Page 15 of Highlander's Caged Rose
As soon as she was on her feet, Moira backed away from him. She was shivering from head to foot, and she could see that Niall was too, but he picked up his cloak from the ground and wrapped it around her.
“I’m sorry,” he said gently. “I should not have shouted like that, but I was worried about you.”
Immediately, Moira tried to take off the cloak, but Niall was not taking no for an answer. He stepped up and wrapped it around her even more tightly than before. She tried to back away further, but he held on to the cloak, and Moira’s strength could not match his.
“Come back with me to the castle.” His voice was gentle. “I cannot leave you here, Moira. This part of my land is full of boars and wolves, and you would be no match against them. Come back with me. I promise no harm will come to you, and you can leave in the morning if you wish.”
Moira stared up at him. In the almost complete darkness, he could see were tiny glints of light in her eyes from the waters of the loch. He could see nothing of her expression, but he was sure she was petrified. She said nothing, though.
After a few minutes of silence, Niall sighed. “I can tell that you are afraid of me,” he said sadly. “I know what it feels like to be scared, Moira. I have fought many battles and been injured many times.
I have even had to kill in self-defence, but I have never laid a hand on a woman in anger, and I never will. I can tell that something in your life has broken a piece of you because I seethe same pain that I carry in me, and I know how much it hurts. Trust me, Moira. I promise I will not let you down. Let me take you to safety.”
Moira hesitated. Could this be a trap? Some sort of game? Had he let her leave the castle just so that he could bring her back for some sadistic purpose of his own?
Yet as his wet clothes clung to him, she could see his muscular shape, and the way his masculine body differed so sharply from her own. Even in these strange circumstances, when she was quivering with cold and fright, she could still feel something pulling her towards him.
“I will come with you, but only because I have no other choice,” she said at last. “I could never find my way out of this place on my own.”
“Good,” Niall said. “I promise you, lass, you are doing the right thing. I am not the monster you seem to think I am, and I will take you to safety.”
Having said this, he helped Moira onto her horse, and they rode back to the castle. Niall tried to start a conversation several times, but Moira was too tired, cold, and frightened to reply, and eventually, he gave up.
As soon as they arrived, Niall took Moira to the sick room, where Sandie dried her off and wrapped her in a warm dry blanket, then gave her a thorough examination.
“I dinnae think there is anythin’ wrong, hen,” she said, “but ye must go straight tae bed an’ rest. I will send up some hot milk for ye. How did ye end up in the water?”
She gave Moira a puzzled frown.
“It’s a long story, Sandie,” Moira replied, yawning. “I will tell you tomorrow.”
Moira thought that Niall would have gone straight to his own chamber, but he was waiting for her outside the sick room. Hetoo was wearing a dry blanket, although his clothes were still wet.
“I wanted to see that all was well with you,” he told her. “What did Sandie say?”
Moira sighed. “She says everything seems fine,” she answered. “You should let her look at you.”
Niall shrugged. “I’m fine, Moira,” he said. “A wee dip in the loch will not do me much harm.”
Now that she could look at him properly, Moira could see that a bruise had formed on his forehead. “What happened?” she asked.
Niall laughed. “I collided with a low branch,” he replied. “No serious damage, my head is too hard to be seriously harmed by a bit of wood.”
“Thank you for helping me.” Moira looked down at the ground as she spoke. “You saved my life, I owe you a great debt of gratitude.”
“You owe me nothing,” Niall told her. He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face up to look at him. “I would have done the same for anyone, Moira. Now go to bed. And sleep well.”
“You too, My Laird,” Moira said, then she smiled at him for the first time in days.
Niall smiled back. “Goodnight, Moira,” he said, then he was gone.
Moira went to her chamber and lay down, then drank her milk and laid her head on her pillow. She was exhausted, but sleep would not come, and by dawn she was still tired, and far too hot.
7
The next morning, Glennie’s maidservant came in to prepare her for the day as usual, but she seemed unusually quiet and thoughtful.
“Catriona?” she asked anxiously. “Are you all right?”
