Page 10 of Highlander's Caged Rose
Glennie frowned, puzzled. “Then why bring her here in the first place?” she asked. “I have never known you to invite guests into the castle without telling me first. Who is she really?”
“She was attacked by bandits not far from the castle,” he replied. “We managed to rescue her before they robbed her, but she got injured as she fell off her horse. We brought her back here, and I am letting her stay until her wound heals. For the moment, she is my guest, but I have a bad feeling about her. There is something she is not telling me.
She says that her father gave her hand in marriage to a cruel and abusive man who kept her prisoner in his house for a few weeks before she managed to escape. When she did, she had the misfortune to encounter these bandits. I asked her if they were sent by her betrothed to find her and bring her back, and shedenied it, but what really puzzles me is that she will not even tell me his name.”
“Why not?” Now Glennie looked puzzled.
“She says that she wants to forget that he ever existed,” Niall answered.
Glennie took a sip of her wine. “I saw a long white scar on the back of her hand,” she said, “but it could have been caused by anything at all.”
Niall thought for a moment. Glennie was right, of course, and he could be getting suspicious over nothing. Moira Jamieson was working her way under his skin in the most profound and irritating way, and despite his attempts to turn his mind in another direction, it always came back to her.
“So what are you going to do with her?” Glennie asked curiously.
Niall looked both worried and angry. She had seen him in many moods over the years, of course, but this was different. He was reacting to this young woman in a way she had never seen before. He sounded as though he wanted to be rid of her, but there was an undercurrent of something else in his manner.
Niall shrugged. “Let her stay here till she recovers, I suppose,” he replied carelessly. “Then send her on her way.”
Why does he sound so reluctant?Glennie thought.This is not like my brother at all.
But Glennie had seen Moira’s delicate beauty, and could understand her appeal to many men, even her brother, who considered himself to have a heart of flint. Perhaps his reluctance was a form of self-protection.
“It seems she’s had a very strange effect on you,” she remarked, looking at him keenly. “Of course, she is a very beautiful woman. It would be easy for a man to succumb to her charms.”
“What are you suggesting, Glennie?” Niall demanded, glaring at his sister.
Glennie looked at him with wide-eyed innocence. “Nothing, brother,” she replied, then she smiled. “But if the cap fits, then by all means wear it!”
Niall shook his head and poured himself another glass of wine. “You know I don’t fall in love,” he said irritably. “I am not cut out for it. I will admit she is very pretty to look at, but that hardly means we are going to set up home together.”
Again, Glennie gave him a maddening smile; Niall glared at her and was about to deliver another outburst, but she held up a hand to interrupt him.
“It might be better if you calmed down, Niall,” she suggested. “Because I have invited her for dinner.”
Niall opened his mouth to protest, but at that moment the door opened and Moira stepped into the room. She was wearing a high-necked dress, an unbecoming creation with long tight sleeves and a skirt that was tattered at the hem. Its colour was a depressing dark grey, but it did nothing to lessen her loveliness.
As soon as Moira stepped into the room, her gaze locked with Niall’s, and he stood up without thinking to pull out a chair for her, then ushered her into it.
“Thank you,” she said, smiling at him as she sat down.
His hand brushed hers as he pushed the chair back under the table, and he swallowed nervously as a jet of desire shot down his body. He was stunned. What was she doing to him?
Moira brought with her an aura of something not quite real, as if she was a creature from another world. He could not explain it to himself, but every time he looked at her pale blue eyes he felt as though he was immersing himself in a pool of clean, refreshing water. There was something magical about Moira Jamieson.
He found it difficult to tear his eyes away from her, but fortunately, at that moment one of the manservants came to the table with a bottle of wine which he held out for Niall’s approval. Niall nodded, and the man poured a glass for all of them.
“So, Moira, tell me about what happened,” Glennie said carefully. “But not if it’s too painful, of course.”
Moira took a sip of her wine. “I was ambushed, and would probably be dead by now if it were not for the Laird and his guards. I had a little coin, and wore some jewellery, but none of it was worth killing for—at least not to me, anyway. I think I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Glennie nodded slowly. “Where are you going?”
For a few seconds, Moira panicked, and her heart skipped a beat. What was she going to say? Then a great haunch of venison was delivered to the table, giving her a few moments to think. Nobody spoke about such personal things in front of servants if they wanted to keep them private, since servant’s gossip travelled faster than a wildfire.
During the short time it took for the servants to put the food on the table, Moira thought of a scenario she hoped they would believe.
“My mother’s sister lives in Aberdeen,” she told them. “I think she will take me in, then I can find some employment and pay my way.”
