Page 35 of Highlander's Caged Rose
Finn stood up, then walked over to Niall to put his hands on his shoulders. He looked deep into Niall’s eyes and said, “I have never seen ye like this before, man. Dae ye really love her so much?”
“With all my heart, Finn,” he replied with a heavy sigh. “And it would break my heart to lose her.”
Finn studied his friend’s face closely. He could see the pain in his eyes and understood it, having lost his own beloved once, years before. He nodded slowly. “But what about your bride,Niall?” he asked. “This will put a cat among the pigeons—nae doubt about it. The Maxwells are no’ a family tae be trifled wi’.”
Niall sighed irritably. “I know, Finn,” he agreed. “But I will think of some solution, there must be something I can do.”
“Dae ye no’ think ye would have thought o’ it by now if there was?” Finn asked. He was truly worried about his friend, and hated to see him so angry and distressed. He carried the weight of the whole estate on his shoulders, and Finn worried that it was all becoming too much for him.
“Perhaps I wasn’t as desperate before I knew I loved her,” Niall replied.
Finn nodded slowly and turned away to sit by the fire again. “I hope ye know what ye’re daein’, man,” he said. “This could a’ go wrong, ye know.”
“But it won’t,” Niall replied. “Not in your capable hands, Finn. I trust you.”
Finn finished his ale, staring into the fire thoughtfully for a moment. “I will dae as ye ask, Niall, as ye knew I would, but are ye sure?”
“I have never been more sure of anything in my life,” Niall replied firmly.
“Then I will dae what ye ask o’ me,” Finn told him. “But if ye change your mind?—”
“Then I will send for you,” Niall assured him.
Finn gave him a searching look, nodded once, then left.
Niall sat down and put his head in his hands, trying to focus his mind on something else; his work, his horses, the tenants’ problems, but the only problem he could concentrate on was Moira’s situation.
Am I being a fool?he thought desperately.Beitris might be a lovely woman and I may be making the biggest mistake of my life.
He went back to the window again and looked down at the surrounding land. He saw clumps of dark pines, emerald green grass on which sheep and their new lambs were grazing, and in the distance, Loch Begg, where Moira had almost met a tragic end. He shuddered at the thought of that terrible night.
It always amazed, and in some ways terrified him, that all this belonged to him. As a boy, he had known that he would be responsible for it all one day, but the reality of it had not hit him till his father died, leaving him to cope on his own. Well, not entirely because he had a capable steward.
Yet, he needed something—or someone more. He needed a woman to stand by his side and give him the love and support he was so sorely lacking, someone to listen to him, advise him, and comfort him in times of trouble. Could that woman be Beitris?
Then he laughed aloud. No. It could not be anyone else but Moira, the woman he needed as much as he needed the air that he breathed, and he needed her more than ever right at that moment.
Two minds were thinking about each other at that moment. Moira was lying on her bed, going over her two passionate encounters with Niall. They had been heavenly, but if she stayed with him, would they always be like that, or would their relationship become stale and tedious?
It was not worth thinking about, Moira decided. It would never happen. She had given her maid servant the day off so that she could pack her things in her small bag and take a look around the castle one more time before she left. This time, she was determined that Niall would not persuade her to stay, but alingering doubt still persisted at the back of her mind. Would he imprison her to keep her at Baltyre?
At once, she dismissed the thought. Both she and Niall knew what it was like to be abused, and he was not likely to inflict that pain on her.
Moira turned to answer the door to her chamber as a loud knock sounded on the door. She smiled, since there was only one person who knocked as firmly as that! She opened the door, and was immediately enveloped in Niall’s arms and pulled into a tight embrace.
“Back again, Niall?” Moira asked, laughing.
He put her away to look into her eyes, but he was not smiling. “I cannot get enough of you,” he told her.
Moira moved out of his arms and walked to the window. “There is nothing I would like more, than to stay here,” she answered sadly. “I want to be in the Highlands. After all, it is my home. I know nowhere else, but it cannot be.”
“Yes it can,” Niall moved over to kiss her, once more wrapping his strong arms around her. He kissed her lips softly.“Stay with me,” he ordered. “I will make you so happy, Moira.” He kissed her again. “We will be so happy together.” He kissed her again, then she gently pushed him away.
“Would that not be wonderful?” Moira’s tone was wistful as she looked at him longingly. “We agreed to enjoy each other for a while, but I would love it to be forever. I can imagine children running about here getting into mischief and driving us both mad! Long days down by the loch fishing and bringing home trout for dinner, making love for hours… but this is nothing but a beautiful dream, Niall. What will I do when your bride comes? Pretend to be a maid servant? Glennie’s best friend? No, this can never happen, but not because I don’t care about you. I do.”
Niall leaned his forehead against Moira’s, then said softly, “If we have such a short time to enjoy ourselves, perhaps we should start now.”
Moira pretended to be shocked. “We have already ‘enjoyed ourselves’ twice today!” she exclaimed.
