Page 13 of When a Highlander Vows
Lucas closed his eyes, ready to scream. Would he never be allowed to retire to his study to be on his own? Would the day of troubles never end?
“Aye, that would be nice,” Sarah said, and the others agreed.
“Wonderful! Lucas, finish yer meal, and we shall all go together. Give Caitlin an idea of her new home.”
She squeezed his hand painfully hard, and it elicited a forced smile from him. “Aye. That would be nice.”
7
Caitlin had been in this situation far more times than she could count. Being on the receiving end of forced charity, and she knew one thing: it did not feel good.
Right then, she could see the discomfort and reluctance in the laird’s face, and it made her cheeks warm with embarrassment. She nodded in agreement to Lottie’s suggestion, but she couldn’t bear to make eye contact with the laird. It was all too humiliating. Why did he force her to come to his home if he was going to act this way? She didn’t understand.
Dinner passed, and she finally had her fill, finishing off her wine to help calm her discomfort. She stood, and Sarah gripped her arm.
“I hope ye will enjoy yer stay, Lass. I am always around if ye need any help with anythin’. I live in the Castle too, so ye may ask me anythin’ ye like. And I’d be happy to help ye wander about anytime ye feel the desire. It is a beautiful place.”
Tears came to Caitlin’s eyes at such kindness. “Thank ye, Sarah, that is very kind of ye. I will certainly need help. But I will also need to find a way to occupy me time while I am here.”
The others stood and were talking among themselves.
Sarah said loudly, “Well, I think we can help ye with that. What say ye to a ball? A large welcomin’ party to greet ye properly as part of McDougall Castle?”
“Och, I daenae ken about that,” Caitlin began, her heart racing at the thought of meeting a whole group of people and having fuzzy faces staring at her while she tried to speak or dance.
“I think that is a wonderful idea, Sarah,” Lottie said as the group slowly moved away from the table and toward the far end of the hall.
Sarah gave Colin away to a waiting servant, and Caitlin’s muscles tensed. She knew Sarah could probably feel them as she held her arm.
“If only we could get the Laird to stop hidin’ away a bit, the rest of us could have a bit o’ fun!” Sarah called teasingly to the laird who was just ahead of them, escorting his grandmother.
Sarah and Archie laughed while the laird slowly turned around and glared at Sarah.
“Lass, always tryin’ to dance, are ye nae?” he said with the slightest hint of a smile. “Ye think I daenae have fun. Drinkin’ alone in me study gives me the greatest of pleasures, I ought to tell ye. Then I daenae need to listen to any bloody nonsense.”
She chuckled, flashing her eyes at Caitlin. “Ye see? Perhaps ye can help to infuse a bit of fun around here, Lass. We are lackin’ in it.”
Caitlin was a little bewildered by what she’d seen. The serious, stiff laird had just been teased, and he seemed to take it well enough. She had seen him smile, albeit briefly, when she’d been concerned for his welfare after the battle. But this showed a different side.
All she could do was smile at Sarah, and when they reached the far door to the hall, Lottie turned around. “Paige, will ye walk with me? I have a few questions about some plants ye just planted. I need a stronger poultice for me sore hands. Archie, ye take yer wife, of course, and Lucas, ye will guide our guest.”
Lottie held out a hand to her and was beaming with joy. Caitlin wished she could fly away and disappear. The laird turned to look at her, and she’d never seen a more reluctant guide.
“Of course, Nan,” he said tightly, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
The fearsome attitude he portrayed was diminished by how easily his grandmother commanded him. She was a very tiny woman, and yet she seemed to be brimming with confidence and authority. It would have been comical, if Caitlin hadn’t felt likeshe was simply an extra burden on the laird’s time. He left his grandmother and came to Caitlin’s side, waiting for the others to pass through the door to the gardens. Slowly, he lifted his arm.
“Shall we?”
“Aye,” she said hastily, avoiding his eyes as she slid her hand onto his arm.
She bit back tears of embarrassment as she followed the people ahead of her out into the stone passageway. Here the castle felt a little danker and damper, the heat of the main hall fading away. She said nothing, cleared her throat only to keep the tears from sliding down her face. He would not see her weakness. Not ever.
Ahead, she could make out the blurry outline of a wooden door, and Paige opened it, talking all the way about flowers, while the others listened. But Caitlin couldn’t focus on it. Not while she was trying to pick up the pieces of her dignity that she’d dropped on the journey here to a whole new life, ripped away from her old one.
They moved through the door, and her first steps brought her into the night. The sounds of the dark were loud and sudden, and Caitlin was able to take a gulp of fresh air into her lungs, soothing her frayed nerves.
“Here we are,” Paige said, and she pointed to the side. “The roses are there, Caitlin, since we discussed them earlier.”
