As he led her onto the sand, he smiled as she paused to hike up her dress, gathering it in her arms and revealing the pale skin of her legs. He didn’t know of another lass who would so unashamedly expose her legs while walking, but he’d expect no less from his strange lass, and he loved every odd thing about her.
He could only hope she loved him in return. As he led her into the candlelit cave, he breathed in a deep ocean-filled breath for courage. It was time for the truth to be known.
*
Eoin said nothing as we walked away from the castle, and while I knew we were headed to the shore, he gave no clues as to where he was taking me.
He seemed nervous, and it did nothing to help my nerves. Part of me wondered if he was dragging me away to tell me privately just how ready he was for me to return home. It was easy for my mind to always drift to the worst scenario.
When we reached the sand I jerked loose from his grip, apologizing as I kicked off my shoes and gathered the bottom of my dress. I didn’t care how ridiculous I looked waddling through the sand with fabric gathered up in my arms; I wasn’t about to dirty this dress after all the work Mary had put into it. She would’ve killed me, no doubt.
It was getting darker along the beach, and I found myself hoping that we’d reach our intended destination soon. In a horror film, this was exactly the point in which the man would turn around and kill me, tossing my body into the approaching waves.
Eventually we made our way inside a narrow cave hiding along the rocky coast at the back of the beach. It was filled with candles, which illuminated the circular haven. And with an assortment of cushions and blankets lying on a rock ledge near the back, most of my fears subsided. It was a romantic setting, not the kind of place you would take someone before sending them away, and not the kind of place you would take someone before chunking their lifeless body into the ocean.
Inside the cave the ground was rocky, and without the fear of sand getting caught in the dress, I relaxed my arms and let it fall down to my feet once more. Eoin smiled and took my hand as he led me to the blankets at the back of the cave. Once I’d comfortably crawled on top and situated myself next to him, he turned to me to speak.
“Lass, I need to confess something to ye, but I’m no so sure I can bring myself to tell ye.”
Maybe I was wrong about this being romantic. Maybe he was about to tell me he loved someone else, and he was ready for me to go home so that he could get on with his life. A million thoughts ran through my mind as all the fear from earlier came rushing back, and I suddenly felt foolish for thinking I would be brave enough to tell him I loved him.
Instead, I squeezed his hand, encouraging him to just get whatever he wanted to say over with. “Alright. You have to tell me now. Just get on with it.”
He could see that I was shivering, from nerves more than cold, but he couldn’t tell the difference. He politely wrapped one of the blankets around my shoulder.
“Lass, I know that ye have been searching for the ring so that ye can go home. While, we were away, Arran found it.”
“He did?” Shocked, I tried to normalize my expression as he continued.
“Aye,” he paused to retrieve it and held it out to me, eventually setting it in between us when I didn’t reach out for it. “I almost threw it in the ocean.”
“You what?” The pitch of my voice was oddly high and screechy, making me sound angry rather than shocked.
“Aye, lass. I’m verra sorry, but I dinna want to give ye the ring. I know that I canna keep it from ye, but I’d like to ask ye something before I let ye have it.”
“Of course.” My heart restarted as hope began to crawl through the fear rooted in my stomach.
“Doona go, lass.” He squeezed my hands tightly in between his own, and I was sure my heart was going to burst with happiness. “I’ve fallen in love with ye, Bri, and I doona wish to be parted from ye. If ye doona love me, I shall give ye the ring, but I could no let ye leave without telling ye.”
My voice cracked as I spoke to him, and a tear broke free from my left eye. “No.”
He didn’t give me a chance to finish. “I’m so verra sorry for keeping the ring from ye, lass. I just wasna ready to let ye go.”
I pried my hands loose and reached up to grab hold of his face. “No, listen. Let me finish.”
He stopped talking, pursing his lips awkwardly like a fish, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Its no so funny, lass. Ye’re breaking my heart. I only ask that ye do it swiftly.”
“Hush. It is funny. Your face looks ridiculous. I meant, ‘no,’ I’m not mad at you. I had something to tell you tonight as well.”
“Aye?”
“I was going to tell you that I wanted to stop looking for the ring. I can’t leave here. This is my home now and I’ve fallen in love with everyone. Mary, Kip, Arran, Griffin, even you.” I winked at him before continuing, “Before, I only thought I had to go back because of my mother and Blaire. She deserved the chance to return to her home, but she doesn’t want it.