Page 47 of The Highlander's Virgin Nun
“What is it ye’ve got to tell me?”
Jayden sat and switched to his more serious tone, leaving the boy’s chatter aside. “I have some news on the names ye gave me.”
“The nun’s names?”
“Aye, Me Laird.”
“Wonderful. Begin.” Caelan pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, ready to take notes.
“Firstly, the Abbey. It has a bad history. Quite a few women have escaped over the years, havin’ been left under the care of the nuns by their families, who paid for their care. It seems the nuns use these women as servants, collectin’ the payments and spendin’ almost nothing on their care, feedin’ them only scraps and treatin’ them terribly while there.”
“How have they gotten away with it?”
“They’re nuns. The women are rarely believed, and the nuns are protected by the church. Nay one is out there slayin’ nuns.”
“Well, maybe they should be.”
“The nuns Lady Sinclair mentioned have been there most of their lives. They will be easy to find if ye want me to pay them a visit and teach them a lesson.”
Caelan nodded. “And the braither?”
“He was harder to track down. When Lady Sinclair’s faither died, their clan somewhat dissolved. The castle became derelict and the nearby village emptied out. Laird MacKinnon was traceable in various locations as they moved camps until they settled again. He moved a lot. I have an address I’m fairly sure of now, but I dinnae think he received Lady Sinclair’s letters from the Abbey.”
“As he wasnae at the castle Rosaline sent them to?”
“Well, for a start, he may have sent someone to collect mail. The issue is that I dinnae think her letters has ever left the Abbey.”
“What makes ye think that?”
“I tracked down the mail boy for the Abbey. He never took a single letter to Castle MacKinnon over the past ten years. He received payment from Laird MacKinnon—that’s how I got the current address—but he has never delivered any lettertohim.”
“He has never received me letters?” Rosaline’s voice asked from the doorway, her head suddenly peeking into the room.
She had been eavesdropping.
“Me Lady.” Jayden bowed his head to her.
“He has never received a single letter?”
“Come, sit.” Caelan beckoned her over.
He would rather have gathered the information and shared it with her himself more gently, but that was impossible now. She deserved to have her questions answered.
“I dinnae believe so, Lady Sinclair. I think the nuns intercepted yer letters and destroyed them before they were sent out with the mail boy. I imagine they didnae want yer braither’s payments to stop when he realized ye were bein’ mistreated, so they kept ye silent and isolated.”
Rosaline’s hand flew to her mouth, and she gasped. “I… I…” she stuttered.
“Thank ye, Jayden,” Caelan interjected, rising from his seat. “I’ll take it from here.”
Jayden bowed his head before exiting, leaving the couple alone.
Caelan walked over to Rosaline and guided her to the chairs across his desk. He sat her down and then sat opposite her, holding her hands.
“I didnae ken ye were goin’ to look into me braither like that,” Rosaline uttered, unable to look into his eyes. “Ye should have asked me first.”
Caelan nodded, understanding that she had been taken aback by the news. She had been resting comfortably in hope.
“I ken I should have asked,” he conceded. “But at least ye ken now that he is alive and that he didnae ken what ye were goin’ through. Otherwise, he might have come for ye earlier.”
