Page 39 of Highlander's Caged Rose
It took her a while to find the right room, but she traced it eventually by the sound of voices, and stood out of sight, listening to the conversation.
She picked out Niall’s deep rumble at once, although he was contributing very little to the conversation. Moira knew every intonation of both his and Glennie’s speech, and it seemed to her that both of them sounded strained, as if trying to keep calm, and when she heard what Beitris had to say for herself, she was not surprised.
The woman was condescending in the extreme to Glennie, but spoke to Niall in an almost obsequious tone, and althoughMoira could not see her, she knew the kind of look that went with it. Her husband had used it when he needed favours from other men. Moira felt sick. She would have found it hard to part with Niall if he was marrying a good woman, but this creature was not one of those.
Presently, Glennie stood up and said, “Excuse me for a moment,” then left the room and came straight to Moira.
Moira jumped, startled. “How did you know I was here?” she whispered.
“I could see the edge of your skirt,” Glennie replied. She drew Moira away from the doorway a little. “Come inside with me, I want you to meet her.”
Moira was about to ask why, but Glennie was tugging her hand and leading a slightly dazed Moira into the reception room. Moira saw Gerald McNicholl looking at her with a deep frown that signalled extreme hostility.
“Lady Beitris Maxwell, this is my friend, Moira Jamieson,” Glennie said politely. Reluctantly, Moira curtsied. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, My Lady.”
Beitris gave her a brittle smile and said: “And yours.” Then she turned away to speak to Niall, not even sparing Moira a passing glance. “My Laird, will you take me for a tour around the estate? I would like to see the place where I will be living. I will, after all, be Lady McPhee.”
Niall only just stopped himself from refusing and giving this snobbish young madam a piece of his mind. “Of course,” he replied because he had no choice.
“Glennie—may I call you Glennie?” Beitris asked.
“Of course, Beitris,” Glennie answered, without asking permission to use her given name.
“Would you come too?” Beitris asked.
“I will have to change, so I will meet you in the stables in a short while.” Glennie pinned on a smile for Beitris and looked at Moira, who was quite unsure of what to do next.
Moira really did not wish to accompany them, and she was about to follow Glennie and tell her so. However, she felt Beitris’s hand gripping her arm and looked up to see her hostile glare. Glennie had walked away and was already out of earshot, so she did not hear Beitris when she addressed Moira in an icy, condescending tone.
“Your presence is not needed,” Beitris told her coldly. “Stay away from my betrothed. Now that I am here, you need not bother him again. You may go.”
For a second, Moira contemplated answering Beitris with a stinging rejoinder, but decided not to waste her time. She would be gone soon and Beitris would be the mistress of the castle. What difference would anything she said make now?
17
Moira had no idea if Beitris was going to say anything else, but at that moment Gerald came towards them with an expression of extreme annoyance on his face. Beitris turned and walked away, leaving them together.
“I think it would be better for everyone if you left now, Moira,” he said softly. “You are a good lass and I know you want Niall’s happiness, so for his sake and the sake of the clan, I think you should be on your way. I know that this is hard for you, but it’s for the best.” He gave her a sympathetic smile and patted her shoulder gently.
However, he had no need to worry, since Moira was emotionally and physically exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to be on her way.
She nodded stiffly and walked away, saying nothing. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck prickling and knew that Gerald was still watching her, but presently, she rounded a corner and passed out of his sight, then headed for her chamber.
She knew now that she had definitely outstayed her welcome and that it was long past time she left Baltyre Castle and Niall McPhee. Beitris Maxwell had put her on notice that her presencewould not be tolerated any longer, and Moira could see that she had a mean and spiteful nature. It was obvious that she would take any chance she could to wound and humiliate her.
Moira threw herself on the bed and tried to empty her mind of all thought for a while, but the harder she tried, the more difficult it became, and at last she gave up. There was a lot to do before she could go. Granted, she had not much packing to do, since she possessed very few clothes, but she had to organise a horse and food for the journey.
As well as that, she needed to find some sort of weapon to take with her; she had found out the hard way that she needed one last time she had set out on her own. She had taken a little knife with her on that occasion, and it had done little good. She now thought an axe might be better!
Moira packed her few belongings and looked around at her bedchamber. Her gaze fixed on the bed, where she and Niall had driven each other wild with delight. There, they had pledged their love for one another with their bodies and words of tenderness and passion, and she felt a wave of sadness so strong that she almost burst into tears. But she would be gone before he came back, and she would never see him again.
Moira moved over to the bed and bent down to bury her face in the sheets, which still bore the earthy scent of Niall’s body. She took a deep breath in and closed her eyes, trying to imprison the sensual musk inside her so that she could take it with her when she left. Tears were still threatening, but she somehow managed to hold them back. She could weep later.
On a sudden impulse, Moira tore a strip off the sheet, rolled it up and stuffed it in her bag. She might have ruined it, but now she would always have a little piece of Niall with her that she could remember him by, and she was quite sure he could afford another sheet!
Moira checked once more to see if she had packed every one of her few possessions, then counted her coins. She thought she might be able to survive for some weeks, although it might involve sleeping under the stars for a few nights.
I am a strong woman,she told herself.I can bear it.
