Page 75 of The Fierce Highlander

“Annoying or not, she is not familiar with the Highlands, and can she truly trust the mercenaries?”

“What does it matter to you?”

“I feel sorry for her. She has no family left. She is all alone and fighting for her clan. We should at least respect her for that.”

Noble leaned his head down and kept his voice low and touched with a hint of annoyance. “Do not tell me you believe her foolish tale about you being her granddaughter.”

Leora rested her hand on his arm, for comfort or in need of his strength, she wasn’t sure. She only knew she needed to touch him and feel she was part of him.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” she said. “I believed I was part of my parents and my sisters, only to find out I am not. Their blood does not run through me, and I wonder who my true parents might be. Who I truly am. I suppose that makes me curious to know for sure if I am or am not Lady Elizabeth’s granddaughter.” She shook her head before Noble could speak. “I am not leaving you or the Highlands no matter what is discovered about my birth. My heart would shatter if we were ever separated, and I cannot live in any other place but the Highlands. Whether in my blood or not, the Highlands is my home.”

Noble eased his arm around his wife. “I am selfish, my only thought was of myself and not wanting to lose you. I never gave thought to how this news might make you feel or knowing the parents who raised you and loved you are not your true parents.” He gave her waist a gentle squeeze. “That would have been something I would not have minded hearing about my own parents.” His teasing got the response he wanted… his wife chuckled. “We will do what we can to find out the truth.”

“I truly appreciate that, husband, and hopefully, Mother Abbess can shed some light on the problem,” she said, pleased she could count on her husband’s help, but then he had been helpful from the beginning even if she had not realized it until now.

“I will go stop Lady Elizabeth from leaving.”

“You told me you couldn’t stop her,” she said with a slight grin, knowing full well he could if he wanted to.

“My clan. My rules,” he said with a wide grin.

“I thought you might say that, so I believe it would be better for you and Lady Elizabeth if I talk with her,” Leora suggested, already imagining the altercation that would take place if her husband forbade the woman to take her leave.

“I will not argue with you over that,” Noble said with relief. He had no desire to spar with the old woman yet again.

Leora kissed him lightly. “Please keep Chief with you. Lady Elizabeth is not a dog lover and Chief does not tolerate her well.”

“Chief is one wise animal,” Noble said and watched the pup stumble over his feet once again but right himself quickly and continue to play with the bairns.

Leora went to walk away, but her husband’s arm remained hooked around her waist.

“You call what you gave me a kiss, wife?” he asked, a spark of passion flaring in his eyes, which sparked even more when she turned a smile on him that poked at his heart.

She leaned close to his face to whisper, “My light kiss was meant to tease and be a promise of things to come, for if I kissed you any more than I did, I would grow wetter for you than I already am.”

She hurried, with reluctance, to step away from him, knowing what consequences her words would bring.

“I will find you when you are done with the old woman, then you are mine… mine and mine alone.”

She shivered at the strength in his command, for it meant he would see it done and she could not wait. She hoisted the hem of her garments to make it easier to hurry her pace and ran to find Lady Elizabeth.

Leora reached the woman just in time, a troop of Lowlanders already to ride.

“You cannot go,” Leora called out to stop Lady Elizabeth from mounting her horse.

The older woman turned, her face pinched with annoyance. “I am tired of waiting. I want answers now.”

“A day or two more will not matter,” Leora argued, then thought of something that might deter the woman. “There is a novice here from the abbey. Why don’t we speak with her and see if she knows of anything of the past at the abbey. Nuns do talk among themselves, and an older nun may have spoken to her about what went on at the abbey years ago. Besides,” —she pointed to the dark clouds overhead— “the sky does not look promising, and you do not want to get caught in the rain. It could bring on an illness and have you stuck in the Highlands longer than you anticipated.”

Lady Elizabeth shivered at the thought. “I will talk to this novice, but I will not rule out visiting the abbey, though it will not be today.” She held out her arm to Leora.

Leora wrapped her arm around the older woman’s and walked at a tempered pace with her.

“You have a wise mind like mine, and you do not fear speaking your mind. I am impressed that you express your opinion so freely to your husband, even though he is a mighty warrior. I am also impressed that he considers your opinions and does not reprimand you for speaking when and how you wish. The more I learn about you, the more I realize you are much like me,” Lady Elizabeth said. “Though I am pleased to see that you have a far better husband than I did and that you are not selfish, reprobate like your father. No matter how hard I worked to deter him, Henry followed in his father’s footsteps, to my great disappointment. It would be a great relief to me to have a strong granddaughter to replace me and see that Clan MacMurray continued to thrive and remain strong and prosperous.”

Leora was well aware that the woman continued to convince and manipulate her into believing she was the granddaughter she searched for, even if it was not the truth. She would not remind the woman again that she would not be returning to the Lowlands with her no matter the outcome of her search.

As they neared Adele’s cottage, where novice Angelica could be found, Leora spotted her outside hanging freshly washed sheets on a low-hanging tree branch to dry.

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