Page 38 of Saved By the Cruel Highlander
“How long were ye there?” Holly asked.
“Since the sun went down,” Cole replied.
Holly placed a hand over her mouth.
“Ye mean since the sun came up,” Elias corrected.
“Nay, Sir. It got dark, and then it was quiet, and I didnae dare move because me pa once told me stories about the creatures that live in the woods. Then, it was mornin’ again. I was warmer, but I felt very tired because I hadnae slept. I thought they would have been back by now.”
Holly’s heart broke for the boy. He didn’t know what had happened, and she didn’t have the heart to tell him.
“It’s all right,” Elias assured both of them. “We’ll find yer parents, and when we do, I’ll have strong words with them. Which side of the castle is yer village on?”
“It’s nae beside a castle, Sir,” Cole said. “We came from far away—we had to ride on a horse. I was excited because I thought it would be somethin’ braw they were showin’ me to take me so far to see it. Do ye ken what it is? It cannae be the beast, though I do like him now.”
“Elias,” Holly whispered, holding back the tears.
“When I find them,” Elias muttered under his breath, “he willnae have parents anymore.”
“How could someone do that?” Holly asked. “We have to take him back to the castle.”
“Aye, we do,” Elias replied.
The ease and speed at which he agreed to the request surprised her.
“Ye mean it?” Holly asked. “We can really take him back with us?”
“Aye, but he willnae be me responsibility,” Elias told her.
“Nay, that’s fair,” she said. “I’ll look after the lad until we work out what can be done for him.”
“When he’s been fed and got some rest, I want to speak with him,” Elias warned. “I will find his parents, and they will be punished for what they’ve done.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Three Days Later
Holly sat at the large table in the dining hall with Cole. The boy brought her immense happiness, yet a deep sadness accompanied it. His parents had abandoned him in the woods and left him to die.
Elias’s appearance during lunch heightened her happiness. He had not informed her that he would be joining them for lunch; he had simply shown up.
Holly had smiled wide when he entered the dining hall and sat with them, and had received a nod in return.
Lunch that day was a hearty vegetable and barley soup with freshly baked bread. When the Laird joined them, extra butter was brought out.
“Take some more,” he ordered Holly, indicating that she should spread more butter on her slice of bread. “It’s better with more butter.”
“Aye,” she said, doing as instructed.
“And get the lad to do the same,” he added.
Holly looked down at the table and smiled. The boy was still a point of contention, even if the Laird had said nothing about him for three days. He had questioned him on multiple occasions but had only succeeded in extracting the surnames of his parents, which they had learned within minutes of meeting him.
There were lots of McDuffs around the castle, but the boy was sure he had come from further afield. That made it nearly impossible to find his parents. They could have come from any direction, and if they had gone into the forest to leave their child, then they had likely covered their tracks.
“Good riddance,” Holly had said.
Elias grunted before replying, “Aye, that’s all good and well, but someone needs to look after the boy.”
