Page 72 of When a Highlander Vows
Paige said, “Bram was nae for ye. I thought perhaps it might have worked, but I can see now that ye are happy this way. It seems that he is the same,” she added, nodding at Lucas who was in spirited conversation with Archie.
“Aye,” Caitlin said with a blush, and frowning, she added, “Ye daenae mind?”
“Nay, nae at all.” With a rueful expression, she added, “I am sorry for what I said. But I willnae stand in the way of true love. I think I simply want it for myself, and I thought Lucas was—” she let her eyes wander to him, and Caitlin worried for a second about the heart of her friend. “It wasnae love. I ken that now.”
“And Martin?” Caitlin teased.
“Och, nay. He is just a friend, although I dae think he wishes for it to be more, but I have nay interest in him like that at all. Perhaps there will be someone else.” She got a distant look in her eye, and Caitlin smiled.
“Aye, of course, there will be. Paige, whatever ye may think of me, I think ye lovely and bonny, and smart. There will be someone who will see that. I ken it. Daenae lose hope. And if someone like me can find a love, then so can ye.”
Paige laughed and shook her head. “Ye still cannae see yer worth, can ye?”
“Aye,” Sarah said. “She will struggle with that always, I believe. But I hope that Lucas will help to teach her to see it more and more. He had better, or I will have somethin’ to say about it.”
Caitlin blushed, afraid that the men could overhear the ladies’ conversation. Turning to Lucas, she saw he was watching her but only for a moment. He gave her a quick smile, now so easy on his face, before turning back to his friend.
As a group, they ate, and Lottie regaled them with a few tales of the past in which a drunken guest had been found days later after a feast, still drunk, in a hidden alcove in the castle. Once food, wine, and laughter had all filled them to satisfaction, it was time for bed.
Caitlin was exhausted. She hadn’t realized how much energy she’d put into hoping for Lucas to see the light, to see her as something more than just his ward. To get out of his own head to see that he deserved happiness too.
“I can see that our guest of honor is fatigued,” Lottie said, winking at her, and Caitlin blushed.
She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to the idea that Lottie knew how much Caitlin loved Lucas and had wished for him to feel the same, but perhaps one day she could get used to it.
“Ye must nae always think of me as a guest of honor, Lottie,” she said with a laugh, “if I am to be here for so long.” She did not wish to say forever, afraid it might scare Lucas away.
“Just for a little while longer, Lass,” Lottie said with a big smile, the creases around her eyes growing longer.
They all stood, and Archie took his wife’s arm, and Colin jumped up from his seat to come and stand next to Caitlin.
“Will ye always wear those spectacles, Caitlin?” he asked her, looking up at them hanging from her hand.
“Nay, only when I need them, Lad. When I want to see far away, I will wear them. Dae ye like them?”
“Aye,” he said nodding with a big smile, and she knelt down, grabbing his hand.
“I’m glad. Perhaps ye and I can go to the garden soon, and I can take me spectacles and finally see all the plants.”
“Aye!” he cried with delight. “I want to dae that.”
Sarah laughed. “Fine, but nae now, Lad.” She reached out a hand for him, and he rushed toward her, grabbing it.
When Caitlin stood, she could feel Lucas at her back, and it sent a warm wave of pleasure through her. She felt safe and protected, and she bit back a delighted gasp when she felt his hand spread across her lower back. Through all the layers of fabric and stays, she could feel the heat of his hand.
“Good night, everyone,” she said, and they waved, calling their goodnights, and Lottie kissed her on the cheek.
“Welcome home, Lass, for I hope ye will now think of it as such,” she whispered in her ear, and Caitlin smiled as she left.
Turning to Lucas, he instantly drew her into his arms, no matter who might see. He smiled again, and her eyes fell to his mouth. She would never tire of his smile or the fact that holding her seemed to make him happy.
“May I take ye to yer chamber, Sunshine?” he asked.
“Aye. Please.” Her heart speeding up, she took his arm, hoping that he might wish to stay with her, that they could continue what they started in his study.
She had spent so long without the touch of a man, and now that she’d met a man she was in love with, a man she wished to spend her days with, she was not eager to wait.
She leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked up to her chamber, Fallows and Percy following behind dutifully. This time, she wasn’t nervous with him, only excited. There was so much time ahead of them to learn one another, and she could finally hear more about his terrible past. She wanted to help him, to bring the light he so desperately needed. For even though he thought himself not capable, he had brought her light as well into the darkness of all her loss.
