Page 32 of The Runaway Bride and the Highlander
“The poor wee mite,” Skylar said gently.
“He’s an alive wee mite, thanks tae ye, Skylar,” Kendrick said kindly, smiling warmly at her.
She smiled back, but her mind was not really focused on the present moment. Kendrick cocked his head and looked at her curiously, as though trying to deduce something. “I believe congratulations are in order,” he said after a long moment.
Before she realized what she was doing, Skylar rolled her eyes.
“Oh, dear. Well, perhaps nae then,” he said reticently.
“Forgive me, Kendrick. It is nae that I’m ungrateful,” Skylar replied with a sigh.
“Ungrateful for what?” Kendrick pressed, his brow knitting together in confusion.
Only then did Skylar remember that Kendrick knew nothing of the circumstances of her arrival at the castle, and she suddenly floundered, a sensation of panic rising that she had said the wrong thing to the wrong person.
“If it’s any help, Skylar. I am also the castle confidant. Believe me, if wars were fought with secrets, I could win any battle with anyone.” He smiled kindly. “There has never been a thing spoken tae me that I have repeated, and I swear tae ye, I’m nae about tae change that now.”
Skylar considered his offer for a long moment. There was much weighing on her mind—so much in fact, that she could neither eat nor sleep. Katherine had told her how beautiful she wanted to make her for the wedding tomorrow, but with the heavy weight that sat upon Skylar’s shoulders, the burden almost too much to carry, she could imagine she would look like a wreck by the time she reached the altar. Perhaps unloading her troubles to another might do her some good. Kendrick could not take the load from her, but sharing it with him could surely do no harm, especially if everything she said would never again be repeated.
“Ye swear ye willnae say a word tae anyone?” she asked, making absolutely certain she was not going to regret her decision.
Kendrick lifted his right hand and placed it over his heart. “I swear. Besides, ye forget. I’m a deaf old man.” He smirked. “I will likely nae hear half o’ what ye say in any case.”
Skylar could not help but smile and nodded. “Then, I suppose I ought tae start at the beginning.”
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Skylar did manage to sleep for a few hours after her time with Kendrick, but when Katherine pulled the drapes wide open to let the light of the day stream in, she still felt so very tired.
“Can I nae rest for just a little while longer?” she groaned, turning over in the bed and pulling the furs over her face.
“But there’s so much tae do,” the maid protested. “Ye can have the time it takes me tae ready yer bath, but after that, we must press on.”
It was better than nothing, and when Katherine left the room to fetch the water, Skylar let out a heavy sigh. By the time this day was over, she would be Lady Skylar Macleod, wife of Laird Maxwell Macleod. It was nearly too bizarre to believe, and yet, it was going to happen no matter if she believed it or not.
Though she had not given it as much credence as she ought, talking to Kendrick last night had helped her immensely. Unlike some other people she had encountered in her younger life, people who might have interrupted and asked questions, too impatient to hear her story in its entirety, Kendrick did not speak a word until she had told him the entire sorry tale. Neither had he sat there with a completely blank expression.
While he had not physically spoken, he had shown his sympathy and understanding through the expressions on his face, wincing at her having to watch her mother’s murder and frowning deeply when she had relayed what Colum planned to do with her before the laird and his men had arrived.
All in all, it had felt like a very cathartic experience. It had changed nothing, and yet, she did feel far better afterwards.
“Such loss and tragedy for such a young lass,” Kendrick had said with a tone of deep sympathy when she had finally come to the end. “Ye are far stronger than ye at first appear, Skylar.”
“Sometimes I feel invincible,” she had replied, “and other times, I feel like my entire life has been a battle that I cannae win, nae matter how hard or long I fight. Tomorrow I am tae be married tae a man I dinnae ken. Once more, I’ll be forced tae live on someone else’s terms.”
“I think ye may find ye and the laird have more in common than ye think,” Kendrick had said mysteriously.
“Secrets, Skylar.”
It would be more than hypocritical of her to expect Kendrick to keep her secrets while simultaneously pleading with him to reveal the secrets of others who had placed their trust in him.
He had smiled and nodded knowingly. “I kent there was something special about ye the first time I met ye. There are few people in these parts who would have managed tae surmise the child’s illness with such ease and preciseness as ye did. Yer powers are a blessing, Skylar, nae matter how much it may feel otherwise. I feel privileged that ye have trusted me with such a deeply kept secret.”
She had thanked him for taking the time to listen, and he had assured her that his ears would be hers whenever she needed them. Eventually, yawning with exhaustion, she had bid him goodnight and made her way to her bedchamber. In the strangest of ways, Kendrick reminded her a little of her father. They looked nothing alike, of course, but his kind, gentle, and patient ways mirrored her father’s characteristics.
By the time her head rested on her pillow, Skylar had convinced herself that meeting Kendrick was a sign. If her father could not be there to protect and comfort her, he had sent someone she could trust and in whom she could confide to do so in his place. She had fallen asleep wishing the man who had taken care of her and his family so very well for so many years could hold her in his arms just one more time.
Once more, the bath felt wonderful on her skin, though on this occasion, Skylar could not just relax as much as she had the first time Katherine had bathed her. Her stomach turned, and she felt as though she were going to be sick, the nervousness swirling around her and causing a feeling of intense nausea. Even with that going on, however, Skylar had something else on her mind, and though she was utterly embarrassed to ask the question, she knew if she did not ask it now, she might not get a chance later.
