Page 57 of The Highlander's Virgin Nun
Rosaline exhaled, grateful that her brother was offering to take her in. She knew as little about his life over the years as he did about hers. She did not know if he had a home to take her to, or any money to support her. After all, the last time she saw him, their home was in chaos, with fights breaking out all around.
“Are ye able?” she asked.
“Of course,” Conall replied. “I had to abandon our old castle, but I have a new home now. I have a wife—her name is Eliza. She is a wonderful woman, and she will take good care of ye. The clan’s coffers are full; ye will be safe and cared for.”
Rosaline’s hand rose as if to catch her heart, and her body finally relaxed, her shoulders dropping and her chest deflating. She had somewhere to go, someone to care for her, a place to callhome.
Conall saw the relief and emotion overcome her and placed a hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles.
“I willnae let ye go again, Rosaline. And I will make sure that the nuns who treated ye so badly are punished. It isnae right what they did, and they will face the consequences for their actions.”
Rosaline nodded and thanked her brother. “I will go and pack me things. It willnae take me long; I will be ready to leave shortly.”
“All right,” Conall agreed, and they both stood up. “I wish to speak with Laird Sinclair about the marriage and what his plans are for ye and the child. Ye arenae simply a vessel for producin’ heirs. If he wants ye to return, he will have to care for ye and protect ye.”
“Good luck,” Rosaline scoffed and then headed back to the castle.
She wondered which version Caelan would present to him. The kind, careful man he had been since she had met him, or the cold, calculated Laird she had seen a day ago among the trees.
Rosaline headed to her room one final time. She found a small trunk under the bed and removed the two dresses from her wardrobe. She folded them neatly and placed them in the trunk with her undergarments.
She ran her fingers over the books she had been reading. She wanted to take them with her, but they were not hers. They belonged to Caelan’s mother, and she certainly did not want to be in debt to the man any more than he may say she was.
Rosaline considered quickly flicking to the last pages to find out how the stories ended, but it was against her nature. Instead, she took small pieces of parchment from the desk and folded them small and thin. She placed them between the pages she had gotten to and closed the books.
She would return them to the library, and if she did return to birth and raise her child, she would read them then. If not, she would at least be safe in her brother’s home, and would simply wonder about their endings.
She closed her trunk and said goodbye to her room. It had been her first sanctuary after the Abbey, but it had never truly been hers. No matter how much she was told otherwise, she had always been a guest here. She had always been on the brink of banishment.
Her instincts to expect the worst from Caelan had been correct, and she should not have let her guard down so easily. Lairds were so often selfish, and they always wanted to get their way. She should not have trusted him.
She returned the books to the library and descended the rest of the stairs. Then, she walked out of the castle and waited by the gates with her trunk. She did not intend to say goodbye, although she felt bad about leaving Alexandra behind. Her brother would have to explain why her friend was leaving so suddenly, ashewas the cause.
So she sat on her trunk and looked out at the village one last time.
The people went about their day, women cooking meals in cauldrons, children running between cottages, playing tag, and men tending to animals in the fields.
She would not allow herself to say she would miss it here. Rosaline should never have considered this life hers. She simply sat and waited for her brother to come and take her back to a life that belonged to her by blood and by name.
It is me time to leave.
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Conall marched back into the Great Hall, and Caelan spotted a small nod directed at him. Caelan set his food aside and rose from his seat.
“Follow me,” he said.
They did not speak on the way to his study, only once the door was closed.
Caelan sat in his chair and motioned for Conall to sit across from him.
“I hope yer journey here wasnae too long,” he began.
“Let’s nae waste time on pleasantries, Sinclair.”
Caelan sucked his teeth in annoyance at Conall’s arrogance, but directed him to speak, to get on with what he was so eager to discuss.
“I am perfectly happy to take me sister back to me home and care for her. It is her home, too, by birth. What I want to ken is how ye can marry a woman and put yer child in her and then choose to abandon her.”
