To Be a Spy

Chapter 28

In thirty minutes, Donngal and Eileen were wed. Halfway through, Rowen was blinking back tears. As she saw the happiness and love in their eyes, she longed for what might have been with her and William. She left the happy couple to talk and wandered back to her room. She sat in silence for a while. Despite her best efforts, a few tears slid down her face. There was a knock at the door.

She rubbed her face to try to erase her red eyes. "You may come in." The door creaked open and Ailen entered. His eyes were swollen from tears shed and unshed. Rowen's heart went out to the person standing in front of her. "How be you faring?"

He managed a shaky smile. "I have been better, me lady." He paused. "I be thinking that it be time for me to return to me home." She nodded her head; she had thought this would happen soon. After rummaging through some drawers, she stood and handed him a purse full of coins.

"I thank you, me lady." He turned to go, then remembered something. "But what about your horse?"

"Take one of my servants and have him return it to this man." She wrote the man's name and where to find him on a piece of paper and gave it to him.

"Farewell, me lady."

"Farewell, me friend." She gave him one more smile then he was gone. The idea that she might never see him again came over her with a rush of sadness. People touched other peoples' lives in so many ways, some small and others in ways that no one could have ever predicted. She sighed and buried her head in her hands. The tears came then fast and with no sign of stopping soon. She cried for the people she had thought she would grow old with but who now were gone.

Someone knocked on her door. She suppressed a groan; what a sight she must look like! She wiped away her tears and pulled a few strands of hair down to help cover her eyes. "Come in." A travel-weary servant dressed in a cloak and a hat entered and handed her a letter. She reached out a shaky hand. Could it be? Flipping it over, her heart lurched as it caught sight of the name scrawled over it; Artt. Here it was; the long-awaited reply. She broke the wax and read the short letter:

Lady Maverick,

I delivered your message to your friend. She was overjoyed to hear from you. Inside you will find her response. But I want you to know that she told someone else about you. She said it was your father, but neither of them resembled you so I want you to be aware that something might be amiss.

Your servant,

Artt

Inside was another letter with no name on it. With trembling fingers she opened it. The first thing she saw was a necklace, sparkling in the sunshine. It was beautifully crafted and was in the shape of a crescent moon set on a chain of diamonds. The significance escaped for a half a second then she remembered one of William's letters. He had said that if he could take the stars and form a necklace with the crescent moon as a pendant it still would not make her more stunning. She clutched the piece of jewelry like it was her last connection to her past. In a way, it was. She turned her attention back to the unread letter. She recognized Edward's distinct clear handwriting. It read:

To my dear daughter,

I am so grateful that you arrived safely. I did not expect a letter from Ireland. You left without telling anyone you were going. It breaks a bit of my heart to hear you say you may not return. I did not even get to say goodbye. But I understand your reasons for doing it. So now, I say farewell to you, my dear child.

Edward

"Do you need help with your necklace, me lady?" Startled, she looked up at the servant. Usually, they did their jobs and left.

"I dona think so. I thank you."

"How distrustful you have become."

She took a step back from the strange servant. "What do you want?"

"I want you, Rowen." He stepped closer, removing his hat that had hidden his face. Her fear was replaced with unspeakable joy.

Throwing her arms around him, she pulled him into a tight hug. She could only say one word. "Will!" When her emotions had steadied, she asked, "But how? How are you here?"

"There was a spy watching the army and when it fell apart, he reported to Edward and my name was cleared. Edward released me three days after I saw you. Was that you? The army ending, did you do that?"

"Yes."

"Rowen, it was awful. We could not find you. You had vanished. I looked everywhere, but there was no sign of you. Then your letter came to us. I left as soon as I knew. Now, I am here; here to stay. Rowen, if what you say is true and you cannot come back to England, then I shall remain here as well."

"Oh, Will! I was afraid I had left everything I loved behind me. But now, I am overjoyed. You will always say goodbye but sometimes it does not have to be as soon as you think." For a couple of minutes, they stood in each others' presence.

Rowen took his hand. "Come, meet me clan."

A/N Hey guys, hope you all enjoyed this story. I want to thank you for taking time to read over it! Have an amazing day! And happy reading!