Page 39 of Highlander's Secret Heiress
“How do you like your bedroom, Alyth?” Robertson asked.
Alyth said nothing.
“Did you hear me?” The Laird’s voice had a note of irritation in it.
Again, Alyth was silent, but she looked up and met his eyes. If there was one thing at which she excelled, it was staring someone out, since she had absolutely no fear or feeling of awkwardness. Now she put that skill to the test. She and Laird Robertson looked into each other’s eyes for a full minute before he dropped his gaze with a frustrated grunt.
For the rest of the meal, there was complete and utter silence. Alyth looked up at her father once or twice, but he seemed to be concentrating hard on his food and ignored her. She was not hungry in the least, but knew that if she were to escape, she would need all her strength. So she forced her food down with a Herculean effort before standing up, turning away and walking out without a word.
Neither her father nor Laird Robertson tried to stop her.
17
Lachlan woke up the next morning with a thumping headache, and sent to the kitchen for a cup of willow bark tea to soothe it. It eventually calmed down, but after he had eaten his breakfast, he felt sick.
Later in the morning, he summoned Gavin to practise his swordsmanship with him, hoping that the strenuous activity would take his mind off Jeannie.Alyth. He could not get his mind away from the sight of the tears streaming down her face and her declaration of love for him.
He decided to begin his sword practice on his own, since Gavin had not yet made an appearance. Usually when he and Gavin started to fight, maid servants would hide behind pillars and gaze at him in admiration, whispering and giggling, but not today. Today there was a heavy atmosphere of gloom which had settled over the castle with the news of Jeannie’s, or rather Alyth’s, disappearance.
Of course, Lachlan told himself firmly, Alyth’s feelings were not reciprocated since he was still in love with Sandrina and always would be. She was the love of his life; of course she was, they had been married for years. He might have had herpermission to marry or love again, but at this moment, it was the furthest thing from his mind. Now he would devote his life to Davina and help her grow into the woman he knew she could and would be.
Yet, he was uncertain if he could do it without Alyth’s help. Davina only seemed to have responded to her, and had never said a word to anyone else, but it was still a mystery to him why that should be so. Had she somehow seen something inside Alyth that was invisible to everyone else? He was not much of a believer in such things, but lately, he had begun to reconsider; there was obviously more to Alyth than met the eye.
Gavin came out, broadsword at the ready, to begin their bout. Lachlan was not aware of how pallid and tired he looked. Every muscle in his body was tense and aching, due mainly to a lack of sleep the night before. Consequently, he was not performing to his usual excellent standard, and Gavin noticed this almost at once.
Usually, they were quite evenly matched, with Lachlan winning some bouts and Gavin winning others, but not today. Gavin knocked Lachlan down time and time again, and even backed him into the wall once.
Gavin said nothing, and neither did Lachlan, but he had no need to. Alyth’s departure had obviously affected him badly, and it was all too obvious.
Gavin had known of Lachlan’s affair with Alyth long before her departure. In fact, he knew everything. He had not asked questions or sneaked around watching them, but he had a well-developed intuition honed by many years of watching and spying on his enemies. As well as that, he had his wife!
The first indication he had had was the way Davina responded to Alyth. The child had been extraordinarily sensitive since her mother died, and the fact that she had immediatelyresponded to Alyth was noticed at once by Gavin, and so was Lachlan’s reaction.
When Alyth had started reading stories to his daughter, Gavin had noticed that at first he had been hostile, then intrigued. However, after the Robertsons’ attack, there was a subtle but very noticeable change in Lachlan’s behaviour.
Every time he saw Alyth, he turned his gaze away and looked at something else, as if he did not want to be caught staring at her. It was a small but telling sign of his attraction to her, and was probably only visible to those who knew Lachlan very well.
Now, as they trudged back into the castle, Gavin patted Lachlan’s back and asked, with some concern, “No’ feelin’ well, big man?”
Lachlan laughed softly. “I’m fine, Gavin. My sword is tired, that’s all.”
“Ye seem tae be a bit bent over this morning,” Gavin remarked. “Remember, the first thing they tell ye when ye’re bein’ taught is tae stand up straight. That is a beginner’s mistake, Lachlan. Ye must be really tired oot. Maybe ye should rest for a few days. The place will no’ fall down if ye arenae here!”
Lachlan thought for a moment while they moved inside to sit down in his study. He smiled at Gavin. “You are so wise, my friend. I definitely feel a bit off balance this morning, so tell me what else I need to do. I don’t want to be skewered by an enemy sword just because I didn’t practise properly!”
Gavin began to list his mistakes in meticulous detail, and at the end of the long list of errors, Lachlan said, “My god, Gavin! It’s a wonder I am still alive.”
Gavin gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. “Ye are just havin’ a bad day, Lachlan. We a’ dae sometimes.”
“We all make mistakes,” Lachlan acknowledged. He liked talking to Gavin. He knew that anything he told him wouldgo no further than him and Maisie, and he trusted them both completely.
“I think I’ve made a lot of mistakes with Davina,” he said, with a huge sigh.
“Why dae ye say that?” Gavin asked, frowning. “She is a lovely wee lassie, an’ she adores her Da.”
“I should have been there for Sandrina.” Lachlan clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white. “Instead, I was away trying to be a hero, failing to protect them.”
“Lachlan, stop it,” Gavin said firmly. “Ye have been over this a hundred times. It wasnae your fault, an’ what’s done is done.”
