Page 5 of Highlander's Secret Heiress
Leithmuir Castle was a great deal grander than her own, Alyth realised as she moved further into the building. The floors were covered in Oriental carpets, the curtains were mostly made of silk brocade, and the furniture was mostly ebony and mahogany, intricately carved and polished.
Alyth searched in every drawer and cupboard she could find in what appeared to be a spare bedroom, since unlike the others it was fairly stark and bare, and had just knelt down so that she could look under the bed.
However, she found nothing apart from a carpet of dust, and was about to retrace her steps and leave the room when she heard a child’s voice calling, “Mammy.”
Alyth looked up into the face of a little girl, whom she guessed to be around eight or nine years old. Her hair was a deep red colour, and her eyes, which were wide with disbelief, were a striking blue-green.
“Oh, sweetheart, I am so glad you came,” Alyth said, pretending to be relieved. “I have just arrived here, and I’m a wee bit lost. Can you help me find my way out to the courtyard?” She crouched down a little to be on the same level as the child and smiled.
The little girl was silent, but she did not take her eyes off Alyth for a moment. Her expression of incredulity had been replaced by one of curiosity. Alyth instinctively reached out to touch the pendant that was hanging from her neck—a practised move.
The jewel was made of silver, oval in shape, and when opened revealed a picture of a beautiful woman in the middle. It was notvery valuable, but had been a present from her mother on her fifth birthday, and it was precious to her.
Now, however, she needed a way to get into the little girl’s good graces because she could see by the quality of her clothes that this young lady was definitely of importance, maybe an advisor’s daughter. She had heard that Carrick had a kid, so maybe the little girl was the Laird’s daughter, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting out of there before anyone was alerted to her snooping around.
“Hello,” Alyth said gently, “My name is Jeannie, and I am the new maid here. It seems like I have lost my necklace while sweeping the floors. Have you seen it perhaps? It looks exactly like this one.”
The child said nothing, merely stared at her pendant fixedly.
“What is your name?” Alyth signed, and asked with a tentative smile. It was a long shot to depend on a wee child anyway.
Again there was silence. Alyth swallowed nervously, then continued, “Look, I’m lost. If I give you this as a present, will you show me the way out?” She asked politely.
The girl narrowed her eyes at Alyth, unconvinced. Did she suspect her by any chance? She had caught her snooping around in her bedroom…
“Please help me, lassie. This pendant is all I have left from my mother. It is priceless to me, but I’ll give it to you if you help me get out of here, and keep my job in the Keep.”
The little girl examined her a bit more, then nodded and took the proffered pendant. She clasped Alyth’s hand and led her out into the corridor. They walked beside each other, but despite Alyth’s attempts to engage the girl in conversation by asking her name, she would not say a word.
“I worked in another castle before this one,” she told her. “But it was nowhere near as nice. Have you always lived here?”
Again, the girl was mute, and after a few more futile attempts to draw her out, Alyth gave up.
They turned a few corners and then emerged into the courtyard, but before Alyth could take more than a couple of steps forward, she collided with the large and formidable bulk of a man who was standing in front of her, completely blocking her way.
He held out his hand to the little girl, and she went to him at once, then put her arms around him, smiling at him fondly. It was clear that they were very dear to each other, and Alyth realised that this was Laird Carrick, the man she had come to find, her clan’s enemy.
He was not at all what she had anticipated. For a start, he was younger, not more than thirty years old, she guessed, and he stood well over six feet tall with a well-muscled physique. The blue-green eyes that were staring into hers aggressively were the same colour as the child’s, although his shoulder-length chestnut hair was a shade darker.
The man gently eased the child behind his back, then turned to glare at Alyth from under thick brows. “Who are you?” he growled.
2
Alyth was used to interacting with men of the Laird’s calibre—after all, she was a Laird’s daughter and experienced in the subtle arts of charming and flirting with them. However, this man was very different. He did not look remotely fascinated with her—quite the opposite, in fact. The blue-green eyes were rendered even darker with anger, and his strongly handsome face looked terrifying.
Alyth had been trained to fight both with her fists and with weapons, but that did not stop fear rising up in her as the big man came even closer till his chest was almost touching hers.
“I asked you who you are.” This time his deep voice was a threatening rumble, and Alyth, usually so calm under pressure, found herself panicking.
This was the man who had murdered her mother, and he would no doubt have no hesitation in doing the same to her if he knew her identity. She fought her terror down with an effort, however, although for a few moments she seemed to have lost the ability to speak, particularly when Laird Carrick stepped forward and pushed her backwards against the wall.
“Now, answer me, or I will have you thrown out of my castle.” His voice was soft, but it throbbed with menace.
At last, Alyth recovered the ability to speak. “I-I am Jeannie, your new housemaid, my Laird,” she answered, dropping her gaze to the ground.
“And what are you doing with my daughter?” he asked suspiciously. “She has been told never to engage with strangers. What mischief are you up to?”
“I have only started working here today,” she replied. “And I became a little lost in the corridors. Luckily, your daughter found me then brought me here. I swear I did not approach her first. She came to me, and I have done her no harm.”
