Page 20 of Highlander's Secret Heiress
At this time of the year they were wearing their thick winter coats, and he almost envied them as he stood, exposed to the elements, freezing on top of his fortress. The grass around them was dusted with frost and the colour had disappeared from the trees, leaving the landscape looking like a drawing done in charcoal. How he longed for spring! He loved to see the earth awakening from her long winter sleep, loved how the wildflowers came out in an orderly sequence: first snowdrops, then daffodils, tulips and bluebells. Spring was his favourite time of year, but it was still months away.
Lachlan’s chestnut hair was blowing around him, and he tossed it out of his face impatiently. Usually, he could have stood up here for hours, no matter what the state of the weather was,lost in his thoughts, but this morning they were too disturbing to dwell on.
As he looked down, he saw a party of his guards going out on patrol, and he felt a sense of pride. These men answered to him, and him alone; they dared not disobey him since he put food in their mouths and kept a roof over their heads, and in return, they protected him and all that was his.
Yet owning this castle and all this land was a fearsome responsibility, and sometimes he bent under the weight of it. Those were the times when he locked himself in his chamber and slept for an entire day, or went out riding on his favourite horse from sunrise to sunset. Then his mind was clear for a while before the worries began to pile up again.
Life had been much easier when he had Sandrina to care for him and share his burdens. He remembered times when they had sat together in the evening after Davina had gone to bed, protesting in her shrill little voice that she was not a bit tired. When she had finally succumbed to sleep, Lachlan had closed his eyes and laid his head on his wife’s lap, slowly letting go of all the tension that had built up inside him.
However, as he looked back on his days with Sandrina, he realised he was not feeling the pain he once had, and for a moment, a stab of guilt pierced him. Yet, it had been three years since her death. Should he not be finished with grieving by now? Of course, no one could tell a man how long his mourning should last, so perhaps it was time to look forward to the future and not backwards to the past. Sandrina would have wanted it that way, he thought.
Then he thought again of Jeannie, her dark grey eyes, her defiant spirit, her firm, toned body, and groaned. Perhaps she had been sent from heaven to help him heal, but he could not imagine anyone less angelic!
Lachlan went downstairs to have breakfast, realising suddenly that he was ravenous. He passed some of the maids on the way, all of whom curtsied to him, but Jeannie was not amongst them. Despite himself, he felt a little disappointed.
He went into the small parlour where he and Davina dined and found her sitting waiting for him with her nanny sitting behind her. Her face broke into a huge smile when she saw him, and she rushed into his arms.
Lachlan laughed and hugged her. “Did you sleep well, my lovely?” he asked. He said the same thing every morning, and usually, he received nothing more than a nod in reply. However, this morning was different.
Davina put her hands around his face, looked up into his eyes, and said, “Yes, Da.”
For a moment, Lachlan was the one who was speechless as he stared at his daughter’s face. She looked hopeful, but there was a hint of doubt in her eyes. Would her father be pleased with her?
Lachlan felt tears of joy spring to his eyes, and he hugged Davina as hard as he could. “I am so glad you slept well,” he said huskily. “And I am so glad you told me so.” He reached out his hand to squeeze hers, and was rewarded with another beaming smile.
He thought there was a possibility that she might speak again, but Davina remained silent for the rest of the meal. She looked happier than she had for a long time, however. Perhaps she too was beginning to let go of the grief she had been holding on to all this time. Lachlan hoped so.
He imagined taking her out for rides, throwing stones in Loch Leithmuir and flying kites from the castle ramparts, but instead of being silent, Davina would be screaming and laughing with happiness.
Suddenly, Lachlan knew that those days could be coming soon.
9
Lachlan had unexpectedly invited some friends he had not seen for a while to a dinner party at the castle; this was something that he had not done since before his wife died, and everyone was astonished.
The maid servants were all eating breakfast in the kitchen and talking over the event in somewhat shocked, but pleased tones. They were all happy for the Laird, even if the coming occasion was a bolt from the blue and meant a great deal of extra work for them.
“I am that glad tae see he is goin’ tae be among his friends again,” Flora said, smiling. “It has been three years since Milady passed on. Maybe he is finally gettin’ over her, maybe he will soon be courtin’ again!”
There was a murmur of agreement. “He deserves the love o’ a good woman because he is a good man,” Alison added. “An’ he didnae deserve what happened tae him. Bloody MacAdams! Savages!”
“The Robertsons are just as bad,” Catriona put in angrily. “If no’ worse. I hate them.”
They all knew that Catriona had a good reason to hate the Robertsons, since her father had been murdered by one of them, and the culprit had never been caught.
Flora patted her back and said soothingly, “Dinnae worry, hen, there will be nae sign o’ any Robertsons in Leithmuir. If one o’ them tried tae set foot in here, he wouldnae last very long!”
This time the chorus of acquiescence was very loud indeed, and Alyth was shocked to hear the naked animosity in the women’s voices. It seemed that it was not only Lachlan Carrick who had been badly affected by the clan wars.
She had grown very fond of the women she worked with, but now, hearing their anger when her family’s name was mentioned, she felt terribly afraid. What if anyone found out who she was? She had taken great pains to hide her identity, but it only took one person to recognise her, and her fate would be sealed.
She decided to change the subject to something a little lighter. “Did anybody see the new guard the Laird has just hired?” she asked, looking around the women with a mischievous smirk on her face.
“No!” It was Heather who spoke. “What is he like?”
“Well.” Alyth stood up and held her hand up about eight inches higher than her head. “About this tall, with golden blond hair and the brightest green eyes you ever saw. And handsome. He is an absolute god!”
“Do ye know his name?” Catriona asked eagerly.
