Page 63 of Desiring the Highland Laird
A hot bath did sound nice. She slid from the bed, her feet hitting the floor, as she began to unplait her messy braid. When Roslyn turned to her, she frowned and propped her hands on her hips.
“Ye slept in yer clothes, I see. I should hae woke ye last night.”
“You were in here last night?” She finished unplaiting her hair and ran her fingers through the wavy, tangled locks.
“Aye. And ye were fast asleep. I let ye go since it was a trying day for all of us.”
“Yes,” Evie agreed. Though she didn’t say anything more, she thought of Hamish. She didn’t know him well, but there was a pang of sorrow that went through her for him now that he was gone.
Roslyn spied the hangings on the wall by the bed and peered at them a long moment, her hands still on her hips. Confusion followed by curiosity flickered over her face. Evie was fascinated by her reaction to the tapestries and followed her gaze to them. They hadn’t changed since the last time she looked at them.
“The tapestries,” Evie heard herself say. “Have you seen them before?”
The woman shook her head. “Where did they come from?”
“I don’t know,” Evie admitted. “Hamish brought me here and showed them to me. He was convinced they were part of the prophecy.”
The moment the words left her lips, she clamped her mouth shut and cut a glance to the woman. She wasn’t sure what Roslyn knew and didn’t know. Nor was she sure if the woman had heard of the Shattering or the keystone or even the Triple Goddess.
“The laird was convinced there was one,” she said at last. Her gaze drifted from the wall hangings to her, lingering on her face. “I ken ye aren’t from here, but I dinnae ask questions as it isna my place.”
Evie blew out a breath. “He told you about it? The prophecy, I mean.”
“Aye, he talked of it before. He said a woman would come from the future.”
Her gaze never left Evie’s face as she said it. Realization came over her as she realized the woman had not once questioned her sudden appearance or even her strange dialect, for surely, shehad noticed Evie’s accent was far different from hers, from all of theirs, in the keep.
“Do you think I’m from the future?” Evie asked.
One brow lifted as a ghost of a smile crossed her face. “Are you?”
“If I was, what would you think?” Sometimes, evasion was the best way to answer a question one did not want to answer.
“I would think Hamish was right about everything.” She dropped her arms and headed for the door. “I’ll be back with yer bath.”
And then she was gone, leaving Evie to wonder what she meant by that.
*
Roslyn did infact return with the tub and pails of warmed water. She helped her bathe and dressed her in a clean gown and then combed out her long, wet hair, getting all the snarls out. She braided it while it was still wet. Then it was time to break her fast. Evie followed her to the great hall where Callum was already enjoying a bowl of porridge and some oat cakes.
There was a place setting waiting for her across from him. She dropped down into the chair and did her best to avoid his gaze while she broke the oat cake in half and popped it into her mouth. What she wouldn’t give for a strong cup of coffee and some of her favorite creamer. Chloe always made fun of how she drank her coffee—creamer with a few drops of coffee. There was a dull headache behind her eyes and at the base of her skull but she decided that was caffeine withdrawal and sleep deprivation.
“Good morrow,” he said, his voice deep and gruff and terribly sexy.
She told herself to stop feeling all swoony when he did the smallest things.
“Morning,” she muttered around her mouthful of oat cake.
“When yer done, grab yer cloak and we will see if we can find the stone.”
“All right,” she said.
He finished his morning meal, brushed the crumbs from his hands, and pushed back from the table. His chair scraped along the floor followed by the thump of his boots as he headed out the door.
She heaved a sigh and sat back in the chair, staring down at the porridge that was growing cold. How was she ever going to look him in the eye after last night? She was not a love at first sight girl. She wasn’t even a love at any sight girl. She was picky beyond belief about the men she dated, though Callum was definitely not like any man she’d ever dated. She didn’t want to get too attached to him because she was determined to go home. She had to get back to Chloe. She had to get back to her life.
What was her life? She thought about that for a moment. If she returned, she would spend a few days with Chloe in Edinburgh, then pack up her suitcase, get on a plane to go home. A home that was empty and lonely. A job that was a dead-end with nothing but long hours and demanding bosses who wanted her to do their bidding. Not that she had to fetch coffee, but she was responsible for making sure their days ran smoothly and their calendars were up to date and—
