Page 199 of The Valiant Knight

‘My once dearest Duncan,

You have sent word that you are returning to YOUR home, Ravensmire. You have also asked that I take leave, so your new love can make this castle a home.

So I will leave, but not how you want.

Take care of our son, Callum, and one day, tell him how you were married to his mother, and laid with another. Tell him that you kicked me out of our home because of a friendship that went too far.

Had I left, I couldn’t provide the life that Callum deserved, so you shall have to do it. Bury me in the crypt because I deserve at least that. Find it in your cold, dead heart to fight your new love’s decision to place me as far from my home and son.

Until then, know that I curse your bloodline to always have to wade through the blood of the dead. To see them wherever you go in battle and life. Your house shall be cursed until the end of time. You killed me, Duncan. I just did the deed.

No longer yours in life or death,

Ceit.’

They both knew what that letter meant.

“So she did plan to kill herself?” Finn asked.

Tony got it.

“She couldn’t go home without shaming her father. She couldn’t tell him that she was divorcing Lord Granndach. The only way out, sadly, was this.”

Gabby thought about it.

“So someone beat her to it. Maybe she went up in the tower to do it, and someone took her life.”

Tony stood his ground.

“I’m telling you that she was definitely hit in the face, and then fell backward out the window. Or was tossed. I stand by my assessment, and Christopher Leonard agrees. I called him and showed him the scans. She was definitely killed, so maybe she planned it, and didn’t have time before someone helped her out.”

This brought up an interesting question.

“So he’s on the battlefield, and someone came back and killed her?” she asked. “We really need to definitively lock down that Ciarán Begbie was on the battlefield with him. For all we know, Duncan could have sent his lover there to handle it. Ceit believed that Ciarán was involved with her husband. Maybe he showed up and took care of it for the Lord—or because the Lordgave him bad news that he was going back to his wife to make up?”

Anything was possible. That was the pain of trying to solve a murder that was this long ago.

Gabby went to close the book. When she did, she saw a note from Ian, so she read it.

‘This was found in some rubble when the ceiling fell. We think it’s from Duncan’s lover. With it was some cologne and some heather.’

‘On The Battlefield

Somewhere In Scotland

Spring 1594

My knight,

I miss your body in my bed, and your arms around me. I can’t wait until we are together. I’m sorry that you’ll have to leave your wife, but my soul knows we are meant to be.

From the minute I saw you, I knew.

Our passion is endless.

When I see you across the room, my body reacts, and I can’t forget about our love making.

We’ll be together soon.