Page 95 of The Highlander's Auctioned Virgin
Flora’s house was one of the slightly better ones, as it had a door that did not look like it would fall from a small gust of wind.
Flora, a grey-haired woman with bright blue eyes, welcomed them with open arms, the elation in her voice undeniable.
“When Fergus told me ye would be sleeping here, I kenned I had to bring out the best we’ve got. M’Laird, I have drawn ye a bath,” she stated as they walked in.
Ciaran looked at Elinor. “Will ye be– ”
“Aye, I’ll be fine,” she replied.
“Ye can go right after him. I shall draw ye one as well.”
Elinor clasped the older woman’s hands. “Ye’re too kind, Flora.”
Ciaran stepped away, leaving the women to themselves.
“Ye must be the luckiest woman in the world,” Flora murmured, pulling a stool from a corner. “Marrying a man like Ciaran Brooks.”
Elinor gave her a grateful smile and slowly sank onto the stool. “I daenae ken about luck anymore, after seeing that.”
Flora smiled. “Young lady, I have been in this world for quite some time. I ken terrible people, believe me. And I ken good people. Ciaran is as good as they come. His heart has always been in the right place.”
“How can the heart of a man like the Hound be in the right place?” Elinor asked, her doubt plain.
Flora smiled, then she cleared her throat and began to speak.
“I had a friend back in Castle MacGee. Sarah. She lived a rather difficult life. One day, we were talking about food and how she had none. How she would starve for the rest of the week with her little son. Quite a young lad as well. Ciaran had ridden past us that afternoon. We didnae ken that he heard us. We didnae even stop him and ask him for anything. That evening, Sarah and her son had food delivered in bulk to their house. Of course, it took me a while to find out who sent it. But I did. And it turned out to be him.”
Elinor smiled.
“At the end of every week, Ciaran would deliver food to Sarah’s house so she and her little boy could fill their bellies. Sarah desperately wanted to repay him for his kindness, but he wouldnae accept anything from her. Nae a single dime. So she gave him the next best thing—her son.”
Elinor’s eyebrows flew up in surprise.
“Aye. Asked him to train the lad so he could learn how to fight like the Hound. Ciaran agreed and trained the boy. He molded him into a brave man. One capable of protecting people even in Ciaran’s absence.”
The realization hit Elinor faster than the growing evening cold. “Fergus.”
Flora nodded. “Aye.”
Elinor smiled.
“When he split from his braither, Fergus was the first to say he would go with him. Then, people followed. Ye see, lassie, Sarah wasnae the only one Ciaran was kind to. Every single person ye see here today followed him, despite kenning what he is, because he cared for them. Ciaran never joked about the people he cared about. And that includes all of us today. And ye.”
Flora grabbed her hands. “Do ye nae see? He killed that man forye.To protect and defendye. And the rest of us, certainly. But it was ye who came to his mind first. I saw it.”
She paused, letting the silence settle over them.
“That man will nae only die for ye,” she eventually continued, “but he will also kill for ye. So I truly meant what I said earlier. Ye must be the luckiest lass in the world, marrying a man like Ciaran Brooks.”
Elinor swallowed, feeling the tears well up in her eyes as Ciaran returned from his bath, his hair damp and his eyes curious.
“What is going on?” he asked, his eyes darting between them.
Elinor looked up at him and then back at Flora, giving her a secretive smile. “Nothing.”
Her response was smooth. Something about Ciaran’s expression told her he didn’t believe her, but he did not push.
“I shall draw a bath for ye as well,” Flora said, rising to her feet and gesturing for Ciaran to take her place. Then, she headed to the bathing chamber and closed the door behind her.
