Page 74 of The Highlander's Alluring Spy
“I do love you,” she wept. “I know it’s hard to believe. I know. But I do love you so much. I want to stay here, I want to be with you, with Elaine. I couldn’t decide between my old life and my new, but I know now, Iknow,that where I belong is—”
“Wherever ye belong, Magnolia Winterbourne, it isnae wi’ me,” Nathair told her. He was still crying, but he sounded tired and defeated. He seemed to shrink in place, looking lost, like a child who could no longer find its family. “Ye cannae stay here.”
It was like someone had taken a pole arm and pierced it right through her ribcage. She felt an aching, gaping wound where her heart had once been, and her legs gave way beneath her.
Kneeling on the floor, her hands clasped together, she begged as much as she could manage. “Please.Please.I don’t—I can’t—”
He placed the letters on her desk. “Take the night,” he said in that low monotone once more. “I am nae monster who’d throw a woman out in the dead o’ night in her underthings, nae matter what ye’ve done.”
Nathair paced to the door, and as Magnolia sobbed harder, she saw him glance around once with an indescribable expression on his face. “Nathair,” she said once more, though she had no idea what she’d say now even if he would listen.
“Magnolia,” he breathed, and it sounded like agony. Then his voice hardened once more, and he said, “I want ye and yer things out o’ here as soon as the cock crows in the morn. I willnae have Elaine sufferin’ more than she has to.”
And then he walked through her door, slamming it behind him.
Magnolia curled where she was on the floor, hugging her knees, and simply cried.
Over. It’s over. Everything is over.
And Magnolia was alone.
21
The Order of the Red Blossom
Daniel Winterbourne missed his daughter. He’d known he would, of course. She had been his constant companion for twenty six years, only more so since the death of his dear Eleanor.
His anxiety for Magnolia’s safety and his loneliness were tempered only by his pride in what she was doing for Crown and the Country. He reminded himself of that as frequently as he could through the month she was away. It was the only thing keeping him sane.
And now he sat in that little meeting room with Duke Barton and Marquess Conley, awaiting the arrival of the Viscount of Mitread. Peter had sent an urgent message to them all this morning with worrying tidings. Their man had returned from the north, and with it, he had brought a letter.
The Viscount walked into the room, his face grave, his eyebrows creased with concern. “My Lords, Your Grace,” he said, adjusting his glasses on his nose. “I bring grave news from Lady Winterbourne.”
A tight knot formed in Daniel’s stomach as Peter flourished a letter in front of them.
Is my baby in danger? Have I sent her to her death?
Without waiting for any comment, Peter began to read.
‘For the grand honorable gentlemen of the gathering to which I have forsworn my penmanship,
My heartfelt blessings to yourself and your families. I write as the stated four-week stretch for which you assigned me this task has been completed, and I have much to report. However, be prepared. You see, I came here looking for a war, and war is what I have discovered. I live in fear of discovery every day. I have compiled what I know below that you may hurry here quickly and prevent an attack on our home, our people, and my humble self.’
The Duke and the Marquess looked horrified and began to mutter to each other. Daniel felt the blood drain from his face.
If Magnolia is worried about her own safety, things must be terrible.
Peter read on, detailing the weaknesses and strengths that Daniel’s dear daughter had discovered in the MacFoihl lands. He described the brutish Laird, the spoiled daughter, and the bloodthirsty clan that ached to bring war.
Daniel’s horror grew more and more, as Peter read on. To what awfulness had he exposed his own daughter? How she must be suffering!
When Peter finished reading, he looked around with a severe frown on his face, his eyes meeting each of the other four. “It seems to me that Lady Winterbourne needs our help at once,” he said sadly. “And that the Scots plan to attack, just as we feared. We should mobilize at once.”
“May I see the letter?” Daniel asked hoarsely.
Peter nodded. “Of course,” he said, handing it over.
Daniel’s fingers shook as he took the paper and unfolded it again to read the words Peter had just recounted. He traced the signature at the bottom. It was undoubtedly Magnolia’s, right down to the little flourish on the tail of the final ‘a’.
