"A MacDonald fights for what belongs to him," he shouted to the gathered men. "I ask you to join me in the fight for Knock Castle for the sake of our clan. But whether ye do or not, I will take it. For I am a MacDonald, and I keep what is mine."

Ian let his gaze travel slowly around the room, then drew his claymore and held it high. "I am Ian MacDonald, husband of Sileas, and I Will Take Knock Castle!"

The floorboards of the church vibrated with the thumping of feet and the pounding of claymores as the men shouted with him, shaking the building with their battle cry.

"Knock Castle! Knock Castle! Knock Castle!"

CHAPTER 18.

When Sileas saw Ian and Alex coming up the path, she grabbed her cloak and ran out to meet them.

"Where have ye been?" she asked, taking Ian's arm and smiling up at him.

Alex waggled his eyebrows at her and grinned, as if he were responsible for the change between her and Ian.

"We stayed with Connor and Duncan last night," Ian said. "I confess we drank too much to make our way home."

Sileas clicked her tongue. "Well, at least you're not lying to me about it."

Ian halted in the middle of the path, his eyes as warm as summer on her face. "I missed ye last night."

Alex took the hint and went on ahead toward the house.

"We need to talk," Ian said. "Not here."

Her heart did a little flip in her chest, knowing Ian wanted to settle things between them. She was ready. After staying awake half the night thinking about it, she had made her decision.

She felt a nervous excitement as Ian led her down the path to the small beach below the house. Hopeful. That was what she felt. When he'd taken her upstairs, he had shown her the man she knew he could be, the man she believed in.

She couldn't fool herself into believing Ian loved her; he had other reasons for wanting to be her husband. But there was so much caring in his touch that she had reason to hope that one day he would. Even if he never did love her as she loved him, Ian had convinced her that he valued her and that he was determined to be a good husband to her from now forward.

It was too late, in any case. If she was going to leave him, she should have done it before he took her upstairs yesterday. He may have left her a virgin, but she'd lost her innocence. She longed to feel his weight on top of her again, to run her fingers over the muscles of his back, to see the stars spark against her eyelids as waves of pleasure pulsed through her.

What woman in her right mind could say no to the whole cake once she'd had a taste of that? The thought of sharing a bed with Ian every night sent tingles all the way to her toes.

Sileas smiled to herself and fingered the special stone in her pocket for luck. When they reached the beach, Ian led her to the old lean-to that was hidden in the trees above the tide line. After ducking inside, they settled themselves on the low bench in the midst of a familiar a.s.sortment of fishing nets, ropes, and sc.r.a.ps for mending sails.

"I meant it when I said I missed ye," Ian said, fixing his intense blue eyes on her.

"I missed ye, too."

"I'll always want ye by my side," he said. "And I don't want to go another night without ye in my bed."

She held her breath, waiting for him to finish.

"What I'm saying-what I'm asking, I mean-is if ye are willing to be my true wife, starting tonight." He fumbled inside his plaid. "Here, I have something to give ye."

He took her hand and dropped a small silver ring into it.

"I didn't have a ring for ye the day we wed," he said. "I want to make that right now."

Sileas turned it over in her palm, the traditional gift of a man to his bride. She ran her fingertip around the circle, the symbol of never-ending love. The ring was formed to resemble two ropes twisted together, intertwined as a couple's life would be.

"I know our wedding was no what it should have been," Ian said.

Sileas had to laugh at that. " 'Twas the worst day of my life."

Ian made a face. "It couldn't have been as bad as that."

"It was," she said. "Don't ye remember that gown your mother put me in?"

Ian's mouth twitched. "Three of ye could have fit inside it."

"And the color!" she said, rolling her eyes. "Nothing could have been worse."

Though they were laughing, it was a bitter memory for both of them. Still, it made Sileas feel better to talk about it.

"But ye did get the man ye wanted, aye?" Ian said, squeezing her shoulders and giving her a wink.

"Having the groom say his vows with the point of a dirk in his back is not what a la.s.s dreams of when she imagines her wedding day."

Ian's expression turned serious. "I'll make it all up to ye. The ring is just the start."

Looking into Ian's eyes was like being pulled into the sea-and she wanted to go wherever the current took her.

"I'm ready to be a good husband to ye," he said, taking her hand. "Tell me ye want to be my wife."

"I do."

Ian took the ring from her hand and slipped it onto her finger.

"It looks good on ye," he said, and raised her hand to his mouth. His lips were warm and soft on her fingers, reminding Sileas of how they had felt on her belly.

She swallowed. "I have a gift for ye as well."

When his eyebrows shot up, she was pleased that she had surprised him. She pulled the crystal out of her pocket and held it out for him to see. It was no bigger than her thumb and a lovely misty color that was like seeing a green sea through a thick fog.

"Do ye know what it is?" she asked.

"A wee stone?" Ian said with a grin.

"It's a charm stone," she said in a hushed voice. "The MacDonald Crystal."

"I thought it was lost." He took it gingerly between his fingers and held it up, trying to see through it. "Isn't this the one they say was brought back from the Holy Land by Crusaders?"

"Aye. My grandmother had it." Sileas dropped her gaze to her hands resting in her lap. "Ye see, she didn't like my father, and she knew my mother was weak. To keep it out of his hands, she gave it to the old seer to save for me. Tearlag gave it to me after I came to live with your family. She says it protects the wearer."

"Then ye must keep it." Ian put the crystal in her hand, then closed his hand over hers.

Sileas met his gaze and shook her head. "Ye tell me ye will protect me, and I believe ye. But who will protect you? This is my wedding gift to ye, and so ye must take it."

It was the most precious thing she owned. By giving it to him, she was showing him that she trusted him with her life-and with her heart.

"I will guard it and you," he said, meeting her eyes.

"Tearlag made this pouch to keep it in." She pulled the leather thong from her pocket. "She said words over it to enhance the strength of the crystal."

Sileas did not add that Tearlag told her that if she slept with it next to her own heart first, his heart would remember hers. She hoped it was true.

When she opened the pouch for him, Ian dropped the crystal inside it. Tears stung at the back of her eyes as she reached up to put it around his neck.

She placed her hand over the pouch, where it rested over his heart.

"I can feel your heartbeat through it," she said, looking up at him. "Keep it close and be safe for me."

Ian gathered her in his arms. His breath was warm in her ear as he whispered, "Thank ye, Sileas."

They held each other for a long while.

Then Ian kissed her softly and said, "I'll come to you tonight, then."

"Aye. Tonight."

Tonight. The start of their new life together.

CHAPTER 19.

"Such a lovely babe Annie has," Sileas said, as she walked arm in arm with Beitris on their way home from their visit to the neighbors. "Niall, it was sweet of ye to come with us."

Ian had planned to accompany them until Payton asked him to practice in the yard. It would be Payton's first attempt to use his claymore since his injury.

"You're looking happy today," her mother-in-law said, and winked at her. "Maybe you'll have a babe of your own to show off by this time next year."

Sileas's heart lifted at the thought. Beitris had guessed that everything had changed between her and Ian-and was almost as happy about it as Sileas.

When Niall gave her a searching glance, she blushed. She wasn't about to tell Niall that she and Ian were going to start sharing a marriage bed, though he and the rest of the household would know it by morning.

"Ach, look who's coming," Niall said with a sour look on his face.

It was Grdan, and he was marching straight for them, looking like a man with something on his mind that would not keep. Sileas took in a deep breath. She had feared they would see him, coming or going, since they had to walk past his house to get to Annie's.

" 'Tis best to set him straight," Beitris said in her ear just before Grdan reached them.

"Beitris. Niall." Grdan gave them each a brief nod. "Sileas, may I have a word with ye? It's important."

"We'll walk slow," Beitris said to her. "Ye can catch up to us when you're done with your chat."

Grdan gave Sileas a warm, hopeful smile that made her feel wretched. Beitris was right-'twas time to tell Grdan that things were settled between her and Ian. Grdan was a good man, and she owed him that.

"I can't go out walking with ye anymore," she said. "I've made my decision to stay with Ian."

"Say ye don't mean it." His eyes were wild as he gripped her arms. "Tell me it's not too late, that ye haven't given yourself to him yet."

She flushed, remembering all the things Ian had done to her. Though she was still a virgin, she had, indeed, given herself to him.

"Ian doesn't deserve ye," Grdan said. "He doesn't love ye as I do."

Ach, he was not making this easy. "Ian says he's ready to be a good husband to me, and I believe him."

"With his pretty face, Ian can have any of the la.s.ses," Grdan said, waving his arm out to the side as if there were a line of women standing there. "But you should have a man who sees ye for the special woman that ye are."

She didn't want to hurt him, but softening the message would not help Grdan accept it.

"Ian cares for me," she said.

"Is that what he tells ye?" Grdan said, raising his voice. "It hurts me to see ye believe his lies."

"Stop it, Grdan. I know ye are upset, but you've no cause to call Ian a liar."

"You've always had a weakness for Ian, and it's made ye blind," he said, shaking his head. "What Ian values ye for is your lands."

"No. That's not true."

"He's come back to Skye to help Connor take the chieftainship." Grdan's voice was rough with emotion. "That's all this is about."

Icy fingers of doubt crept over her heart. "No, Ian wants to be my husband."

"Is that why he stayed away five years?" he asked. "Ye know Ian would do anything for Connor, and Connor wants your castle back in MacDonald hands."

"What are ye saying, Grdan?"

"The four of them-Connor, Ian, Alex, and Duncan-held a secret meeting last night in the church."

A shiver of fear went up her spine. "What about? Are they going to fight Hugh?"

"Connor is a clever one. He knows it's too soon to challenge his uncle directly," Grdan said. "Instead, he has Ian-as your husband-be the one to call on the men to take Knock Castle."