Page 6 of The Highlander's Virgin Widow
Keira took her seat at the head table and grabbed her napkin. “Is there a missive from our friend yet?”
Stella shook her head.
“Nay? Are ye certain? It’s been two days.”
“There has been nay message, M’Lady. I went to check meself,” Stella insisted, her voice firmer and louder.
Keira grabbed her fork, her mind already racing. She had asked the councilmen for a week. Two days had already gone by. With each passing day, she was running out of time.
Finding a man to remarry was no longer out of the question. Even if it was, it would take the most extraordinary of skills to find one within the next four days.
“Ye can go. I’ll send for the Laudanum meself if I have to,” she instructed, looking up at Stella.
Her maid bobbed a curtsy and scurried out of the dining hall, leaving Keira to her food and the thoughts roiling in her head.
Later that morning, she stepped out of the castle and wandered into the courtyard, taking note of the flowers she had started to grow a month ago.
She had decided on a whim that she needed to do something and put her personal touch on the castle. So, she had started growing flowers. She had planted some in the courtyard, some near the fences, and some by the stables, even though she knew the latter had no chance of surviving once the horses were finally let out to pasture.
Just the thought of having something to do distracted her greatly from the situation she had found herself in.
She had planted some rather bright roses near the courtyard, and thanks to the rain that had fallen that morning, she did not need to fetch a watering trough.
She walked to the garden and dropped to her knees to examine the flowers. They were growing rather nicely, which was all she wanted anyway. If she gave it enough time, she might see the flowers grow into the most magnificent creatures and have her very own garden behind the castle.
At least if she wasn’t thrown out before then.
She studied some of the flowers and adjusted the slanted ones. Then she dug into the soil, ready to plant some more. The smell of fresh, damp earth filled her senses and transported her to a rather pleasant place for the briefest of moments.
“M’Lady.” Stella’s voice was unmistakable.
Keira did not bother turning around.
“What are we out of this time, Stella? More herbs?” she asked, her gloved fingers continuing to dig into the soil.
“Nay, it’s nae that,” Stella responded. “Ye have—We-We have a visitor.”
“Well, take the visitor to the Great Hall. They can wait for me there. I am quite busy, as ye can see.”
“M’Lady, ye dinnae understand. ‘Tis nae just any visitor.”
“Whoever it is, I am certain they can wait for me, Stella.”
“M’Lady.”
Keira paused, her hands buried deep in the ground. “What? Who is it? Who cannae wait for me to finish gardening?”
“The new owner of the castle.”
Keira’s breath caught.
That wasn’t Stella’s voice. No, that was a much deeper and calmer voice. A male voice.
She pulled her hands out of the earth and rose to her feet. Swallowing as she dusted her knees and took off her gloves, she remained facing away from her maid—from themboth.
When her breathing evened out and her heart slowed, she finally turned around and came face to face with them.
Withhim.
