Page 56 of The Cruel Highlander's Bride
Nothing would be solved today, and Magnus had already taken every step that she would have taken in order to figure it out. So, what she needed instead was a distraction. And one bubbly sister-in-law seemed like the perfect thing.
“I was thinkin’ we could show ye the gardens today. I ken ye’ve seen them, of course, but I really wanted to show them to ye meself. Lana loved it when she was here,” Olivia suggested.
“Of course, that would be lovely.”
“Wonderful!”
Olivia skipped off to the gardens without another word.
Ciara laughed and hurried to keep up with her. They found Elspeth already waiting outside for them, her hands and apron covered in dirt.
Olivia plopped right down next to her mother and started pruning the flower bed that sat there. Gingerly, Ciara joined them on the ground, trying her best not to get dirt on her dress, especially underneath her fingernails. The thought of it sent a shudder through her.
Still, she tried to look like she was doingsomething.Truth be told, she was really not doing much of anything.
They worked in silence for a while before Olivia asked, “This isnae really somethin’ ye enjoy, is it?”
“Nae really…” Ciara admitted sheepishly. “But I am happy to be here with ye both and have ye show me somethin’ ye enjoy.”
“Aye, maybe we’ll make a convert out of ye,” Olivia joked.
“What do ye like about it?” Ciara asked.
Elspeth answered first. “I like the calm when I’m out here. Everythin’ else just fades away for a bit.”
Ciara nodded along. She could see that if she could get past the messy aspect. She always loved being outside, seeing the sky and feeling the sun on her skin. Although she much preferred to be sitting on a bench rather than the ground…
“Aye,” Olivia agreed. “There’s just somethin’ soothin’ about workin’ the soil. I usually can barely sit still, always jumpin’ from one thing to the next. But here, in the garden, there’s so much to do that I’m always workin’ on somethin’ new.”
That made a lot of sense as well. Olivia was active and energetic, and if this quieted her mind just for a little while, then Ciara understood perfectly why she liked it. It’s how she felt when she got lost in her favorite stories.
“What about ye? How do ye like to spend yer time?” Elspeth asked.
“I enjoy me work at the village, as ye ken, but small things as well, like watchin’ a storm, ridin’, havin’ some tea, and dinnae get me started on readin’. Ye have an amazin’ library here.” Ciara beamed.
“That’s the one place ye will probably never find Olivia,” Elspeth joked, and they all laughed.
It filled Ciara with that warm, familial feeling she’d been missing, the “sit around the fireplace” feeling she had always had when her family was gathered.
It was still early, of course, but she could see a life like this—laughing and joking with Elspeth and Olivia, learning more about them, and letting them get to know her better.
And maybe, just maybe, Magnus would be a part of all of it.
22
“Ihave somethin’ I need to discuss with ye first,” Magnus said to his man-at-arms before he could begin his updates.
Ewan nodded.
Magnus silently handed him the note he’d found in his study just last night. Ewan’s eyes widened almost comically as he read the note once, then twice, then thrice.
Ewan was nothing if not thorough, and Magnus hoped his man-at-arms might sense or recognize something that he and James had missed.
“I foundthatin me study last night after the cèilidh,” Magnus explained.
“Any thoughts on who might have left it?” Ewan asked.
“None that I would consider solid. I spoke to James last night about it, and we discussed some possibilities, but I wanted to see if ye might have any new ideas or thoughts. Or if ye’d seen anyone actin’ odd last night.”
