Page 37 of Her Highland Prophecy
“Tell me what ye think after ye meet her.”
“Aye, Cousin, I will,” Bhaltair said, pushing away from the wall and clapping him on the shoulder. “And what about yer trip? Were ye successful?”
Gordain hushed him, looking up and down the hallway cautiously. He had been returning from showing Diana to her chamber when Bhaltair surprised him and though he hadn’t seen anyone, he couldn’t be sure.
“Are ye mad? Ye cannae say things like that where anyone can hear ye! Come inside.” He pulled his cousin through the open door to his chambers.
He noticed a small vat of hot water already placed near the washstand and nearly sighed. His skin was itching from the dust of the road and he was looking forward to washing, even if it was not a full bath.
He turned away from it for a moment and sat at the table near the roaring fire and motioned for his cousin to join him.
“I sold the brooch, but I had to go to Ballachulish. Ferguson in Inverness wasnae giving me a fair price for it. I think we will need to go further away each time. They are starting to notice and will try to take advantage.”
Bhaltair nodded solemnly.
“Do ye think ye have enough?”
“For now,” he said. “Though if this summer’s harvest was as bad as last year—” he grimaced. “It isnae a guid thought. We will have much trouble.”
“And yer lass? She kens the troubles with the Clan?”
“Aye, and she wants to help. Her family is wealthy, and she will ask them for aid.”
Gordain didn’t like lying to his cousin, but he thought that it was necessary in this case. He wasn’t exactly lying. Diana’s family was wealthy, and she would ask them for aid, though it would be for herself and not for him. He would be long dead when she returned to her time.
“Then all is well,a co-ogha. Ye will wed the lass soon and it will help the Clan.”
Bhaltair left his chambers soon after that and Gordain removed his dusty shirt. The water he had seen earlier called to him and he dipped a clean rag in it, sponging the dust and grime off his face and torso. The water felt good against his skin after riding for nigh on a week. He shivered slightly as the water cooled on his skin, despite the fire.
A small gasp brought him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to find Diana framed in the door of his chamber, her eyes glued to his body.
He watched her tremble for a moment, a naked hunger evident in her eyes. He cleared his throat and was amused when her eyes shot up to his, her cheeks turning a bright red in response.
“I—” she started but seemed unable to speak further. Her face reddened even more.
“Are ye all right, Princess?” he asked, thoroughly amused. He teasingly dipped the rag back into the water and dragged it over his arm.
“I’ll be back later!” she blurted out and then fled the room, his laughter echoing loudly against the stone walls in her wake.
He finished washing and prepared himself for dinner. When he left his room, she was sitting on the bench across from his door. She did not turn to look at him when his door creaked open, her eyes lost somewhere in the distance.
He took a moment to study her. She was wearing a gown that was clearly borrowed from someone in the Clan and though the style suited her, it was obvious that she was a stranger.
Her blonde hair barely reached her chin, her curls much more pronounced now than when he had first seen her near Ballachulish. And she was delicate in a way that most Scottish women were not. Her wrists and ankles showed her fine bones and yet, he had witnessed her strength when she pulled herself up on the horse.
It was an unusual combination of features, but they suited her well.
He cleared his throat when he stood close to her and she startled out of her musings.
“What are ye still doing here, Princess?” he asked. Her cheeks colored again.
“I, um…I did not know how to get to the dining hall,” she muttered, her eyes looking anywhere but at him. “Margaret brought me to your room so we could go to dinner together and so I wasn’t sure how to get back to my room, either.”
He chuckled. He could see that she was still thinking of what she had witnessed earlier in his room and though he felt bad for teasing her, her reactions were endearing.
“Come on, let’s go down to dinner now and on the morrow I’ll show ye how to find yer way around the Castle,” he said.
She smiled in thanks and stood up. He offered her his arm and she wound her hand around it.
