the castle gates. She could feel the men’s enthusiasm, see how delighted they were with the news they were about to share with the guards… and sure enough, their whoops of delighted recognition echoed so far across the water that Leanne worried they’d wake the folks from the fishing village all the way on the other side of the Loch.
She should have known better than to assume they’d wait until morning to break the news to the Laird. The group marched into the Keep and straight through to the empty, silent dining hall, calling for torches to be lit and the Laird to be woken as a matter of urgency. Leanne gazed around at the familiar surroundings, surprised by how different she felt now. She’d only been gone for a couple of days, after all… why did it feel like she was returning home after a voyage of years? A lot had changed out there, she realized, slipping her hand into Caelan’s, and smiling as she felt him squeeze it tightly. That was the trick.
The Laird emerged relatively quickly given the lateness of the hour, bleary-eyed and scowling… but his grumpy expression vanished when he laid eyes first on Bram, and then on Caelan. Leanne couldn’t help but laugh as she saw the Laird join the dots, and the whoop of joy he uttered belonged not to the stately leader, but to the young man reunited with kin he’d thought he’d lost for good. He pulled both men into a bear hug, slapping them so hard on the back she thought he might just knock them down.
It wasn’t long before the whole Keep was awake, drawn by curiosity and a fair bit of worry about what the Laird could possibly be shouting so loudly about. One by one, the brothers were pulled into delighted hugs by their kinsfolk, and though they started telling the story about a dozen times, they eventually gave up and insisted on waiting for absolutely everyone who wanted to hear the tale to be present first. While they waited for the hall to fill, the Laird called for barrels of ale, which were dutifully rolled out by amused servants who seemed more than inclined to join the festivities themselves. Someone appeared with a violin, and before long a merry scene had evolved, with men and women talking and laughing while a musician played the merriest jigs he knew.
Finally, the hall was full to bursting. It seemed every single person in the Keep had crowded in to hear the tale. Bram and Caelan both climbed onto the dais at the front of the hall and were met immediately by a roar of approval from the crowd. But before they embarked on the telling of the tale, Caelan shook his head… then beckoned for Leanne to join them. Her face burning, she acquiesced, torn between mortification at being hauled up in public like this… and absolute delight that he was making good on his promise of demonstrating his gratitude whenever he got the slightest opportunity.
It took a few hours to tell the tale, in the end. They were constantly distracted by questions and diversions from the audience, and Bram had a habit of veering off into lovelorn rants about the beauty and magnificence of his beloved Melusine, whom he clearly missed sorely even after being parted from her for less than a day. Leanne contributed where she could, but largely didn’t need to — Caelan seemed so determined to sing her praises that it was all she could do to modify the tale such that she didn’t come across like some kind of mythical heroine of legend. She did present the Laird with the gift from Melusine, which turned out to be a full Fae meal, that was strangely enough for all in the Keep as the bundle continued to renew itself every time a portion was taken until everyone in Keep had been served.
In the crowd, she could see her friends grinning up at her, knowing looks in their eyes, and she knew she was in for a fair bit of interrogation once the tale was told. Dawn was breaking by the time they finally finished the story, gray light filtering in through the windows outside, and though the merriment had raged all night, she could see a few yawns traveling around the hall that suggested it might be bedtime. Before the group disbanded, though, the Laird raised a final toast to the safe return of Bram and Caelan to their halls… and of gratitude to Leanne for her part in the whole affair. The roar of enthusiastic welcome from the people of the Keep warmed her heart. Maybe it was shock, maybe it was exhaustion, but she could feel tears prickling at the backs of her eyes as Caelan pulled her against his side. After all the stress and worry of the last few days, she could hardly believe that everything had turned out so well.
The Laird spoke to both men in private for some time as the light of dawn grew slowly stronger. Leanne could tell from the rigidity of their respective postures that this was a less genial conversation than the earlier one, and she moved away instinctively… besides, she had a small army of women waiting for her in the foyer, most of them still dressed mostly in their bedclothes with various cloaks and coats over the top to chase away the chill. Still, they’d waited for her… and it was Nancy who first pulled her into a bruising hug that made her laugh with surprise.
“I thought you’d be angry with me,” she admitted as she pulled away, looking at all of their smiling faces. “For sneaking out?—”
“Of course we are,” Anna said cheerfully, her eyes glinting. “But it’s not like we all didn’t do the same damned thing when we first got here.”
“And it turned out well, didn’t it?” Nancy nodded toward the half-open door of the great Hall, where the Laird, Malcolm and Brendan were still in deep conversation with Bram and Caelan.
Elena was staring into the room too, a soft smile on her face as she watched her husband. “It’s nice to have a happy ending to stories like this one,” she said quietly, her eyes distant. “For Brendan it’s so often about losing men, not regaining them.”
But that was clearly not the only subject of interest for the other women… and Leanne found herself blushing to the roots of her hair as she confirmed that she and Caelan had indeed developed a deeper relationship than just friends traveling together on the road. They all congratulated her warmly, with Nancy even asking when the wedding was with a cheeky glint in her eye. More in the interests of diverting her from that line of enquiry than anything, Leanne jumped into one of the more exciting parts of her story that had been skimmed over in the telling back in the Hall — meeting the Monster in the little fishing cove that Caelan had made his home for so long. Nancy’s eyes were wide as saucers as she described the encounter, and she clasped her hands together with evident delight at the description of the way Nessie had cautiously approached her.
“I knew it,” she said fiercely. “I knew she’d be good friends with you, I could just sense it. She’s an excellent judge of character,” she added primly. Then she blinked as a thought occurred to her. “We should go down to the water and find her. She’ll want to know that you’ve cleared her name.”
“I don’t know if she’ll understand that kind of high concept,” Leanne pointed out. But then she hesitated, frowning a little. “Then again, it’s not like I’m an expert in the psychology of Fae cryptids…”
“Fae cryptids!” Nancy beamed. “Sounds like the title of a dissertation to me.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“Here,” Nancy said with a shrug, gesturing toward the upper floors of the Keep. “There’s a huge library, all kinds of scholarship on Fae creatures and their sightings through the years. I’m not a scholar, so I’ve never really gotten into it, but… I dunno, it kind of sounds like it might be your wheelhouse. If you’re interested, of course. You might need a project to keep you busy, now that you’ve brought your man safely home.”
She nodded thoughtful agreement, filing the thought away for later… but the huge yawn that came over her was too big to resist, and Nancy laughed, firmly pushing her toward the stairs and telling her to get some rest before she fell down. The thought of her little bed was incredibly inviting, she had to admit… as much as she’d enjoyed the thrill of sleeping under the stars the last few nights, she had a feeling that most of the appeal had been having Caelan in her arms.
Speaking of which… she was halfway to the stairs when she heard her name shouted behind her, and she turned to see him hastening across the hall toward her, smiling that broad smile she’d only seen a shadow of before. Behind him, she could see his brother standing in the doorway, deep in conversation with the Laird, who looked equal parts amused and annoyed. She looked up at Caelan curiously, and he shrugged, grinning ruefully.
“Bram’s already wanting to get back to Melusine,” he explained with a shake of his head. “I thought I’d seen the man lovestruck before, but this really is a whole new world for him. She’s got quite the hold on him.”
“Are you worried about it?” Leanne asked, tilting her head.
Caelan considered the question for a moment, then shook his head, smiling. “Honestly, right now I’m so happy he’s alive that I don’t care what the circumstances are. But no, I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. Melusine seems… well, a little strange, but Bram always was a little strange himself. They’re a good match.” He hesitated, and she could see a slight flush creeping into his face. “Besides, I’m hardly one to stand in judgment of anyone for being lovestruck.”
“Is that so?” Her heart was fluttering as he drew her close, that soft smile of his suddenly banishing all the weariness that had been creeping up on her over the last few hours. “I’m in the same position, myself.”
“Well, then. Let’s bid my brother a non-judgmental farewell, then see about getting some rest, shall we?” The gleam in his eye told her that rest was the furthest thing from his mind once the two of them got into a room together… and she was more than happy with that arrangement.
They headed back across the entrance hall, where Bram was pulling his cloak around his shoulders, eyes on the door as he readied himself to make the walk back.
“I’ll be making regular visits,” Bram promised, after Caelan had embraced him and bid him a fond farewell. “And I’m sure it goes without saying that you two are more than welcome to visit Melly and I whenever you fancy. I’ll even teach you the trick of finding the forest entrance so you don’t need to get wet every time you visit. It’s simpler than you’d imagine once you get the hang of it. Standing invitation, you understand?” Bram smiled, then leaned down to hug Leanne too, surprising her. “Thanks for taking good care of my brother. I’m glad he’s got you.”
And with that, Bram was gone as quickly as he’d arrived. Caelan watched his brother go across the lightening courtyard, a mixture of affection and amusement on his face. The Laird bid them both a goodnight, amusement clear on his tired face… and Leanne took the hint, slipping her hand into Caelan’s and tugging him along with her. There was a soft, warm bed waiting for them… and she didn’t intend to waste another minute that could be spent with him in her arms.