Page 67 of Healing the Highland Sinner
Ciar nodded. “Aye. That he did. He lied tae ye about who he was,” the man said. “But me own opinion of the matter is that he wasnae seekin’ tae hurt ye. If anythin’, I think he was tryin’ tae help ye… in his own way.”
“He said he told Laird Gunn about Blaine and that Sinclair was forcin’ us tae move his goods intae the Highlands against our will.”
“Fer what it’s worth, I believe the lad,” Ciar said simply. “Ellair has had more than enough chances tae betray us and bring the whole of Gunn’s wrath down upon us if he had wanted tae.”
“Ciar—”
“I’m nae sayin’ ye need tae forgive him. I’m nae sayin’ ye shouldnae feel betrayed. He deceived us,” he said. “All I’m sayin’ is there is a lot more tae consider.”
“And what would I be considerin’?”
“Whether or nae ye love him enough tae forgive him.”
She frowned. “Like I said, this may be one of those times when love is nae enough.”
“Sometimes we need tae forgive, Rosalind.”
She stared hard at him. “Why are ye so interested in this, Ciar? Why are ye advocatin’ on his behalf so strongly?”
He shook his head. “I suppose ‘tis because there will come a day when ye dinnae want tae be daein’ this work anymore. There will be a day when ye’ll want tae walk away,” he said. “And I dinnae want tae see ye alone. Ye’ve built these high, thick walls around yerself and Ellair is the only lad I’ve ever seen ye let behind ‘em. Love daesnae come around often. And I’d hate tae see ye walk away from it if it’s real.”
Ciar stared at her for a long moment, giving her a chance to change her mind, but when she didn’t, he nodded.
“All right,” he said. “Then what’s our next step, eh?”
“That’s the question,” she said softly. “If I dinnae dae as Sinclair wants, he’ll kill Blaine. If I dae, we may give his allies enough tae overthrow Gunn…”
“And if that happens, what will our world be like with Sinclair as the unquestioned laird of all the lands?” Ciar asked. “And nae tae put more on yer mind than is already there, but there’snay sayin’ he’ll hold true tae his word and return Blaine tae ye, Rosalind,” he said. “He might decide ‘tis more beneficial fer him tae hold ontae yer braither and keep ye under his thumb.”
She ran a hand through her chestnut-colored locks. It was a thought she’d already had more times than she could say, thanks to Ellair’s story about his brother.
“Aye,” she agreed. “’Tis somethin’ that’s crossed me mind.”
“We’re between a rock and a hard place then, eh?”
A wry grin twisted her lips. “We’ve been here before.”
“Aye. I suppose we have,” he replied. “This one just feels harder than before.”
Rosalind blew out a loud breath. She could not dispute that. This one felt as if the stakes and the danger had been raised impossibly high. Her brother’s life versus the fate of Scotland as a whole. Or at least, the fate of the Highlands. But she had known men like Sinclair and knew the Highlands were just the first step towards a much longer road. He was ambitious. And that unbridled ambition was going to lead them into some very dark, troubled waters.
The thought brought her right back to the original question. What was she to do? If she aided Sinclair by running his goods to his allies in the Highlands, she would be turning it all over to him. And if he thought it more beneficial to keep her under histhumb, to keep her working for him, rather than return Blaine and let them go on their way and live their lives, he would. And if the events of the past few weeks had taught her anything, it was that he was a man who could be counted on to do what was in his best interest. Without question.
“Whatever ye decide, I want ye tae ken I’m with ye, Rosalind,” Ciar said. “I’ll have yer back nay matter what.”
“I appreciate that, Ciar. Ye’ve always been a true friend.”
“And I always will be,” he replied. “Just remember what I said about love. About how rare it is and how sometimes, ye need tae grab hold of it with both hands and hold onto it tight.”
She frowned and fought off the tears that welled in her eyes. “I’ll… remember.”
They stood in silence for a moment and Rosalind stared out at the sea once more, doing her best to keep her emotions from rolling over her like the endless stream of waves that crashed against the shore.
“Heads up, lass,” Ciar said.
She turned and felt her heart drop into her stomach as she spotted Ellair emerging from the throng of people. He did not have his usual sauntering swagger though. His shoulders were slumped, his head down, his face etched with pain. Rosalind’s heart went out to him, but she reminded herself that he hadbetrayed her. She fought the urge to go to him, comfort him, pull him to her and hold him.
He stopped in front of her and raised his head, though he did not look she or Ciar in the eye. Instead, his eyes fixed on some point on the horizon, where the sun met the sea. Ellair blew out a long breath and finally turned his eyes to her.
