Page 59 of Ruining a Highland Healer
Blood flooded Valora’s cheeks, her anger getting the better of her as she marched up to Torrin and jabbed an accusatory finger at his chest. “An’ ye think this makes this any better? Ye think I should be grateful that ye… that ye purchased me?” She scoffed, shaking her head. “How are ye any different from him? What gives ye the right tae buy me like this? Tae buy anyone like this.”
“Naethin’,” said Torrin quietly, shaking his head. “I didnae have the right, Valora. I ken that. But it was the best I could dae given the circumstances. I saw how Laird Keith treated ye an’ I wished tae spare ye from that fate. The only way I could think o’ daein’ it was by biddin’ fer yer hand.”
For all Valora could admit that being with Torrin was a much better fate than being with Laird Keith, she couldn’t get over the way she had ended up with him. Not only had Torrin bought her as though she was nothing but an item to be traded for gold, not only had he hidden it from her, but her father had also committed the ultimate betrayal by selling her off to the highest bidder. It was that which had shaken her the most. Though she had always known her father would chase profit and that he would do anything for gold and power, she had never expected that. She had never expected to be treated so horribly, with such cruelty and disregard for her autonomy.
“I never asked fer this,” she said, her voice small. “I never asked ye tae dae such a thing.”
“I ken ye didnae,” said Torrin. “I ken that. I just didnae ken what else tae dae.”
His own voice cracked, hurt and shame seeping through in his tone. Valora had never seen him so remorseful and she knew there was nothing false about it—no artifice, no attempt to trick her. And yet, she didn’t know if she could find it in herself to forgive this behavior.
“Ye should have told me,” she said after a moment. “At least after. Especially after.”
“I didnae ken how,” Torrin admitted. “An’ I thought… I thought it would be best tae keep the painful truth from ye. It was a harmless secret to avoid hurtin’ ye. I didnae think ye’d find out.”
Tears welled in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. “Harmless? There is naethin’ harmless about this! How can ye say that? Would ye like fer this tae happen tae ye? Would ye like fer yer own faither tae sell ye tae the highest bidder, regardless if the person is good or bad, an’ fer the person ye’re meant tae wed tae lie tae ye like that?”
For a moment, Torrin didn’t speak, but his shame was palpable, like a physical thing that coiled around him and choked the air out of his lungs. When he finally spoke, he only managed to say her name in a soft whisper.
“Valora—”
But Valora was already moving, her shoes slapping against the stone floor as she found the path out of the study. The tears finally began to stream down her cheeks now that Torrin wasn’t there to see them, falling unbridled as she broke into a sprint. Allaround her, servants and guards alike watched her in stunned silence, no one knowing what had happened or what to do.
Valora didn’t bother explaining anything to them—not even to Daisy, who appeared in her way just as she burst out into the courtyard in a mad, blind dash away from Torrin. Daisy called her name, but Valora didn’t stop; she didn’t even glance at her, the pain too much to bear.
She ran towards the cliffs, seeking solitude.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Torrin ran through the castle in search of Valora. It had been hours since he had last seen her, and though at first, he had decided it was best to leave her alone, to let her process the news, now he couldn’t help but worry for her.
Where could she be? She was nowhere to be found, and no matter who he asked, no one had seen her in hours either.
It soon became clear to him that she wasn’t in the castle. She could have very well left, heading back home or somewhere else, somewhere where he couldn’t find her. But she had left all her belongings behind, and besides, Torrin doubted she would simply go home or disappear.
Then, he had an idea.
The cliffs… she must be at the cliffs.
In the few days she had spent there, Valora had come to love those cliffs. They were her sanctuary, the one place she visited when she wanted to be alone.
It was there Torrin headed, taking the path that led up to the cliffs. The sea spread endlessly before him, grey and brooding beneath a low, steely sky. The tall, green grass swayed in the breeze, mirroring the motion of the waves. Valora stood near the edge, where the wind curled her hair into tangles, watching the tide. Next to her, Arrow, ever loyal as a companion, sat quietly, keeping her company in silence.
Torrin slowed down his jog into a hesitant pace. Now that he had found her, he didn’t know what he could possibly say to fix any of it. He didn’t know how to approach her, how to undo what he had ruined.
Still, he persevered. His boots crunched over the rock as he came to stand next to her. He did not speak at first; he just joined her in silence, feeling the sting of the breeze, the salt in the air. Valora kept her eyes fixed on the water, watching the waves crash with fury over the rocks, and he kept his eyes fixed on her, watching her in silence.
“Ye always come here when yer heart’s torn,” he said finally.
Valora didn’t answer. Torrin hadn’t expected her to; even if he could somehow fix this, even if they could get past it, he didn’t expect it to be instant. She had no reason to trust him now.
“I ken ye feel betrayed,” he said. “Ye have every right tae feel this way. I betrayed ye, it’s true. I thought I could protect ye by keepin’ this a secret from ye, but all I managed tae dae is betray yer trust. I should have told ye.”
“Ye should have,” said Valora, her voice thick and strained. There was a pause, and Torrin couldn’t help but think this was all he would get from her, but then she spoke again. “Me faither auctioned me.”
“Aye,” he said. “He did. An’ I bought ye, but I would have wedded ye regardless. I swear it, Valora. I would have chosen ye regardless o’ politics, regardless o’ agreements or coin or power. None o’ it matters tae me. Ye dinnae have tae believe me, ye dinnae have tae take me word fer it, but it’s the truth, I swear it tae ye. If we were peasants in a village, if we were different people, an’ even now… ye’re the only lass fer me. I couldnae imagine spendin’ me life with anyone else. Daes it matter how we got here when now we’re feelin’ like this?”
For a long time, Valora didn’t speak. Torrin watched her carefully for any sign that his words had affected her, for anything that would prove to him she believed him. Even now, even thinking she had no good enough reason to trust him, he still held onto the hope she would.
