“Listen to me, mo chridhe. I crave any bond with you, will scour this earth for more. I want my body bound to yours, my soul chained to yours. Any tie I can find, I’ll bind us even tighter. We’ll have marriage, bairns, a new line between us!” In a hoarse voice, he said, “I can do this. For us, I can. I’m pleading with you, lass. Believe in me . . . ?”