Page 26 of Highlander's Caged Rose
Glennie frowned. “What happened this morning?” she asked.
“He–he kissed me.” Moira covered her face with her hands and sighed. “Glennie, I am so mixed up. I know I have to go, but I have never felt like this before. Niall is making me want to stay, but I am terrified. I am terrified of men, to be truthful. I have never met one whom I could trust.
None of them have ever treated me as anything better than a pawn or a body to warm their bed. Niall seems to be different, but how can I be sure? It’s much better that I go and make a new life for myself in Aberdeen.”
“I see.” Glennie gently pried Moira’s hands away from her face. “Niall is a good man, Moira, and he will never hurt you.”
“You are his sister, Glennie,” Moira pointed out. “You’re bound to speak up for him out of loyalty.”
“I speak from conviction,” Glennie said firmly. “I know him better than anyone, Moira.”
“What if the clan chooses a bride for him?” Moira spread her hands in a gesture of helplessness. “If you are suggesting aromantic relationship between us, the wedding will have to be called off. His fiancée would come from a rich and influential family, whereas I am nobody. It could upset the whole balance of power in the area, and I don’t want that on my conscience. No, Glennie, it is best that I leave.”
“Even if there is a betrothal, I am certain that he would choose you.”
Moira’s heart stopped. “So, there is one already set? Niall is getting married?” Moira laughed, but no amusement shone in her eyes. She needed to break something. “I must leave immediately.”
“What will you do in Aberdeen?” Glennie persisted. “You said that you had relatives there, and that you could find employment, but is either of those statements true?”
“I have distant relatives there,” Moira conceded, “but I hardly know them, and I doubt whether they will want to shelter me.”
“And after you find a place to live,” Glennie went on, “what will you do for employment? How will you feed yourself?”
“I don’t know,” Moira said quietly.
She was truly in a quandary—damned if she left and damned if she stayed. It seemed that there was no right way to go.
“Eat your food,” Glennie instructed. “Then go to bed and sleep on it. Remember, Moira, there is always a home for you here. Whatever happens, I will make sure you have a roof over your head.”
“Thank you, Glennie.” Moira smiled, “I am so lucky to have you in my life.”
However, after she had eaten and left Glennie’s chamber, her head was still spinning with confusion.
Moira was walking back to her chamber very slowly, her mind preoccupied with her problems. The corridor in which she was walking was dark and filled with shadows, as it usually was in the late evening. As well as that, she was so lost in her thoughts that she bumped into a figure walking the other way.
“Oh!” she cried, recognising Gerald. “Excuse me. I was miles away.”
Gerald laughed softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. In the half-dark, he looked a little fearsome, with his eyes shadowed by his shaggy brows. “I was too, my dear,” he confessed. “I have just come out of the council meeting, and to be honest, I need a stiff whisky to calm me down a wee bit.”
Moira’s heart skipped a beat. “What’s happened?” she asked, alarmed.
Gerald gave an irritated sigh. “There was almost a riot,” he answered. “The Laird does not like to be told what to do. He’s in a difficult position, since we are being threatened by the Dornans, who are disputing the ownership of some land on the south side of the River Begg.
Niall does not want to go to war again, and says he would rather negotiate. He argued very fiercely for that, but he was not backed up by other members of the council. They want him to stick to their original plan of marrying Beitris Maxwell. For some reason, Niall is against that plan, although I have no idea why. My niece is a lovely girl, and will make him a good wife.
So, my dear, Niall lost the argument, and he is getting married to Beitris a month from now.”
“I hope it brings peace,” Moira said, trying to sound calm.
“I do too,” Gerald replied fervently. “Goodnight, Moira.”
“Goodnight,” she replied faintly.
She trudged back to her chamber, her heart a lead weight in her chest. As soon as she entered her room, she stirred the fire, then sat down to think for a while.
If Niall married this Beitris, staying would not be an option. If Moira became his lover, she could hardly live in the castle under the watchful eye of his wife. A woman’s intuition was a fearfully strong thing, and Moira knew that she and Niall would give themselves away every time anyone looked at them, no matter how hard they tried to hide their affair. Anyway, she would have been a fool to believe what he told her down at the loch.
The situation that night had been wild and desperate, and they had both spoken in the heat of passion.
