Page 18 of The Valiant Knight (The Ravensmire Chronicles #2)

When she looked up, she was curious. Now, she understood why Ian and Gryphen had fallen down this rabbit hole.

“Well, it can’t be from Ceit,” she admitted, “since it talks about their arranged marriage. Could it be a woman who was in the area he was defending?” she asked.

Graham thought about it.

“I mean, he was supposedly protecting the stronghold in the country against the King, so it’s possible. As for the people fighting with him, there weren’t many women on the battlefield. I’m sure there were some from the Highlands, but the odds…”

She got it.

Duncan likely set up camp, and had a pretty lass warm his bunk.

No shock there.

When he handed her the other note, she read over it, trying to figure it out.

Honestly, she was surprised to see it was from Duncan himself.

‘My dearest love,

I wanted you to know that I found the letter that you slipped into my battlefield dwelling, and it brought tears to my eyes.

You know how I feel about you.

I’ve not only shown it, but I’ve said it countless times as we make love.

I love you.

Endlessly.

My marriage to Ceit is a tumultuous one, and we are both aware of that.

Do I love her?

Yes, I do, but not in the way I love you.

Do I wish my hand wasn’t forced and I was made to marry her?

Yes, but I can’t undo what is done.

Now, she carries my child, and I can’t turn away from that. It will likely be a boy, and I will raise my son to understand that duty comes first. While love sustains us, as my child, he will have to make uncomfortable choices.

That is why I let her have her life in the castle.

When we lie together, our bodies pressed to each other, there is no doubt in my mind that you are my other half. I know that, and I cherish it.

What I feel for you is matched by no other, and our nightly interludes where you sneak into my tent to pleasure my body is like nothing I have ever felt before. It is magical, and it is like witchcraft.

Nothing has ever been better for me.

You between my legs, and being buried in you are my fondest moments. They are all that keeps me sane as we do battle for our country against the intruders.

You are all I have.

You’re all I love.

I pray nightly for forgiveness.

When I think of Ceit, I am nothing more than tired. She is a good lass, but she is not the person for me. I think her age has made her not see that she doesn’t own me, even by marriage, but I own her.

Her stubbornness, her shrewishness and unwillingness to obey the simplest thing angers me to no end. Her father promised a well-taught woman, and what I received was a vicious woman who has a sharp tongue.

I’m tired of fighting, and I wish I never accepted her father’s offer to marry her. I knew then it was for the betterment of our clan, but now, I wish I waited. I wish my hands were not tied with this one.

Had I known the unmatched passion, erotic joining, and the pleasure I would find sinking into your body…

There would have been no marriage had things been different. I would have happily lived my life with just you, and been completely content.

I care not that your family is beneath mine. I care only that you are beneath me.

But what am I to do?

I can’t send her away.

She is with child.

Sending her back to her clan would bring embarrassment to her and my child. It would also bring anger from her father. Who knows what he would do in that case? I don’t want her hurt. After all, my son is in her.

Now, she curses me.

She curses my blood.

She hexes the home I had built for her.

She hates me to the depths of Hell and back.

Well, she knows not Hell.

For I am in it. I live it with each breath I take.

I love someone else, and wish only to return to my castle, built to protect me, and retire with my one true love. Is that so much to ask?

I am weary from battle, and I have very little fight left. All I know is that I must protect my son and home.

And I will at all costs.

If circumstances change, you shall forever be allowed to be with me.

With you, I found love, peace, and safety. There is no one else I trust more than you. You’ve proved that you are loyal and mine.

Bear with me.

That is all I ask.

I must think about the options, and maybe I can hide you in plain sight. Maybe I can keep you with me, and no one would be any the wiser.

Who would question me?

Can I ask this of you?

Can I beg you to play this game, until I can handle the situation at home?

I love you, and I need you.

Now, meet me tonight. My body burns for yours, and I must have you. It’s all I think of when I see you. Those moments of passion and love are all I have.

You are my one and only.

I swear on my clan.

Forever,

Duncan.’

Gabby put the note down.

“Well, holy shit. There was no love lost between him and Ceit. That was for sure. I think your theory is right. Someone nearby his encampment must have started something with him.”

Graham sipped his tea.

“Agreed.”

Now, she was beyond curious.

“I need to see all the letters. I have this overwhelming need to read them and sort through this.”

He laughed.

“You Feds are a curious bunch, but in this case, I completely understand. Ian was hell-bent on solving the mystery. I know he’d be pleased to know someone else was picking up the baton and running with it.”

She loved a mystery.

It was why she worked for the FBI.

She passed the letters back to him.

“They’re in the library?” she asked, knowing he’d understand what she was talking about.

He nodded.

“Yes, Lass. There’s a big old, leather-class book. Someone had it made a long time ago. Someone cared about the history of Ravensmire, and the Granndach clan. That was for sure.”

She sipped her tea.

“And it was ripped apart?”

He nodded.

“Someone was either trying to hide the story out of fear, shame, or anger. The pages were torn out.”

She lowered her voice.

“Can I tell you something weird?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Sure.”

“When I fell through the ice, it felt like someone was pulling me down. It felt like there were fingers around my ankles. That’s crazy, right?”

He stared at her.

“Are you being serious?”

She nodded.

“And when I first met Finn, I turned and felt like I was being shoved into the crypt. Had he not caught me, I would have hit the back of my neck, and been hurt really badly.”

He was worried.

“Lass, that’s not good.”

She wasn’t done.

“I had a dream last night, and in it, I was following a dark shadow out toward Ceit’s grave. When I got there, it led me to the cliff, and shoved me off.”

Oh, that was bad.

REALLY.

BAD.

“If it wasn’t for Finn, I would have fallen. He’s saved me three times now, and I swear when I was sinking in the water, I heard someone laughing. It was sinister.”

Yeah, they had a problem.

“It was never sinister when Gryphen and Ian were here. They were pretty safe.”

Gabby finished her tea.

“Maybe it’s the construction, or the fact we opened the crypts,” she said. “Maybe something doesn’t want us to figure out what really happened here. What if it’s trying to stop us?”

A cup fell from the cupboard, hitting the counter and smashing on the floor.

They both stared at it.

“Well, that was ominous,” she said, as neither of them moved.

Then, they heard it.

Laughter.

Gabby gasped and looked around.

“That’s the voice I heard under the water. That’s it, Graham.”

He didn’t like this at all.

“Maybe we should stop poking around,” he said, trying to come up with a solution. They couldn’t stop construction. There was a wedding here in six months.

Gryphen and Ian’s.

They had to have the place done so Elizabeth could see it, and a wedding could house all of the people coming here.

Gabby wasn’t giving up.

“I don’t think we can, Graham. If we opened a can of worms, the longer we wait to close it, the more get out. Did Gryphen and Ian feel haunted?”

He nodded.

“Ian saw Ceit all of the time, and Gryphen heard her. They followed her around, but I haven’t seen or heard her for a while.”

She wondered what was going to happen when they brought her bones back here.

“They found her grave, and that seemed to satisfy her,” Graham admitted. “She calmed right down.”

She was curious.

“So who is doing that?” she asked, pointing at the broken cup.

That was a good question.

It was also one that they needed to find out.

“I’m going to head to the crypt,” she said, getting up. “If we find anything, I’ll let you know. Tony said he saw something, but it could be anything with him. A bug, a slug, a bone…”

He laughed.

“Yeah, he’s something.”

That he was.

Going around the counter, she went up on her toes and gave Graham a kiss on the cheek.

“You’re a good guy looking out for your friend. He’s lucky to have you,” she admitted.

That made him blush.

Not because she was a woman, but because he wasn’t a good guy. He was a struggling guy, and with each day, it was getting harder and harder.

Watching people fall in love, when he knew that he’d never have that again put him in a spiral.

At some point, he’d crash and burn.

“Thank you for that, and be careful,” he said.

Oh, she would.

Gabby headed down the hall, right toward the corridor that led to the crypt. When she finally got there, she found Tony waiting for her.

He was sitting on the edge of Duncan’s crypt, pointing down. The bones were out, and back in the storage room on a table so he could document, scan, and take pictures.

“What did you find?” she asked, looking into the crypt. On some very old paper, she saw what looked to be a page from a book.

That’s when it hit her.

It was very familiar to what she had just been shown by Graham.

They had found another page.

“Oh! That has to be one of the pages that were ripped out. We need to get it, see what it says, and put it with the others.”

Tony figured she’d see it that way.

“I just saw two other pages that the construction crews found. Graham showed me. We’re finding clues, Tony! This is so much fun!”

He loved a good mystery too. All of them did, or they wouldn’t be scientists.