Page 26 of Highland Yule
“Is there another one, then?” Rona asked.
“Aye.” He pulled it out and handed it to her. “Here ye go, lass.”
She removed the holly, untied it then unrolled the parchment. This time he stood beside her and read as well.
My Dear Friend,
I hope ye have at last been kissed as ye should be. That ye felt the stirrings in yer soul that ye made me feel time and time again. I have only one message left for ye, but ye must go home to find it. Ye must ask Laird Adlin for what should have been yers from the verra beginning...
Yers,
Bróccín
“What was mine from the verra beginning?” She shook her head. “I will have to give that some thought.”
“Did nothing of importance happen there then?” Yet he was starting to suspect something. But could it be? Could his brother have been so presumptuous and forward-thinking on his deathbed? Colmac would have to talk to ma. Something he tried to do after he saw Rona safely back to her chamber but his mother was sleeping.
So he waited until the festivities died down then sat in front of the fire in the great hall to think things over. A lone pipe still trilled somewhere in the castle, and a few people meandered about, but for the most part, it was peaceful.
“Might I join ye, friend?” Stuart handed him a mug of whisky then settled in with a dram of his own. They sat in companionable silence for a stretch before his first-in-command finally spoke, his keen eye sharper than ever.
“’Tis a sad thing to know ye’ve lost so many years together when ‘tis clear ye and Rona share a great love.” Stuart shook his head. “I have seen love before but never so strong as what I witnessed betwixt ye two this eve.” His gaze went to Colmac. “But then I was not around that particular Hogmanay years ago.” His brows drew together. “If ye looked at each other then like ye did tonight, nobody could have mistaken it.”
“Nay,” he murmured, thinking back on what his mother had said about witnessing a great love that eve. Could it be she referred not to Rona and Bróccín but Colmac and the lass? Was that when Bróccín saw it too? Or sooner? More so, did it really matter?
What was done was done.
“Ye arenae going to let her get away again, right?” Stuart’s gaze returned to the fire. “’Twould be verra foolish.”
“She was betrothed to my brother,” he reminded.
But never bedded him, thank the Lord.
“Aye, but she isnae pledged to Bróccín anymore,” Stuart said.
“’Tis ill to marry my brother’s betrothed, is it not?”
“’Tis illnotto marry a lass ye’ve loved all these years,” Stuart counseled. “Notto finally have what ye gave up for the love of yer kin. A lass I believe was yers prior to being Bróccín’s based on the way she looked at ye this eve.”
Hope stirred in his soul, but he kept it from his face. “What would the clan make of it, though?”
“The clan loves her,” Stuart stated bluntly. “They did then and still do.” He met Colmac’s eyes, and his brows swept up. “Not only that, but she’s a MacLomain. A marriage alliance to her would be verra good for us.”
“I wouldnae marry her for an alliance,” he said gruffly, marveling at the mere idea of calling her his wife.
“Nay, that would be but a perk,” Stuart said. “Ye would marry her for the best reason possible, friend. True love.”
Without a shred of doubt, he loved the lass dearly but still, would it be proper? Would she want such? Something he pondered the next morn when he checked in on his mother only to find her still resting. He also wondered about what Rona had told him before she went to sleep last night. Apparently, his ma had mentioned Hogmanay being a final farewell. Rona worried Mórag meant to take her own life, but he’d assured her his mother would never do that.
Nevertheless, he would have her watched closely.
“Ye’ll sit with ma then?” he asked Stuart as a few of his and Rona's men and a handful of Sinclairs readied their horses for travel. “Whilst she seemed good enough with me leaving ‘tis hard to know if her mind was truly present at the time.”
“Aye, I will keep a close eye on Mórag,” Stuart vowed. His gaze went from Rona, astride her horse back to him. “Wishing ye a verra merry Hogmanay’s eve. May ye find great happiness in the New Year and return with a lovely gift indeed.”
“Time will tell.”
Stuart grinned. “That is more than I got out of ye last night.”
