He kissed her quick. “I am beyond thrilled at such news and I am relieved that you chose to stay with me since I truly do not know if I could have let you go.”
“And I, husband, never intend to let you go,” she said and hugged him tight to prove it.
A rap at the door had Anwen entering with the food and drink and it was not long after that Walsh and Kinnell entered.
“Sit,” Flora said, pointing to the chairs while she stood before the hearth. “There is much to tell you.”
* * *
The mysteryof the tower room kept people talking three weeks later, the clan speculating who the woman was and what happened to the bairn that she may have had. And why no one ever knew about her. Her bones had been collected, wrapped, and stored for burial in the spring when the ground was soft enough to dig a grave.
Torin did not like to think that it would be necessary for his wife to travel to Edinburgh to claim her inheritance and Walsh suggested that with his connection to top officials, and the king himself, he might be able to see it done for her. Though, he had a stipulation. When he returned, he wished to remain with Clan Norham. Henry saw to it that his spying days were done, and he was tired of his mercenary days as well. He wished to settle down and take a wife.
Flora knew Walsh spoke of Anwen, but that was between the two of them to work out.
Kinnell and Iona were doing well. She had fully recovered from the poison, and they had plans to wed.
No wind had roared through the keep since the room had been opened and all believed that they would hear it no more since the unknown woman was finally freed. Though some believed it was the giant’s strong breath that helped her.
Flora smiled thinking how the tale of the giant would forever live strong on the Isle of Outerson and in the Clan Norham.
Snow was falling lightly when she knocked on Philp’s door and he greeted her with a smile, having expected her.
“There has been so much excitement of late, I feared you would not have time to visit,” Philip said as Flora poured them both a brew and spread the folded cloth to reveal slices of honey bread.
Flora took a bite of one, knowing Philip would not touch the bread until she did.
They talked about various things, shared in laughter, and relaxed in silence.
“I have something to show you, Philip. I found it when cleaning out the tower room.” Flora said and pulled something out of a pouch that hung from her belt. She spread a small scrape of cloth out. In the middle was embroidered, quite skillfully, a horse. She smiled softly. “In Latin, Philip means fond of horses.”
Philip stared at it, tears pooling in his eyes. He got up slowly from the table and went to a small chest and took something from it. He returned to the table and after sitting, unfolded a cloth identical to the cloth Flora had laid on the table.
“She was your mother, wasn’t she, Philip?” Flora said. “You are Lord Dermid’s son.”
Tears slipped down Philip’s aged cheeks as he nodded. “Shortly before Lord Dermid died, he came upon me fishing and told me we needed to talk. He explained everything to me, and then gave me this cloth. My mum, Annora, had embroidered it for me while waiting for me to be born. She knew she would have a son and she had chosen my name. She believed it a good name for a gentle yet strong soul much like the nature of a horse. My da told me that I was like my mum, a gentle yet strong soul. He said I had her eyes, but he was relieved I did not possess her magic.”
“She was a witch?” Flora whispered as if someone might hear.
“Many believed so, not so my da. He believed her a wise woman and loved her with all his heart. His world shattered when she died giving birth to me. She warned him she would die but he refused to believe her. She told him what needed to be done to save me and that one day they would be together again.” He wiped at his falling tears. “My mother told him to send me away after I was born and have me stay away for at least two years, then have me returned here. But never ever was he to acknowledge that I was his son, for there would be those who believed her son evil as they did her and would want me dead. I was given to a woman who could be trusted and who would do as my da asked, and she did just that. My da looked after me from afar, doing as my mum asked and told me to forever keep the secret unless the room was unsealed in my time.
Flora waited when Philip grew silent for a moment.
“My da came upon my mum one day deep in the woods and fell in love with her. He visited with her often and he told me they had three glorious years together, then she got with child, and something happened that placed her life in danger. That was when he brought her to hide in the tower room. He purposely let rumors spread that it was a place of torture so that no one would go near it. There were two servant women my mum trusted, one of them is the woman I was given to.”
“He sealed your mum away to keep her safe even in death,” Flora said.
“Nay,” Philip said. “My mum instructed him to seal her away once she passed and instructed him to make sure no one unsealed the room. She told him the room would release her when the time was right.”
Tears ran down Flora’s cheeks and she stretched her hand out to take hold of Philip’s hand. “And it did. Your mum saved my life.”
“And now she is finally free,” Philip said. “Does Lord Torin know?”
“Not yet, but I am sure he would like to know he has a granduncle. You will join us for supper tonight and you can tell him all about it.”
“I would like that for it means my mum’s prediction comes true. She told my da that one day in the far future I would be welcomed into the keep and accepted as family.
“And so you shall, Philip, so you shall,” Flora said as they shared tears together.