Page 68 of Captured By the Highland Devil
“I—” she sank to the edge of the bed and gripped her skirts. “I cannae help but feel ripped apart at what Norah endured. I—I can only think of what I would have endured if those men had taken me.”
“They willnae,” he said. “This is why we train and tomorrow ye are going to learn to swim too.”
She looked at him. “Ye’re nae going to bed, are ye?”
“Nay,” he said. “I am going to gather me men and send out search parties to find where this twin devil peak mountain is.” He cupped the back of her neck and gave her firm, heated kiss.
Pulling away, his thumb stroked over her chin. “Get some sleep, lass. After all of what just happened, I think ye need it.”
When Paige woke again, in Ruben’s bed, she reached over only to find the pillows and sheets cold. She faintly remembered him joining her in the bed, mere hours before dawn, but he was gone again.
After washing, she quickly got dressed and pinned up her hair so that loose curls fell around her face. Wearing a light blue gown that beautifully framed her full breasts and trim waistline, she glanced in the mirror and decided that she was satisfied enough to exit her chambers.
She arrived at the Great Hall to find her mother and Ruben’s father Niall at the head table. Her mother was chatting with him and the emotion on her mother’s face was that of one finding a firm friend.
“Good mornin’, Maither,” she kissed her mother’s cheek. “How are ye?”
“I have missed ye these past few days,” Daisy said. “Were ye ill?”
“Nay, Maither,” she said. “Just preoccupied. Ruben’s been teachin’ me how to defend meself and he will be showin’ me how to swim later today. Speakin’ of me husband, have ye seen him today?”
“Nay,” her mother replied.
“Speakin’ of me son,” Niall said. “He told me how ye were able to get Norah to confront her past.
“As harsh and perilous as it was, ye managed to do somethin’ I feared would never happen. Ye managed to pull her back into herself. I have me daughter back—” he reached over to holdPaige’s hand, his face heavy with appreciation and tender care. “—so thank ye.”
Daisy looked lost. “What do ye mean? What happened?”
Reluctantly, Paige told her about the almost abduction and as her mother paled in fear, she comforted her. “It’s fine, Maither. Ruben was right behind me to save me.”
She then told her how she’d told Norah about the endeavor and how it doing so had taken Norah down a bad turn.
“Or so I’d thought,” she said. “Eventually, she came around and I can tell ye, the light in her eyes was so bright, it was like night and day.”
“I see,” Daisy’s had her hand pressed to her heart. Shaking her head, she said. “But ye should have told me that, Paige. Surely, yer faither would want to ken about the attack?—”
“Nay Maither,” she rushed to stop her, “Ye cannae tell Faither any of this. Please, promise me, ye will nae tell him any of this, nae in a letter, nae even in person when ye go back home.”
“But Paige, do ye nae think this is somethin’ yer faither should ken?” her mother pressed her.
“Nay, Maither.” Paige shook her head, “That will cause more problems that it could ever solve. Please daenae do it.”
Her mother was not happy about it, but she nodded in reluctant agreement, and they finished their breakfast. Parting ways, she headed to her rooms but found herself wondering the halls and exploring the castle.
As she wandered the many halls and corridors that wound through the castle, she couldn’t help but be struck by the castle’s great beauty. It was clearly built with great attention to detail and maintained by people who took pride in their property.
Rounding a corner while absentmindedly gazing at the paintings on the wall, she bumped into a friendly-faced, plump, elderly woman carrying fresh sun-dried linens, on her way to freshen up her bed.
She’d hit the woman with such impact that the servant dropped the pile she was carrying and immediately flew into a string of apologies.
“Beggin’ yer pardon, me lady. The sheets were blockin’ me view, or I would have seen ye comin’ around the corner. I shouldnae have been so careless. Are ye all right?”
Struck by the woman’s apology, Paige immediately bent and began to help her gather the load.
“Ye need nae to apologize. I was the one who was too busy lookin’ around and I should have been payin’ closer attention. What is yer name?”
“My name is Mari, miss. I am pleased to make yer acquaintance. I am usually a cook and a gardener, but the washerwomen needed help takin’ the linens off the line. Matter of fact, I am going back to the garden after I hand these over.”
