Page 46 of Highlander's Caged Rose
Moira laughed. “I am not exactly at death’s door, Glennie.” She looked at her friend’s face, which was so like Niall’s, but in a feminine way, and thought about how much she had grown to love Glennie. “And it is I who should be sorry. I was deceiving you about my name and the fact that I was married, and I was about to run away without telling you, and not even leave a note. You deserve better. Please forgive me, Glennie.”
Then she put her face in her hands as she remembered something she had done that was even worse. “And I deceived Niall too, but he still came to rescue me. What a good man he is, Glennie, the best I have ever met, but now I am ashamed to face him.”
This time, Glennie leaned forward and folded her arms around Moira in a gentle embrace. “He loves you so much, Moira,” she said warmly. “As I do too. And if you lied to me, it was to protect yourself, and I forgive you. I regard you as my sister now. Indeed, you are the only sister I will have because Niall is not marrying Beitris, thank god. I can’t stand the woman.”
“Oh, I am so glad to hear you think of me as a sister,” Moira said, smiling. “Because I feel the same about you, and I am really not at all fond of Beitris.” Then she frowned. “But Niall is really not marrying her?”
“No,” Glennie replied. “He found out that Gerald McNicholl had manipulated her to gain more power and influence in the clan. The man had spies everywhere, even bought Heather off to keep an eye on you! I dismissed the lass without punishment, thinking of her situation, but it will be hard to forgive her betrayal.
Niall was furious when he found out because he does not like her any more than I do, and once he found out the truth, he simply could not go through with it, especially since he loves you.”
Despite herself, Moira felt sad for Beitris. She had never really liked her, but she knew what it felt like to be used, and it was not pleasant.
“Where is Beitris now?” she asked curiously.
“She has gone home to her family,” Glennie answered, and Moira’s heart gave a leap of joy. “She left in very bad grace. She did not even say goodbye to me, nor Niall, but I doubt he cared one bit for anyone other than you.”
Glennie smiled fondly at Moira and kissed her cheek. “Now, I will send for him. He will be overjoyed to see you.” She gave Moira one last hug and turned at the doorway to smile at her. “Good luck,” she said.
Niall had just woken up after an extremely restless night’s sleep in one of the spare bedrooms when he heard a knock at the door. He had sat at Moira’s bedside until the early hours of the morning, ignoring Sandie’s instructions to go and rest.
Now he was only half-awake and irritable, with the beginnings of a throbbing headache. He wrapped a blanketaround himself and went to open the door with very bad grace. When he saw his sister, he groaned.
“What do you want, Glennie?” he asked, rubbing his hands over his eyes as he glared at her.
“Good morning to you too,” Glennie said dryly, frowning. “I came to tell you that Moira is awake.”
The effect on Niall was instant. He rushed back into his room and almost threw his clothes on in his haste to get to Moira. His heart was beating a wild tattoo, and he began to sprint down the passageway. As he came closer to his room, though, he slowed down then stopped and took a few deep breaths, realising that Moira would not appreciate seeing him in such a state.
He walked the rest of the way calmly, although he was hardly able to contain his impatience and excitement. When he reached his chamber, he opened the door and looked straight into Moira’s beautiful eyes.
“Moira!” he cried, then rushed across the room to throw his arms around her.
However, at the last moment, Niall saw the heavy bandage on Moira’s arm and stopped beside the bed, instead reaching out to cup her face in his hands and give her a soft kiss on the lips.
“How are you, my lovely enchantress?” he asked gently.
Moira’s heart swelled with love and joy as she gazed at Niall. Noting the anxiety in his eyes, she hastened to reassure him.
“I am fine, Niall.” She put out her good hand to stroke his cheek, and Niall placed his own big hand over it, then sighed in relief and satisfaction.
Niall closed his eyes and kissed her palm, and the smile he gave Moira was the most loving one he had ever given her. He had not realised how worried he had been until he saw her face again, and now that he was sure she was safe, all his pent-up emotion threatened to spill out.
Then something else occurred to him. “Moira, did he hurt you?” he asked anxiously. “Or touch you in any way that was… not right?”
Moira shook her head and gave him a reassuring smile. “I am well, Niall,” she assured him tenderly. “He insulted me and threatened my old maid but nothing else. Truly, I have come to no harm apart from the scratch on my arm.”
Niall frowned. “It looks like a bit more than a scratch to me!” His voice was furious, and there was a fierce frown on his face.
“Sandie has given me a salve and draught for the pain,” Moira told him. “Don’t worry, Niall. It will heal.”
Niall gave a soft laugh, and shook his head in a self-deprecating manner. “I only worry about you, Moira,” he said. “If anything happened to you, I don’t know what would happen to me.”
Moira looked into his emerald eyes and saw the deep well of love in them—love for her. What had she done to deserve it, she wondered? Suddenly, she was nervous. She had no idea what the future held for her yet, but she had to leave the past behind her, and that meant coming to terms with the truth.
“Niall, did you find out what Brody knew about what happened to Roy?” she asked. “I have been worrying about it.”
Niall sighed somewhat irritably, since it was a matter he had not wanted to speak about during this precious time with Moira.“Yes, I did,” he replied. “Actually, Finn found out. He has a few paid informants among the bandits that infested the estates around here, and one of them brought him the identity of the man who killed Roy McDonnell. Apparently, the man was paid by Brody to do the deed.
