Forbidden Highlander (Highlander Trilogy 2)

“You still have feelings for Ann Gerwan?” Cree asked wondering why.

“I never stopped loving her and I feel I am to blame for what she has suffered. And now she is about to suffer again. I would not want that to happen.”

“What of Dawn? She is an innocent in all this and has been made to endure more than anyone. You and Ann have gone on to live your lives without interruption or care, while Dawn was left to toil as a peasant. She was lucky to have had the generous, kind, and loving mother that she did. Isn’t it about time that Ann and you thought of her instead of yourselves?”

“I would agree with you, but there is more than one person to consider in this dilemma.”

Cree shook his head. “Not to me. There is only one… the woman I love.”

Kirk’s face lit with a smile. “I knew you loved my daughter, though I wondered if you would ever admit it.”

“I was looking for a good time to tell her when I realized—”

“The heart decides when it is time,” Kirk finished.

Cree nodded. “My heart has been bursting with love for your daughter—I believe—from when we first met. She is the most courageous woman I have ever known. It is amazing how she has survived and thrived with her affliction, and now having gotten to know her so intimately, I realize that she never thinks of it that way. It is who she is and she never lets it stop her. That takes more fearlessness than a warrior entering battle, for battles come to an end for warriors, not so for Dawn.”

“She is a remarkable lass,” Kirk said with pride.

“No thanks to you or Ann,” Cree snapped, “though you can now change that. You both can finally see that Dawn has a good future with a husband who will love and protect her.”

“I agree, but I cannot do it at the cost of others,” Kirk said adamantly. “Ann was right when she told Dawn that acknowledging her as her daughter could mean death for the three of them. You forget that Lucerne is also an innocent in this as well.”

“And you forget that I care only for Dawn and what she has been made to endure all these years while you, Ann, and Lucerne have lived well.”

“There must be a way,” Kirk said, as if pleading with Cree.

“If there was time to plot and plan, but according to the King’s command I am to wed Lucerne by week’s end. The only thing that can prevent our union is the news that Lucerne is not Roland’s Gerwan’s daughter.”

“Then it will not only be Dawn’s life we need to worry about but Ann and Lucerne’s as well.”

“Not so for Dawn. Once the secret is revealed, a threat no longer exists.”

“Doesn’t it then become revenge?”

“There is that possibility, which is why this secret must be revealed and the culprit behind it caught.”

“I fear there will be much suffering for all.”

“And the alternative is what? For Dawn to be whisked away again and forced to live a life she doesn’t want while everyone else continues on happily?” Cree laughed. “That is not going to happen. This time Dawn will have the life she chooses, not one forced upon her.”

A knock sounded at the door.

“It is time for Ann Gerwan to realize that the devil wants his due.”

~~~

Dawn used the private time she had to have a thorough washing. Elwin saw to it that she got a few buckets of snow, which she melted in the cauldron in the hearth. Then she had proceeded to scrub herself from head to toe and she felt more refreshed than she had in days. She had slipped into the dark red velvet gown she had been stitching to fit her, though she thought it too grand for her, but it was warm and so comfortable she couldn’t resist. When she had dropped it over her head, she could not believe how nicely the soft velvet had fallen so perfectly along her curves. And while she would never dare wear such a grand garment for anyone to see, she was looking forward to seeing what Cree thought of it. She was now combing the last of the tangles out of her wet hair when she heard raised voices outside her door.

Her stomach clenched before she reminded herself that she was well protected. However she wasn’t protected from her curiosity, and she drifted closer to the door to listen. A woman was screeching, her voice so frantic that it upset Dawn and she reacted without thinking… she yanked open the door.

All sound ceased and all eyes settled on her.

It was Lucerne who spoke up first and though her voice trembled with concern, or perhaps it was fear, she remained calm. “Please, I wish to speak with you.”