Page 39 of Sighs of the Highland Wind
Lindsey had come looking for him.
Kenna looked up at the same moment and saw Lindsey’s and Maxwell’s gazes meet and clash, and for a second it felt as though lightning was sparking through the air.
“Max Forbes!” Lindsey cried angrily. “Where have you been? Do you know how worried we have been? You inconsiderate swine!”
Her face was red with rage, but as Maxwell advanced upstairs, he could see the tears streaming down her face. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek softly, thinking how odd it was that his little big sister was going to be a mother.
He put her away a bit to look into her face, but Lindsey pummeled him on the chest with her fists until he caught her wrists in his and stopped her. But he could do nothing about the stormy grey eyes glaring into his.
“Lindsey,” he said softly, “I am sorry. Let me explain everything to you over a glass of wine.” He stood aside and drew Kenna forward. “This is my friend, Kenna Bowie, who saved my life.”
Kenna curtsied shyly and kept her gaze on the floor, but Lindsey stepped forward and said, “Look up, please.”
Kenna obeyed, and the two women looked at each other steadily. Lindsey was like her brother facially and had the same eyes, but that was where the similarities ended. Lindsey was short, fair, and at the moment, round. She looked as though her child was about to make an appearance any moment.
“I am Lady Lindsey Gilchrist of Auchnashiel,” she announced. “I will be leaving soon, but if what my brother says is true, then I must thank you while I can. He is very inconsiderate, but I love him.”
Kenna smiled at the other woman. She wanted to say, “I do, too,” but that was not possible.
“I only did what anyone else would have done,” she said softly.
“But ‘anyone else’ did not do it,” Lindsey pointed out. “You did. I am indebted to you, Kenna.”
They reached the small parlor, where they sat down. Kenna, unused to being in the company of people who were above her in social standing, shuffled from foot to foot for a few seconds, unsure of what to do.
Seeing her confusion, Maxwell took her hand and pulled her down beside him, smiling at her.
“She does not bite,” he whispered, and Kenna managed to relax a little.
“Max, what happened?” Lindsey asked urgently, leaning forward as far as her bulging tummy would allow. “Where have you been?”
Maxwell sighed. “No matter what you heard, Lindsey, I did not kill Lachlan. He was drunk—verydrunk. He tried to rape one of the kitchen maids and was carrying her in his arms. The poor girl was screaming, and she was absolutely terrified. All I did was pull her out of his arms, but when her weight shifted, he was unbalanced, and since he was standing at the top of the stairs, he fell over backwards.
“A few of the servants saw the whole thing, and I am sure that they would have spoken up for me, but, like a coward, I ran. I realized later that by running, I had more or less given Douglas free rein to say anything he liked about me.”
“He says you are a murderer,” Lindsey said baldly as she poured wine for all of them. “I told him that you did not have a vicious bone in your body and that Lachlan was your best friend, but he did not believe me. He prefers to think that you pushed his brother down a flight of stairs in revenge for the time he pushed you out of a tree. I went to Lady McDonald and the laird to explain, and somehow I managed to make peace with them, butit would be better if you go there yourself. It is the least you can do, Max.”
“I can confirm that he did nothing wrong, milady,” Kenna said firmly. “I was there, and I saw the whole thing.”
Maxwell did not react to Kenna’s statement. She was lying about being there, but she was telling the truth about what had really happened.
Maxwell nodded slowly. “I will go there,” he agreed. “And the sooner, the better. Kenna, please come with me. Your mother will be wondering where you are, and I know the McDonalds love you.”
As much as I do.The thought startled him, but he had no time to think about it.
“Of course I will,” she replied, smiling.
“How did you save Max’s life?” Lindsey asked curiously.
“She took me in out of the cold, fed me, and kept me warm, at great danger to herself,” Maxwell answered for her. “Kenna is a hero.”
Kenna blushed hotly. She did not deserve such praise.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“You are a hero, Kenna,” Lindsey said warmly. “I will hear more about this later since it sounds like quite an intriguing tale, but for now I must go about my business. Max, we must have a talk later.”
Maxwell nodded and carried on sipping his wine.
