The Faithful Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

uniting of two halves of a whole.
     
     
But things changed. He had changed, she could see, taking in
    his rich clothes, so much more elegant than had been his wont,
    making him look far more the idle courtier than the rugged man of
    action she had known and loved. The years had been both kind and
    harsh to him, for while he looked more handsome and prosperous than
    ever, the expression in his eyes was of a man so haunted by the
    past, that she felt her icy distance thawing.
     
     
He had suffered too, it was true. His life had to be one of guilt,
    torment and loss, for with Conor's death, he had lost his best
    friend and love of his life with one fatal stroke of his dagger.
     
     
So then why had he done it? In a moment of passion?
     
     
But he was not a stupid man. If he had never thought to be found
    out, why would he have left his dagger behind…
     
     
All the old questions she had thought she had finally managed to put
    to rest came teeming back again, almost suffocating in their
    intensity.
     
     
She pushed them to one side, forcing them out of her mind. She was
    not returning to her home for Ruairc's sake. She was going home to
    see her father. She would do well to remember her mission and the
    vows she was to take shortly. To ever go down the primrose path of
    dalliance with Ruairc, the man who had murdered her brother and
    abused everyone's trust, was a path absolutely forbidden to her by
    God and all Christian decency. She must never forget that, no matter
    how seductive his mere presence might be.
     
     

 
CHAPTER THREE
     
     
The ride home to Lisleavan Castle was exhilarating despite being
    uneventful. The brisk wind which whipped through the valley from the
    Atlantic was invigorating, and the sheer pleasure of riding after
    two years was not lost upon her.
     
     
There were other pleasures to be had as well. Though Morgana was
    naturally worried about her father, her mind drifted onto other
    subjects, one of which was the enigmatic man by her side. In some
    ways it seemed a lifetime ago that she and Ruairc had been in love,
    yet in others, as though it were only yesterday.
     
     
Oddly, though Morgana had told herself over and over again in the
    past two years that she hated Ruairc, that she had had a lucky
    escape from marriage to him, the more she looked at him, the more
    she wondered why she had ever loathed and feared him.
     
     
Ruairc was a stunning figure in his rust coloured velvet doublet and
    fawn riding breeches which fit him like a second skin. As his cloak
    rippled backwards in the frigid wind, his broad shoulders and strong
    arms bulged through the rich fabric. He still carried himself with
    the same noble assurance which had always made her proud to be by
    his side.
     
     
He sat so quietly on his horse, gazing out at the landscape, taking
    it all in yet seeing nothing, that finally Morgana was moved to say
    gently, “I’m sure this is hard for you, Ruairc, and I'm sorry you
    had to come all this way for me. You could have sent one of the
    servants. There was no need to put yourself to such trouble.And I
    know how worried you are. You always loved my father. You being a
    man, you were far closer to him than I ever was.”
     
     
“It was no trouble to come, I assure you, and as you say, I love
    Morgan. I'm glad to be of service to his family,” Ruairc said
    tonelessly.
     
     
As he rode further along down the track, he continued to try to
    piece together his aunt’s odd behavior. He felt a chill inside that
    had naught to do with the arctic weather, for he knew his aunt had
    always possessed the gift of second sight. She had warned Ruairc not
    to come back. Was Morgana in so much danger that she could be
    waylaid on the road and kidnapped or killed?
     
     
It was a possibility he was forced to recognise, if his assumptions
    about the poisoning of Morgan Maguire were correct.
     
     
Ruairc appeared to be quiet and pensive to Morgana, but all the
    while he was looking