Page 34 of Taken By the Ruthless Highlander
“What makes ye so confident?” Poppy asked, a hint of suspicion tainting her voice. “She’s up to somethin’.”
“She’s the lady of the castle,” Eloise moaned and rolled her eyes. “All she has to do is go to the cook and tell her to make extra. Then, it’ll look like we’re stealin’—when, in fact, Morgana will have everythin’ ready and waitin’. Tell me I’m wrong.” She folded her little arms over her chest and glared at Morgana.
“Since when did ye become so clever?” Morgana cooed as she grabbed Eloise and pulled her into an embrace. “Ye’re gettin’ too big for yer own good.”
“Well, if I kenned this was where all the happiness went, I’d have come out here much sooner.”
Morgana jerked her head up to see Cohen casually strolling toward her. There was a sadness in his eyes that unnerved her more than the note he held in his hand. Terror gripped her like the talons of an eagle snatching its dinner from the sea.
“Cohen,” Ronnie gritted out.
Morgana ignored her brother’s rudeness and flashed Cohen the biggest smile she could muster.
“It’s always such a delight to see all of ye together and happy,” Cohen said as Poppy and Eloise turned their attention to the butterflies floating in the breeze. “I do hope ye’re all doin’ well.”
“Aye,” Morgana answered for her family as she leaned in, greeting him with a small peck on the cheek. “It has been a joyous mornin’. But somethin’ tells me that the mood is about to change.”
“I do hate bein’ the bearer of bad news.” Cohen winced as he handed her the note. “But since I couldnae find the Laird, I assume it falls to ye.”
Curiosity won over as Morgana slipped her finger beneath the wax seal, breaking it. Eagerly, she unfolded the note, all the while holding her breath. Frustration and worry mingled as her eyes darted across the page, consuming the message that lay within.
“What’s wrong?” Poppy asked.
The concern in her tone snapped Morgana back to reality.
“It’s a letter from Tormod,” Morgana explained, trying to keep her voice even.
Panic, however, had other plans for her. As her gaze jumped to each of her siblings, she couldn’t help but feel the call to protect at all costs.
“Is he well?” Eloise asked.
“He’s fine,” Morgana answered, before she turned to Cohen. “But he hasnae found Feya.”
“Ye dinnae think—” Ronnie started.
Cohen lifted a hand to silence him. “Hush now, we shouldnae assume the worst,” he interjected, clearly seeing the terror ripping Morgana to shreds.
Where was her sister? Had something horrendous happened to Feya? It was as if her worst fear had become reality.
“Feya is a well-known healer. Maybe she’s out helpin’ someone from another clan or village.”
“Cohen is right,” Morgana said, a sliver of hope breaking through her fear. “Tormod could have just missed her. We shouldnae jump to conclusions that will just make us look like fools.”
“But what if somethin’ has happened to her?” Eloise and Poppy asked in unison.
Morgana’s eyes flicked to Cohen before falling on Ronnie. They were all looking to her for an answer, a ray of hope to cut through the misery of uncertainty.
“We can dwell on what-ifs all day long and it still willnae change reality. And the reality is, we just dinnae ken what is goin’ on or where she is,” Morgana asserted, trying to sound as bold as brass.
The last thing she wanted was for her younger sisters to worry. They had been through so much already. To think of having them worried over a sibling… Well, she wasn’t having it.
“And that’s nae necessarily a bad thing. She very well might be in another town, and she and Tormod were nothin’ but ships passin’ in the night.”
“I dinnae ken,” Ronnie mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Somethin’ just doesnae feel right. Tormod wouldnae have sent the letter unless he, too, was worried.”
“Or he sent it out of courtesy because he kens that ye all would be worried. I think the best thing to do is wait for him to send another letter,” Cohen said. “After all, that one has to be at least a week old. Chances are, he’s already reunited with Feya and we’ll receive a letter from him in a day or so explainin’ what happened.”
Morgana wanted to share in Cohen’s optimism, but her anxiety wouldn’t ease. The news had stirred her worry and concern, and it was clear that each of them felt the effects rippling out like a shockwave.
