Page 52 of Healing the Highland Sinner
It wasn’t long before Rosalind’s breath grew steady and then fell into a deep slumber. Ellair smiled, silently wishing he could stay the night with her. But he had things he needed to do. Movingslowly and quietly, Ellair slipped out of bed and got himself dressed. After pulling his boots on, he pulled the blanket over Rosalind, who stirred but did not wake.
At the door, he took a long, lingering look at her, memories of what they’d just done scrolling through his mind and filling his body with heat once more. Before he could talk himself out of what he was doing in favor of sleeping beside her for the rest of the night, Ellair forced himself to turn and walk out of the room and quietly closed the door behind him.
He made his way downstairs and was surprised to find Ciar sitting at the table, cleaning and sharpening his blades. The man looked up and Ellair felt a stab of guilt and fear that Ciar knew what he and Rosalind had been getting up to. If he knew though, his face did not betray it, and Ellair let out a quiet breath of relief. He knew exactly how protective of her the big man was.
“Ye look tae be movin’ yer hand a bit better, eh?”
The big man clenched and unclenched his fist, a slight wince the only reminder of his injury.
“Aye,” he said. “’Tis on the mend. Finally.”
“’Tis good.”
“Stay,” Ciar said. “Have a cup with me.”
“Would that I could, lad,” Ellair replied. “I’ve got… somebody waitin’ fer me.”
He’d said it just suggestively enough to give Ciar the wrong idea. And judging by the way the big man’s face clouded over as he frowned, he’d succeeded. He looked at Ellair with something akin to disappointment, which sent another unexpected lance of guilt through his heart. He cleared his throat and moved to the door.
“I’ll… see ye later,” Ellair said.
“Aye. I suppose ye will,” Ciar replied and turned back to his blades.
Ellair slipped out into the night. Even though he wasn’t going to meet a woman, as he’d implied, he still felt guilty for leading Ciar on, fearing it might get back to Rosalind. That was a thought that made his stomach and heart clench tightly. Painfully.
But he had a job to do. And so, he was going to do it.
CHAPTER 23
“And ye’re certain of this?” Ellair asked.
The small, thin man nodded. “Aye. I’m certain. I talked tae the man who carried the letter meself. Laird Sinclair is movin’ more men that way soon.”
“Did he say why?”
“I’m afraid nae,” the man replied. “But from what the man said, he’s got somethin’ under lock and key at his compound.”
Ellair was troubled. Having troops moved in secret sounded to him like the precursor to something large. Something bad. Was he going to move on Rosalind? The town of Thurso as a whole? Was this what Rosalind had been moving his goods for? Was this his endgame?
“Dae ye have any idea what he’s keepin’ such tight rein on up there?” Ellair asked.
“Nay,” the man said, shaking his head. “’Tis a big secret, it is. But if ye were tae ask me, the man is up tae nay good.”
Ellair pulled a few coins from his pocket and handed them over to the man who snatched them away with practiced ease. The coins disappeared into the folds of his robes.
“Is there anythin’ else I can dae fer ye?”
“I’ll be in touch if there’s anythin’ else I require.”
“Ye ken where tae find me.”
“Aye. That I dae.”
The man turned and melted into the darkness of the night, leaving Ellair standing alone in the shadows of the alley. He’d wanted to stay far away from the bustling docks and well away from any prying eyes and ears. It took some doing but using the network of informants he’d been able to build in Thurso, he had managed to hear a rumor that Laird Sinclair kept a secret compound in the woods just outside of town, near the border with Clan MacKay.
He didn’t know whether he was being told the truth or not. But if nothing else, it was worth getting a closer look. Knowing what Sinclair was up to could never be a bad thing. That was why, after reluctantly leaving Rosalind’s bed, he had slipped into the night, spoken to that man and traveled a long and circuitous route that led him through the thick, dark forest and allowedhim to approach Sinclair’s compound from the back side, where he hoped there would be fewer eyes to see him coming.
Keeping his eyes moving and his footsteps as quiet as possible, Ellair moved through the darkness, flitting from tree to tree, stretching out his senses and straining to hear the sound of Sinclair’s men, who might be lurking in the woods. He made it to the edge of the tree line and squatted down, sheltering behind a large bush beside the wide trunk of a tree. Through the darkness, he spotted the palisade that surrounded a complex of buildings. Lantern light glowed softly at windows in several of them, and he could see the shadowy figures of armed and armored guards moving about.
