Page 29 of When a Highlander Vows
“Och, that lad,” she said, shaking her head. “Ye may tell him I am nae pleased with him.”
The young servant girl curtsied and left, and food was brought in and laid on the table.
Caitlin, grateful that Lucas would not be joining them, asked, “What skirmishes are these?”
“I daenae ken, but they’ve been happenin’ off and on of late. Miles away, but nae sure between who. Usually, it is people of nay consequence, fightin’ over a land border for their farms, but it is the Laird’s duty to find out who is fightin’ and why. But still, I thought he could still be a proper host and sit with us for dinner. Especially if he is going to be gone for some days.”
“It is nay matter, Lottie. We can entertain ourselves.” She gave Lottie a bright smile, feeling lighter that not only would Lucas not see her that night, but that he would also be gone for a few days.
In that time, she would be able to find her equilibrium again, and they would be able to live as indifferent acquaintances. He clearly did not want to resume that kiss, and she…well, it didn’t matter what she wanted. She was not going to force a man to make love to her. Nor was she going to delude herself into thinking he could care for her one day as a man cares for a woman.
Ye barely ken the man! And yet ye are lettin’ yer imagination run away with ye!
“Ye are right there, Lass. We women daenae need the men to have a bit of fun!” She raised her cup of wine in the air, and Caitlin did the same. “I should like to drink to ye and to yer arrival, and to yer dear brother, who was always kind to me grandson.”
“Thank ye, Lottie. Ye have made me feel most welcome.” They drank together and spoke of what they might do over the next few days, but then the dreaded question came.
Lottie was cutting into her food when she asked it, and Caitlin noticed that she did not look up as she did.
The sign that she is worried about me response.
“Did ye enjoy yer tour of the grounds today? Did ye go to the sea?”
“Aye,” Caitlin said cheerfully, hoping to sound very natural and not at all shaken at what had transpired at said sea. “It was a wondrous thing. I have never seen anythin’ like it. We dinnae swim, however.”
“Well, that will have to be a lesson for another time.”
“It is a comfort to be here, Lottie. I realized that today.” Caitlin was being honest, but she wanted to steer the conversation away from anything to do with Lucas or to do with Lucas assisting her again. “The sea has taken me brother, and now I live close by. I can visit him whenever I want. It is like he is buried just outside.”
Lottie’s face softened, and Caitlin could see the kind grandmother that any child would wish to have. It made her miss her family even more. Lottie reached across the table to touch Caitlin’s hand.
“I am happy for that, Lass. It is a terrible loss to lose a loved one. But when ye have a place to go, where ye can be with them quietly, then that is some comfort. I am also glad that ye are comin’ around to the idea of bein’ here. Me grandson was a good host then, was he? A good guide to the lands around here?”
He was certainly an eager guide in some ways.
“Aye. He was helpful and kind.” She could feel a warmth heating her cheeks, and she bit down on her tongue, praying it would go away.
“Hmm…that doesnae sound like him, but I am glad. When he returns, he will have to show ye the rest of the Castle.”
“Please, Lottie. Daenae trouble him. I daenae think he wishes to be forced into assistin’ me in any way. I daenae wish to be a burden.”
Lottie’s expression darkened. “He dinnae say that to ye, did he?”
“Nay! Of course nae. It is only something I have sensed. I ken he is a laird and busy. Perhaps it is good he goes away. So that he can tend to his business and nae to me.”
“Well, I daenae like it, but I suppose I cannae stop the Laird from doin’ his work. He is beholden to the Clan, after all, and far be it from me to stop him. But when he returns, aye, he shall get an earful from me.”
15
Over the next four days, Caitlin began to feel lighter. She spent a lot of time outdoors, enjoying the sunlight and the breezes, walking around the castle, keeping the wall to her side to guide her and Fallows as a constant companion. Sarah and Colin were kind, and she often played with Colin in the garden or out of doors.
Without Lucas, the shadow in the castle passed, and it was all lightness. She could grieve Seamus in the quiet of the night as Percy purred beside her, and without Lucas there, there was nothing to distract her from enjoying that peace.
But one afternoon, as she and Colin sat in the garden talking about the garden, Fallows and Percy sitting nearby, Paige approached them.
“What are ye doin’ here, Lass?” she asked sharply so that both Colin and Caitlin turned.
“Just admirin’ yer lovely roses, Paige. I have never seen the like of them.” Caitlin smiled at the young woman, hoping it would ease her frustration at finding them there.
