The Love Slave by Bertrice Small Read Free Book Online Page B

fears, he continued, “St. Maire’s is on the Mull of Galloway, facing the North Channel. ’Tis the sea. Ye’ve nae seen the sea, I know, lass. It can be beautiful, and it can be fierce. On a clear day ye’ll be able to look all the way to Eire, the land of the Celts, which is across the waters. My kinswoman, Una, is the abbess there, or at least she was when ye were born. She is a good woman, as I remember,Regan. But no matter if she is there no longer, yer name will be in the book of those expected to take the veil. Ye’ll hae a home there, and a place of yer own.”
    “And I’ve none here now, hae I, my lord?” Regan asked boldly.
    He sighed. “Ye’ll nae make a good nun, I fear, but what else can I do wi’ ye, lassie? There can only be one heiress to Ben MacDui, and she’s now my son’s wife. There is to be a bairn. Yer a danger to us all, Regan MacDuff. Wi’out a word ye can set MacDuff against Ferguson again, and I will nae hae it! Yer nae a stupid lass. Ye understand.”
    Regan nodded. “Aye,” she replied, “but I dinna hae to like it, my lord. Could I just nae go away? I would nae bother anyone here at Ben MacDui again! I canna bear the thought of being locked up!”
    “I will tell ye the secret to yer survival, lassie,” Alasdair Ferguson said to the girl. “First ye must learn patience. That is hard for the young, I know. Then, lass, seek power wi’in yer own wee world. Dinna be satisfied just to be a nun. When ye hae power, ye will find a measure of peace. Now come, and bid yer sister farewell.”
    Gruoch was both eager and reluctant to see her twin sister depart. Part of her was relieved to see Regan go. Ian delighted in teasing her about being unable to tell them apart. What if he bedded the wee nun, as he called the other twin, by mistake? The suggestion was too close to the uncomfortable truth. Then, too, Regan shared her secret. With both Regan and their mam gone, Gruoch could pretend to herself that the child she was carrying was indeed Ian’s. There would be no one here who knew the truth once Regan had departed. Yet Regan was as much a part of her as her right hand. They had never been separated in their entire lives, and this separation was to be such an ultimate one. It was highly unlikely that they would ever see each other again.
    The sisters hugged almost desperately. There were no more words left for them to say. Then Regan was helped upon her small palfrey. She turned only once as they went down the roadthat bordered the loch, but Gruoch was sobbing against her husband’s shoulder. She did not see her twin’s final wave.
    They traveled a bit faster than Regan would have expected. The weather was good, and her escorts eager to have their task over and done with, that they might return home. The clansmen were uncomfortable in unfamiliar territory. They traveled west, then finally turned south. Had the journey been for any other reason, Regan might have enjoyed it. She was astounded by the beauty of the countryside. Most nights they camped by the roadside, but sometimes they were fortunate enough to find accommodation in the guest house of some isolated religious order. None of the men escorting her, either MacDuff or Ferguson, were anything but respectful of her. She was relieved not to be tempted again by a dissatisfied clansman seeking to revive old times.
    They finally reached the coast road, and Regan’s first glimpse of the sea amazed her. It seemed to stretch forever. “Does it nae end?” she wondered aloud.
    “I imagine there’s a lass on the other side asking the same question,” the captain of their troupe said in reply, a small smile touching his lips. He was a MacDuff, and while he felt sorry for Regan, he was not anxious to renew the hostilities between the MacDuffs and the Fergusons. Peace was a good thing for a man with a family.
    The weather turned, coming gray and wet from the ocean, so the little convent of St Maire did not look particularly inviting when