ŷ������

“I will no�� be tellin�� ye ‘I told ye so��, but I will be usin�� words to that effect.�� Marcum said as he sat behind the table in his study. “I was right, aye?��
Graeme knew any attempt to deny that everyone else had been right would seem ludicrous. Instead, he paced around his father’s study, his mind sprinting from one thought to another.
“As was yer mum,�� Marcum said as he poured himself a cup of fine whisky. “And yer brothers. They were right as well.��
Graeme stopped pacing long enough to glare at his father.
The man sat tall and proud in his chair, a look of deep satisfaction etched on his face.
“Are ye quite done?��
Marcum laughed, a deep, rumbling laugh that made his belly and shoulders shake. “Well, the cook, stable master, and blacksmith knew it as well.��
Graeme let out a long heavy breath. “Aye, everyone on God’s earth knew but me.��
“Aye, ye have the way of it, son.”
― Suzan Tisdale, Isle of the Blessed

“How do I make her see that she need no�� fear me?�� Albert asked his father.
They were sitting opposite one another at Marcum’s desk in his private room. Though the hour was quite late , the sun still shone through the open window enough to negate the need for many candles.
“Ye can no�� make her do anythin��, �� Marcum replied. “All ye can do is show her. Let her see ye mean her no harm, that ye want only her happiness. The rest be up to her.”
― Suzan Tisdale, Isle of the Blessed

“I only want her to feel safe. No’just with me, but with all of us.��
Marcum smiled thoughtfully from behind the desk. “She will, son. It will simply take time.”He sipped at his whisky, studying his son closely for a long while. “Are ye willin’to wait?��
From what his father told him, it could be years before Laurin felt safe enough to allow him entry into her heart. Years. “It be true, that I be no’gettin’any younger,”he answered.
“None of us are,”Marcum replied dryly.
There was not another young lass on their island, within their clan, who had ever made his heart thrum so feverishly against his chest. Laurin’s beauty, her smile, were rivaled by none. From the first moment he’d set eyes on her, he simply knew. Knew to his bones, that she was the one. He’d settle for no other.
“Aye, I can wait. As long as she needs.��
Marcum quirked a questioning brow. “Years if need be?��
He gave a curt nod of his head before downing the last of his whisky. “A lifetime if she needs it.”
― Suzan Tisdale, Isle of the Blessed

“He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Ye be a sight for sore eyes, lass,�� he told her. “But we’ve no�� much time.��
He handed her up to Marcum, who placed her on his lap and wrapped his arms around her.
“Nay!�� she pleaded, her mind dizzy with fear, relief, terror. “I want Albert!��
Marcum started to pat her hands comfortingly when he realized her wrists were bound. He removed his dirk and began to carefully cut away the leather straps.
“Where do ye hurt, lass?�� he asked.
Laurin gave a rapid shake of her head. “Everywhere, but I do no�� think anythin�� is broken,�� she told him through chattering teeth.
Making certain she’d not fall, he removed his cloak and draped it around her shoulders.
“Where is Albert?�� she implored as she searched for him. “I want Albert!��
“Och, lass, Albert be a wee bit busy at the moment,�� he explained. “He has a few men to kill.”
― Suzan Tisdale, Isle of the Blessed