Margaret Mallory - The Sinner

“It will break her heart to leave her father,” Bessie said.

With that indictment ringing in her ears, Glynis dressed and went downstairs. She was so full of doubts that she did not know if she still intended to get on the boat or not. She should have given herself more time to think this through instead of insisting on leaving right away. For once, she wished she knew how to do things by halves.

She found Alex sitting alone with Sorcha downstairs. The hall was rarely empty so it was evident everyone had left to give him time with his daughter.

“Your mother and I need to talk,” he said to Sorcha. “Have one of the stable lads take ye to visit the horses, and I’ll come find ye there as soon as we’re done.”

Sorcha shifted her gaze back and forth between them, her face far too solemn for such a young child. Then she kissed her father’s cheek and left the hall with her feet dragging.

“Tell Sorcha whatever ye think best,” Alex said, pain etched on his face as he watched Sorcha leave. “She seemed close to speaking not long ago. I’m hoping she will once ye have her settled.”

Glynis opened her mouth to tell him that she was not sure she wanted to go, but Alex held his hand up.

“This is hard, so let me finish and be done with it,” he said. “If our babe is a boy, I want ye to send him to me for his training when he is old enough. Our world is dangerous, and a boy must have fighting skills to survive and to do his part to protect his clan. I know your father is dear to ye, but he’s growing old. I’ll train your brother as well, if ye wish to send him to me.”

Alex was not the shallow charmer she had once thought him, though the man could charm a saint out of her shift. He would do anything for his children—even give them up. Although Glynis had always prided herself on having the resolve to do what was right, she doubted she had the strength of character to make that sacrifice.

Was she wrong about Alex in other ways as well? He never denied his philandering past—but had he changed? Glynis was always decisive and certain in her opinions, but for once, she did not know what to believe or what she should do.

“I won’t be the one to set aside the marriage,” Alex said in a calm, steady voice. “And I’m asking ye to wait the full year before ye do it.”

Another man would not put his pride aside and leave the door open to her like this, after she was the one to leave. Glynis felt as bleak as November rains as Alex stood and walked away. She wanted to trust him. She was almost sure she had misjudged him.

And despite her doubts, she realized she could not face life without him.

“Alex!” she called out.

But her voice was drowned out by the shouts coming through the open door of the keep. When Alex ran outside, she followed him out. She came to an abrupt halt at the top of the steps.

A war galley had entered their small bay and was sailing straight for the castle.

CHAPTER 48

It’s our chieftain’s ship,” Alex called out to his men.

When he ran down to the shore to meet it, Glynis picked up her skirts and followed with all the others. She reached the beach in time to see Connor climb down from the galley, followed closely by Ian and Duncan.

“What’s happened?” Alex asked after thumping his old friends on the back. “Ye wouldn’t bring so many warriors from Skye for just a friendly visit.”

“We can’t wait any longer to deal with my vile uncles,” Connor said.

“What have they done now?” Alex asked.

“Angus and Torquil were guests at Banranald’s home while he was away,” Connor said. “And Angus tried to rape Banranald’s wife.”

“Banranald’s is not far from here,” Alex said. “How did ye hear before I did?”

“The wife Angus tried to rape is a Clanranald, like our mothers,” Ian said, taking over the story. “She fled to her Clanranald kin, and their chieftain sent an official emissary to Connor at once demanding justice.”

Glynis could not help interrupting the men to ask, “Magnus Clanranald has stirred himself over an offense against one of his clanswomen?”

“The Clanranalds removed Magnus from the chieftainship,” Duncan told her. “They went so far as to ban his line from the chieftainship forever.”

Glynis had never heard of such a thing—but if anyone merited such treatment, it was Magnus.

“So who is their new chieftain?” Alex asked.

“That is the one piece of good news,” Connor said. “The chieftainship fell to our mothers’ cousin and your namesake, Alexander. As ye know, he’s a good man. He wants both Angus and Torquil delivered to him for punishment—and I want Hugh. They’ll be together.”

“While we search the outer isles,” Ian said, “the Clanranalds are looking for them in the isles to the south and east.”

“I haven’t seen your uncles’ ships,” Alex said. “Have ye heard where we might find them?”

No one answered, but Duncan, Connor, and Ian all avoided looking at Glynis.

“Barra?” Glynis asked, her heart slamming against her chest. “They’re going to Barra?”

“We don’t know that for certain,” Connor said. “But we have heard rumors that my uncles are planning a big raid on the MacNeils with both their ships.”

“Your father will need our help,” Alex said, touching Glynis’s arm, before he turned to the others. “My men will be ready to sail in a quarter of an hour.”

After shouting orders to his men, Alex took Glynis by the arm and led her up the beach a short distance away from the others.

“It’s too dangerous for ye to go to your father’s just now,” he said. “And I need ye here while I’m gone.”

“Of course.”

“I’ll leave half my men here to protect you and the castle. With the pirates sailing toward Barra, that should be sufficient,” Alex said, but he looked uneasy.

“We’ll be fine,” Glynis assured him. “But ye must save my brother and my sisters. The girls are delicate. They can’t—”

“Shh, don’t fret,” Alex said, and touched her cheek. “I won’t let anything happen to them.”

“I’m so grateful to ye for going to them.”

Even though she was leaving him, Alex was honoring the bond he had made to protect her family and her clan. Glynis hated to have him sailing off into danger with things so wrong between them. As he left her to rejoin the other men, she remembered that she was wearing the silver medallion. She had put it on when she dressed, to comfort herself.

“Wait!” she called after him. “I have something for ye.”

She ran to where he stood at the water’s edge and stretched up on her toes to put the chain around his neck.

“It’s of Saint Michael, God’s warrior angel,” she said, holding the medallion up for him to see. “He’s supposed to give special protection to both horsemen and sailors.”

“Ah, Glynis, that’s sweet of ye,” Alex said and put it inside his shirt, next to his heart. “But there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Be safe,” she said, as she rose up on her toes to kiss his cheek. When Alex’s arms came around her, she rested her head against his shoulder. She felt his chest rise and fall in a deep breath, then he kissed her hair.

She loved him so much.

Alex released her as Sorcha came running down to the beach, her hair flying out behind her. When she flung herself at Alex at full speed, he lifted her in his arms.

“I must go chase some pirates,” Alex said to her, making it sound like an adventure—which he probably thought it was. “But your mother will be here to look after ye.”

He kissed Sorcha and handed her to Glynis. Then he took his shield and his claymore from Seamus, who had carried them down to the shore. By now, the entire household had assembled on the beach, and Alex chose which men would go and which would stay.