L'eau Clair Chronicles 04 - Lady of the Keep by Sharon Schulze Read Free Book Online

her eyes
remained dry. “He killed Dermot MacCarthy in hand-to-hand combat, but his
injuries were severe. He lingered for months before his body simply could not
fight any longer.”
    “MacCarthy was of an age with your husband, I take it, for Lord
Brien to have beaten him?” Connor couldn’t imagine how he’d have overcome
MacCarthy otherwise.
    Lady Moira stared out at the sea, then shifted her attention to
the twisted veil in her lap. Why did she hesitate to answer now, when she’d
been so forthcoming with information before?
    And why had her eyes filled with tears, when talk of her
husband’s death had left them dry?
    He reached down and caught her hands in one of his. “Milady?”
    “Dermot MacCarthy was a young man, no more than thirty, I would
guess.” A tear traced its way down her cheek unchecked. “He was hale and
strong, but Lord Brien’s rage was so immense … He fought like a wolf—cunning,
wily. He felt the stain on his honor could only be washed away with
blood—either his enemy’s or his own. I don’t believe he cared which.” She released
her grip on the veil and, pushing Connor’s hand away, stood and faced him.
    Grimacing, she clutched at her stomach.
    “′Tis enough, milady. I should not have insisted you speak
of this now. I wish no harm to come to either you or Lord Brien’s child.”
    Tears poured down her face. She wiped them away with her veil,
then tossed it to the wind. Hands placed upon her belly as though protecting
the babe, she said, “Your concern may be misplaced, milord. I’m surprised you
haven’t heard already—especially with Sir Ivor so busy spewing poison into
every ear that will listen. This babe I carry may not be my husband’s.” She
took a step closer to him, her eyes meeting his. “There’s just as much chance ′tis
Dermot MacCarthy’s child.”

Chapter Five

    Moira watched—waited—to see the look of shock cross Lord Connor’s
face, to see condemnation or distaste fill his dark brown eyes. When it did
not, she simply stood there, uncertain what to do.
    What more could she say, after the revelation she’d just made?
    He nodded finally. “I had wondered what could have forced your
husband to meet a man half his age in hand-to-hand combat. Now I understand.
MacCarthy took you captive?” He glanced down as a flush tinted his face, then
looked up and held her gaze, his eyes earnest, intent. “Raped you?”
    More tears filled Moira’s eyes, tears of relief—of disbelief. How
was it that this man, who knew nothing of her, did not immediately believe
she’d willingly given herself to Dermot, and that her husband had found out?
    ′Twas what Sir Ivor thought. He’d
made no secret of it.
    But Lord Connor was wrong in his account, as well, though she’d
no intention of sharing the complete truth of the matter with him.
    With anyone.
    “MacCarthy waited till Lord Brien and a troop of men left
Gerald’s Keep—lured him away, I’ve always believed, though I’d no way of
proving it. The MacCarthys came in force soon after, their army flush with
reinforcements from some of the other Irish families hereabouts.” The sound of
their war cries, the clash of battle and the moans of the dying echoed in her
mind, sending a chill down her spine. “It had been quiet here, peaceful, for a
long time. We grew lax, relaxed our vigilance too much. They found it a simple
matter to overcome our defenses, since most of our fighting men had gone with
Lord Brien.”
    “What did they do?” he asked.
    “Once they’d fought their way into the keep itself, they gathered
all our people into the bailey.” She closed her eyes, reliving again the terror,
the helplessness that had nearly overwhelmed her, until she’d realized that
only she remained to fight for the people of Gerald’s Keep. That knowledge
alone had permitted her to master her fear, to meet their invaders with her
head high, her courage renewed.
    “I come from a family of warriors, milord.” She