Page 18 of The Highlander's Captured Bride
She pulled away and lifted her hand to press her thumb under his left eyes. “What is with ye men? Ye are allowed to cry in front of others. The sky willnae split in two and a lightning bolt willnae strike ye dead for it.”
A chuckle was forced out from him at her wry tone. “Ye have a lot of experience with stubborn men?”
“Me faither is the king of ye lot,” she said, and her expression turned nostalgic. “When me maither died, I kent he was in grief, but he never even uttered so much as a sigh when I was near him. He held it all in for years. Then one year, that hollow look in his eyes was just gone. I cannae tell ye how he worked through it all, but he did.”
“Mayhap I should ask him his secret,” Ethan asked, earnestly.
Her light punch to his chest and her mock glare had him grinning. “The point is that keeping it all inside will nae help ye. Me faither suffered for years and it must have burned inside. If ye need to fight it out, if ye need to cry it out, if ye need to yell at God, dae it to save yerself from years of pain.”
Considering what she had just told him, Ethan believed he could find another way—that was to find the man who killed his bother as fitting revenge.
“Are ye still ready for another ride?” he asked.
Her eyebrows darted up in silent question. “For… our agreement?”
“Aye,” he nodded.
Standing, she smiled. “Always! Get the sack I gave ye last night a—”
“Hold yer horses,” he said, standing up. “We will have to eat first, and possibly carry some food with us. The next town we might have to check is a good two hours ride. The day is still early, so we have time. And, me faither said he would make sure yer faither understands that ye are safe with me, even if we come back at night.”
Delight danced in her eyes. “Then I suppose the main hall is our next destination.” Violet skipped down the stairwell like a frisky lamb and entered the hall.
The high table was empty except for one—his uncle, who had platters of cold meats, cheese, brown bread, and oatcakes set before him. Ethan helped Violet up to the dais before acknowledging his uncle who was sipping from a goblet. “Uncle, good to see ye. Where did ye vanish to from two days ago?”
“Ah, Ethan,” Uncle Callum smiled. “I had to run to Perth to take care of an issue I had left unattended to before running here at yer faither’s summon. But now I am back. Miss O’Cain, it’s nice to see ye. How are ye taking to this Highland air?”
“I am from Inverness, good sir, and I have some experience with the air, but I must say yers is so much sweeter than the one back home,” Violet said then dropped her voice to a hush. “Me neighbors had a bad habit of burning the worst-smelling peat in their backyard. I wish I could trap yer air in me chest for the rest of me life.”
Uncle Callum smiled over his cup, “I like yer spirit, Miss O’Cain. I keep telling others that there is nowhere else where I would live and I have been all over the land, Miss. I’ve been to the continents, the far east and even Africa. I’ve seen the most wonderful lands, prairies that stretch from here to the sky, majestic animals, cultures that have opened me eyes to the lives of so many others, lifestyles and habits that make nay sense to me but still fascinate me. Even so, there is nowhere I’d rather be than here.”
Violet reached for a trencher, “Eth-, er, Master MacFerson, told me ye have been to England. What is it like there?”
“Some parts are beautiful, and the people are well mannered, but they tend to be very aloof and cold at times,” Uncle Callum said. “They are cultured, but the many rules and regulations, of all tiers of society, that they have are a bit off-putting, especially those at the top tier.”
Violet was nibbling on some bread and cheese before she asked, “Which rule is the most troubling to ye?”
Uncle Callum sat his cup down and pushed his trencher away to rest his elbows on the table, “I’d say…courting is very troubling.”
“How so?” Violet asked, her attention fully latched on his uncle.
Helping himself to his food, Ethan leaned back and listened, appreciating how much Violet was paying attention to his uncle. A lot of times when his uncle did speak about his travels, people tended to pretend to listen, but not Violet. It was clear that she sucked up information like a sponge, as she was doing so right then.
“Well, it’s all for money. Marrying for love is touted as foolish, and most times the lady had very little choice in her husband. Her faither or any living male member would arrange the marriage so that both families would benefit from titles, shared wealth and other assets. To make even this arrangement even more cold and contractual, many couples would meet for the very first time on their wedding day,” Uncle Callum said. “It’s a miracle some of them dae last to death dae them part.”
“Perhaps they dinnae have anywhere else to go,” Violet surmised. “It might be better for them to stay with the comfort they kent but live separate lives.”
A wide smile took Uncle Callum’s face and true appreciation twinkled in his eye. “Ye have a swift mind, Miss O’Cain, a very lovely asset and I do praise ye for it.”
“Thank ye,” Violet preened under the lovely praise. “So, tell me, where else have ye been? Nay, nay…sorry. I want to ken, what is the most awe-inspiring place ye have ever set foot in?”
“Jerusalem,” Uncle Callum smiled, “I took a trade ship to Africa a few years ago and journeyed to the Guinea Coast and traveled right across the land to see Jerusalem. I stopped in Egypt for a while, but even the moments there did not hold me. I had to go find and see with me own eyes the birthplace of the Christ. I did not see the actual place of his birth or where he was crucified, but I did climb Mount Sinai and saw the markets of Nazareth.”
Violet’s lips were open, and the shock painted on her face barely stopped his eyes from dipping to her lips and imagining if they were as pillow-soft as they looked. Instantly, he dropped his eyes and felt self-disgust and rife confusion curdle his stomach into cold shame.
His throat clenched dryly while he picked at his food. His emotions for her—a thick cluster of admiration, attraction, and self-admonition— were a maelstrom in his chest, and Violet did not need to be thrown into them. He fervently hoped that she had not picked up on his mood and if she had, he would need to beg forgiveness at the first opportunity.
But can I keep this covered…
