Page 44 of Desiring the Highland Laird
She brushed the dirt from her hands and rose, turning to face her as the fire caught in the hearth, lighting up the room and throwing off some heat. Evie moved to stand next to her, extending her hands to the warmth.
“I know he meant well thinking he was taking me to family, but…”
It was hard for her to voice the mixed emotions she had. Betrayal. Hurt. Like a punch in the gut. Which was ridiculous since she hardly knew Callum. He had no allegiance to her, so why should she feel that way?
Roslyn gave her a sympathetic smile and patted her on the shoulder. “Get some rest, lass.”
She headed for the door.
“Roslyn,” she called. The woman turned to face her, pausing with her hand on the door. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
She gave a nod and then slipped out the door, closing it behind her. Evie sat in the chair, extending her legs and allowing the warmth to press against the bottoms of her feet. She wiggled her toes in the thick stockings, grateful for the warmth. The last person who had cared for her the way Roslyn did was…her mother.
She drew up her legs, propping her heels on the chair and encircling them, resting her chin on her knees. Since her parents died, she had often felt alone, even when she had Chloe. Chloe was an outgoing extrovert. Evie was the introvert wallflower whowould rather die than have to stand up in front of a crowd and speak.
Chloe was her best friend and her life preserver in a sea of strangers when they had to face a double funeral for her parents. And though Brianna was their legal guardian, she was less than interested in caring for the two of them. Brianna was distant and angry most of the time because her life was interrupted by their untimely death. Brianna was clearly doing only what she was required to do.
Now that Evie was divided from Chloe, she was once again bereft and alone. Heaving a sigh, she stood from the chair and climbed into the bed, pulling the blankets to her chin, and finally drifting into sleep.
Chapter Sixteen
Callum left thegreat hall without so much as a by-your-leave and stomped to his bedchamber to be alone. When he slammed the door behind him with a satisfying thud, he leaned against it, his heart throbbing with all the fury pounding through him.
The lass was infuriating.
He was no coward simply because he didn’t believe in his da’s maddening notions of a prophecy. How could he believe in that?
Seeing the fire in his hearth was out, he set about rebuilding it with the mindset that eventually the lass would arrive, and she would want to warm herself by it. Once the fire was going, he sat in the chair and kicked off his boots and brooded, waiting for her.
Regret shifted through him, then. Regret that he told her to take the stone and be gone. He watched, his teeth on edge, as she swiped her thumb over the smooth surface and then waited.
He didn’t want to admit how relieved he was she was still there and hadn’t disappeared. Why? He didn’t know. He didn’t understand his feelings for her at all.
The fact shedidn’tdisappear told him all he needed to know. That her arrival from the future was a falsehood. It was true Angus Sinclair didn’t know who she was, but he was determined to find her clan and return her once and for all, whether she wanted him to or not.
He huffed out a breath as he slumped in the chair, his legs stretched out in front of him.
He waited and waited but she never came. Finally, when it was in the wee hours and exhaustion pounded through him, he stood and strode from his bedchamber back to the great hall. His da sat alone by the hearth with his feet propped up on the table and a tankard of ale in front of him. Callum paused there a long moment, glancing around the room and wondering where to find the lass. Had she left of her own accord? If she had, then his problem with what to do with her was solved.
“If yer looking for the wee lassie, she’s no here,” Hamish said at last. Callum opened his mouth to reply when he cut him off. “And dinnae be thinking she’s left us for good. She hasna.”
“Where is she, then?” he demanded.
“She’s staying in guest bedchambers.” He paused, then added, “With the tapestries.”
A trickle of fear went through Callum as he stared at his da. “Did ye tell her about the prophecy?”
“Aye, I did.”
“Da—”
“Dinnae chastise me, boy. Ye werena going to tell her, so I did.”
Silence stretched between them. “Does she believe?”
Hamish met his gaze, steady and sure. “Aye.”
Callum cut a glance to the other side of the great hall that led to the guest chambers. He made no move to head that way.
