Page 29 of Her Highland Prophecy
She pushed away her feelings. It pained her to even think of parting with it, but she was determined that their plan had to work.
“Gordain?” she asked.
“Aye?”
“Is there somewhere I can sell my necklace in Beauly?”
“Yer necklace? Didn’t ye say that it was yer mother’s, Princess?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Then why would ye—”
“I need more money. We need to pretend that I am a wealthy English woman, and I won’t be able to do that if I am penniless. I will already be arriving at your castle without my own horse or any personal items, not even a second set of clothes.”
The look he gave her at her words was both apologetic and full of pity.
“I’m sorry,a nighean. I wish it didnae have to cost ye something ye love but I dinnae see any other way we can do this,” he said.
“Me either. Which is why I think that I have to sell the necklace. It is the only way we could persuade them.”
“There is a man I ken who might buy it, but he isnae always in the village.”
“If he isn’t there?”
“I dinna ken, but we will find something.”
In the end he was there, so it did not matter. The man Gordain had spoken of was short and as thin as a reed. He had shot Diana a calculating look the moment he saw her, as if he were assessing her worth.
“I’ll go look for supplies, shall I?” she told them.
Besides wanting to get away from the toady little man, she could not bear to see her mother’s necklace sold in such a manner. It was too painful, so she entrusted it to Gordain after telling him that the gem on it was an aquamarine. Not as expensive as a diamond perhaps, but still a precious stone and not glass.
As she wandered around, she wondered when it would cease to surprise her that she was now more than two hundred and fifty years before her time. The few cottages that made up the village of Beauly were hardly recognizable as the picturesque little village that they had visited with her friends.
The area surrounding it was certainly very beautiful, lush green trees and a small meandering river with some of the bluest water Diana had ever seen. Still, she would have never believed it to be the same place if Gordain had not informed her of the fact.
The rest of their day went by quickly. Gordain returned with a heavy pouch full of coins that he was able to procure from selling her necklace and together they purchased a second dress for her as well as a couple more shifts and a pack to hold her items.
When they were finished, the sun was already starting to go down, so they went in search of a place to sleep. Gordain had an almost uncanny knack for finding the right place. The tiny meadow surrounded by bushes looked almost as safe as their overhang had the previous night.
“Ye should get some sleep,” he said. “We will arrive at Sutherford Castle tomorrow morning.”
Gordain laid his plaid on the ground like the previous night, folding it over and creating a small bed for himself to sleep. It was clear to her that he intended to sleep alone this time seeing as they had acquired a second plaid for her to use for protection from the elements. She bit her lip and approached him.
“I thought that perhaps we should sleep near each other again,” she said hesitantly. “It was rather cold last night and without a fire…it would be warmer.”
He looked startled, as if he had expected her to sleep as far away from him as possible, especially with how vehemently she had protested the previous day. And maybe she would have under different circumstances, but in the last two days her entire world had turned upside down and he had been there to help her through it all. She did not feel safe being too far from him.
“Are ye certain,a nighean? If anyone happens upon us—”
“It will ruin my reputation?” she asked with a raised eyebrow and a dry tone. “I don’t think it will matter much. I will only be here for a few weeks after all, and we are going to announce our betrothal as soon as we arrive at the Castle, are we not?”
He nodded. “Aye.”
“Then sleeping together for warmth should not be a problem.”
He chuckled and she was certain he could see through her pretenses of keeping warm, but he obediently repositioned his plaid to lay flat on the ground in a square large enough for two people. She removed her own so that they could use it as a blanket.
