Page 95 of Desiring the Highland Laird
His hand brushed up the length of her back, sending shivers through her, and a lazy smile crossed her lips.
“Och, lass, I best leave ye before I’m abed all day.”
“Would that be so terrible?” She flattened her palm on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart.
He chuckled, a rumble deep in his throat that vibrated through her to her toes. He caught her hand in his, lifted it to his lips, and kissed the tips of her fingers.
“Nay,” he said, “but there is work to be done.”
With some reluctance, he untangled their limbs and left the bed. She remained where she was, watching as he moved around the room gathering his clothes and admiring his strong physique in all his glory. Before he left, he placed more kindling in the hearth and lit the fire.
“I’ll fetch Roslyn and have her help ye dress for the day.”
If Roslyn were to make an appearance, she had best pull on her shift. “Where are you off to?”
“I go to inspect the crops and the livestock and then take a turn around the grounds to make sure all is secure. Then I meet with Dougal to discuss business.” He moved to stand in front ofher and dropped a kiss on drop of her head. “Dinnae fash yer bonnie head about any of that, lass. Rest. I’ll see ye later.”
He flashed her a grin as he turned to go, leaving her alone in the bedchamber. She slipped out of the bed and picked up her shift off the floor, pulling it on over her head. Turning, she saw the neatly folded stack of clothes on the bedside table with the stone still wrapped in the cloth. She was certain she saw the lines emitting their faint light through the linen.
Evie thought about the tapestry of her sister. “I’m not abandoning you,” she whispered, as if Chloe could hear her. “If Callum and I are right—and I think we are—I’ll see you again soon. I miss you.”
She grinned as the thought trickled through her. It gave her happiness and comfort to know that her sister would eventually arrive back in time with her.
A knock on the door sounded. She knew it was Roslyn.
She was ready to start her day.
“Come in,” she called.
Roslyn pushed open the door. The moment Evie saw her, she knew something was wrong. She turned to the woman who paused in the doorway wringing her hands.
“Is it true then?” she asked. “He banished Malcolm.”
Evie nodded, recalling the way he had swung the claymore through the air as though it weighed nothing, as though it were a feather he flung through the air.
The woman’s shoulders slumped as she softly closed the door behind her. A breath shuddered out of her.
“He did what he had to,” she said, more to herself than to Evie. “Listen to me prattling on about nothing.”
Roslyn bustled over to the bedside table where she had her stack of clothes. Too late, Evie realized her mistake.
“What’s this?” she picked up the stone still wrapped in the handkerchief.
“Oh, that’s mine.” She hurried over to the woman to grab it out of her hands, but it was too late.
Roslyn pushed aside the cloth and peered down at the keystone. The lines were faintly glowing and pulsing. She glanced up at Evie, question on her aged face.
“Where did ye get this?” she asked.
“I…um…” Evie floundered, unsure how to explain. She huffed out a breath. “It’s a long story.”
“Mayhap ye best tell me about it, then.” She closed her fingers around the stone which told Evie she wasn’t going to accept no for an answer.
Evie sagged against the bed and clasped her hands in front of her, defeated. “I’m not sure you’ll believe me.”
Her face softened as she smiled, the wrinkles crinkling at the corners of her eyes. “I’ll be the one to decide that. Now, lass, tell me.”
Evie took a deep breath and told her everything. From landing in Edinburgh to see her sister, to being handed the keystone, to the museum, to then falling through time to land here. Roslyn listened intently, her expression never changing or showing her emotions. When she finished, she waited for the woman to respond.
