Page 56 of The Highlander's Virgin Nun
“Excuse me, Me Laird,” a servant called, entering the Great Hall. “Ye have a visitor.”
Rosaline continued to gaze at her food, expecting some merchant or nomad to enter, looking to trade with Caelan. She had witnessed similar interruptions at a few meals in the past, and they had always been quick and pointless, Caelan often dismissing them very early on. It was only when she heard her name that her eyes rose from her plate to the newcomer.
“Rosaline!” Conall gasped from the doorway as he entered.
Her jaw dropped.
Rosaline felt her body rise from her seat, her legs push her chair away behind her, and her feet step one in front of the other, until her brother’s face came into clearer focus. He hurried toward her, too, until the pair stood in front of one another for the first time in years.
There was a pause as they took in the change in each other’s appearance.
Conall was no longer the young man she had known all those years ago. She had watched him grow from a boy to a young man before his face faded further from her memory every day. He had since grown bigger and more muscular, now having longer hair and even a few wrinkles around his eyes and on his forehead. He looked well, but somewhat weathered, as though he had struggled.
She looked down at his kilt and saw her clan’s tartan. The colors instantly brought back memories of her childhood, of the halls of her family home draped in the fabric, and her and her brother running wild around the lands.
Finally, accepting that her brother really was standing in front of her, aged but still the same boy she remembered, they embraced. Conall wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her feet off the floor, hugging her tight. She heard a breath leave his chest, almost a cry, as he buried his face in her shoulder. When he lowered her to her feet, he pulled back quickly, needing her to see his face when he spoke.
“Rosaline,” he croaked. “I am so so sorry.”
Rosaline shook her head and embraced him once again. Overcome with emotion, she knew her words would fail her, and so she showed him what she meant with her affection. Holding him close, his heart pressed to hers, she hoped he understood.
I forgive ye.
Footsteps came up behind her, and Caelan appeared at her side. She pulled back from her embrace with her brother, letting her husband speak.
“Laird MacKinnon.” Caelan bowed his head and offered his hand. “I am glad ye could join us. I am happy to explain everythin’ that has occurred here, and the plan goin’ forward, should ye agree to it.”
Rosaline grew angry again, appalled by the formality of his tone. But Conall spoke for her.
“If ye dinnae mind, Laird Sinclair, I would like some time alone with me sister. As I’m sure ye ken, it has been many years, and we have a lot to catch up on.”
Conall’s words were polite and his posture calm, but his tone was curt. Caelan, unused to being dismissed, took the rejection on the chin this time, gave a curt nod, and returned to the table.
Rosaline looped her arm through her brother’s and left the Great Hall with him, the whispers of the clansfolk drifting after her.
She took her brother to the courtyard and sat with him on a small stone bench under a large oak tree. She continued to study his face, tracing various features back to their younger version, memories growing around them. Although she had so much to say, her words were slow to form.
“Rosaline,” Conall began, taking her hands in his own. “I swear to ye that the letter I received from the Sinclair messenger this mornin’ was the first I have ever had from ye. I sent news of me new address to the Abbey every time I moved, but I never heard anythin’ back from ye. I can see now that they were likely hidin’ our letters from both of us.”
“I believe ye, Conall,” Rosaline assured. “It was better for them if we couldnae talk. They kept us apart so they would continue receivin’ yer payments and I would remain trapped.”
“I am so sorry for how they treated ye. If I had kenned, I would have come for ye immediately. I hope ye ken that.”
Rosaline nodded and placed a hand on her brother’s cheek. “I ken that now, Conall. Dinnae fret.”
“I will never forgive meself for allowin’ me own sister to go through such torture.”
Rosaline saw the pain in his eyes. “Ye didnae ken, Conall. There was nothing ye could have done.”
“And now? Ye are with child?”
Rosaline took a deep breath before explaining. “I fled from the Abbey and found Caelan in the woods. He was bein’ attacked by three other men, and a fourth snuck up on him. I shouted out to warn him. He helped me flee from the nuns and asked me to be his bride. I was on me own and had nowhere to go, so I agreed.”
Conall listened intently. He looked eager to hear every detail after missing so much.
“Everythin’ was well when I came here. He bought me clothes and gave me me own rooms. Everyone was very present. We were married, and I have been told that I am with child already. But after another attack in the fruit garden, he told me that I must go with ye until I have the bairn. He willnae keep me in the meantime.”
Conall nodded, a confused yet curious look on his face. “I will talk to him. There must be more to the situation. But in the meantime, I think itisbest if ye come back with me.”
