Page 78 of Sinbound to the Highlander
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Punish her…probably.
“I wanted her drawn and quartered,” Evan admitted.
“Evan!” Freya exclaimed. “Tell me ye dinnae.”
“When I suspected it, aye,” Evan replied. “Can ye blame me? Ye are the most precious thing to me. I want ye as much as I want air to breathe. I want to protect ye from all that might harm ye, so aye, if she is a hazard to ye, I want her gone.”
“Ye can find a better way, Evan,” Freya pressed. “I ken ye can find a way.”
Evan’s lips flattened while he shook his head, “That’s what I’m tryin’ to figure out. Elspeth has mastered manipulation, she did it with yer parents, and the show she’s putting on now is compelling; only I have had cause to suspect it, and I was proven right.”
“Others might see it too,” Freya offered.
“If ye had interacted with many more people than me Maither and the head healer, aye,” Evan replied, his left hand slipping into the soft hairs at the back of her head. “Elspeth kens that, and she is keeping herself under the lines of interaction ye drew. She has nae seen me Maither yet, and I ken why—Maither would see right through her.”
“Why nay use that?” Freya asked. “It’s simpler.”
“‘T’would be,” Evan agreed, while his arms tightened around her. “But for all the pain and anguish she’s wrought on ye, I need her to feel the same.”
Freya spun in his hold and straddled his lap, “Evan, ye are nay that kind of person. Vengeance isnae the answer.”
“Aye, ye’re right,” Evan said, “But there is a difference between vengeance and justice, Freya and ye deserve justice for all the wrongs she did ye. She nearly had ye killed for God’s sake.”
His body began to burn with the heated anger flaring in his chest. Evan heard his passion; he felt his fury but still felt amazed that Freya was choosing a quieter way to resolve it. In his heart of hearts, Evan wanted Elspeth to pay dearly for the pain she had wreaked on her sister—but he would never say that to Freya.
Even so, he knew he would never like it if Elspeth woke up the next morning, and her missing conscience made a sudden appearance. If she came to him and told him the truth, the anger he felt would never be exorcised, and she would never get what she rightly deserved. It was not right, it was not Christian of him, but he felt anger for Freya, for the woman he loved, for a soul he would die to defend.
“I ken,” Freya muttered. She breathed out a low stream of air, “Ye want her to do something that would merit ye coming down on her with fire and fury.”
“I want her to show the world who she is,” Evan said. “Me fury can be shared then.”
The sky was dimming, and dark clouds were inching up from the horizon. Evan looked up and feared that another blizzard of snow was about to happen, and if it was too thick, he might be trapped.
Turning to Freya, Evan kissed her hairline, “I dinnae ken what I’ll do, but I do ken that something will have to be done soon.” Nudging her head up, Evan shared a sweet, long, loving kiss with her. Pulling away, his thumb ran under her plump lip, “I hate to dae this, Love, but I will have to leave, but only for a day.”
Freya rested her forehead on his collar bone for a moment, “I miss ye.”
His heart felt stabbed in the middle at her softly uttered words, “I…,” he paused, “ken this Freya, when I go, I’m leavin’ me heart with ye.”
Tenderness flooded his chest even as her lips brushed his chin, and unable to hold back, he kissed her again before pulling away. “Stay safe, Love. I’ve carried one of yer dresses for ye to wear on the morrow. I’ll be here at dawn for ye.”
She stood and wiped under her eye, wiping away a stray tear. He held back from reaching out for her again, as if he did, he might never leave. His fist did clench and release, but he stopped from holding her.
“Ye too, Evan,” she said, “And please, dinnae do anythin’ to Elspeth ye will regret. Daenae act rashly, please. T’will tear ye apart more than any good ye ken it might do.”
“I promise,” he said, allowing his fingers to brush her cheek for a moment. Turning away, he found Miss Helga looking on them from the sideline. “Take care of her, please. Ye have nay inkling how I am in ye and yer grandson’s debt. One I will surely pay over. Freya, I’ll be back soon, Love.”
“Take care, Me Laird,” Miss Helga nodded. “And dinnae ye worry, she is in good hands.”
Heading out to his horse as the snow started to flutter, Evan forced his eyes to look straight. Any wavering would have him back there in Helga’s cottage and staying with Freya. He knew exactly how to make all this mess right.
* * *
After arriving home, he hesitated in going to his chambers, but after requesting water for a bath, he stepped in with a neutral look on his face. Elspeth’s maid looked up and then bowed to her mistress, “I’ll take me leave, Miss.”
She nodded to him, “Good evenin’, Me Laird.”
