Page 73 of Abducted By the Highlander
“But ye’re not in that twilight existence anymore,” she whispered. “I never stopped hoping ye’d come back to Eigg, ye know. Even when ye disappeared, I couldn’t let the dreams of what might have been go completely.”
His fingers tightened around hers, and his intense gaze seared hersoul. “I love ye, Roisin. I always have. But the way I felt about ye on Eigg is nothing to how I love ye now. Hell itself cannot be worse than the thought of a future without ye by my side.”
For so long she had dreamed of Hugh telling her how he loved her and how wonderful it would be. But now that he had, her daydreams turned to dust because even her fertile imagination had failed when compared to reality.
“Ye need not think of hell again.” Her voice was husky, and her heart was overflowing with the knowledge she and Hugh, despite everything, had always meant to be together. “For I will never leave ye, Hugh. How could I? I’ve loved ye since the day I met ye.”
“I never had much to my name, but I’ve more to offer ye now, as befits yer noble status. But I know how ye are tied to Eigg. Ye are the third sister, and ye cannot leave. But if ye’ll have me, I’ll be honored to remain by yer side in Sgur Castle, when the time comes for ye to fulfill yer destiny.”
Awe shivered through her. Neither William nor Alasdair had offered her sisters this choice. But then, they both had grand estates in the Highlands, whereas Hugh was a second son, and Douglas would inherit Balfour Castle. But it was still a noble gesture, to be willing to leave the heartland of his clan for her, for it was not as though Hugh were destitute. He had connections and she knew that, along with her dowry, they could acquire a small stronghold of their own.
“My destiny,” she said softly, and he pressed his lips against her fingers in a gentle kiss, his gaze never leaving hers. “Hugh, my destiny lies with ye.”
“And I will never leave ye.” There was a fierce note in his voice that melted her heart. “Ye told me once yer Pict queen ancestor gave an edict that the daughters of Sgur cannot ever leave their isle. I’ll never ask ye to break the promise that yer foremothers have honored for nine hundred years.”
An ethereal rustle brushed through her senses, and she shivered asa thread of discordance hovered at the edges of her mind. She had known of the edict all her life but not for the first time she questioned its true meaning.
She gazed into Hugh’s eyes, and the words came as though she had always meant to share them with him. “The bloodline of the Isle must prevail beyond quietus.”
He cocked his head. “What?”
“That is the edict, Hugh. The Deep Knowing that has been passed down from mother to daughter from our Pict queen ancestor. We were taught that it means we can never leave our beloved isle, or the bloodline of the MacDonalds of Sgur will die. But that isn’t what it says, is it?”
“I know nothing of mystical prophecies, Roisin, but it seems yer ancient queen wanted yer bloodline to survive death. I don’t know how such a thing is possible whether ye stay on Eigg or leave.”
“I don’t know either.”
His smile was gentle, and he tenderly traced a finger along her face. “Does it matter?”
It shouldn’t matter, when Hugh had pledged to remain by her side wherever she chose to live, and yet the feeling that they had misunderstood the Deep Knowing would not abate. “Do ye remember when I told ye there had never been three daughters of Sgur in the same generation before?”
“I remember everything ye’ve said to me.”
She smiled at that, for how could she not? But then she took a deep breath because what she had to say was of a serious nature. “Well, it’s always haunted me. It was a warning that the true meaning of the Deep Knowing would soon reveal itself. I’m not sure that it’s simply about my sisters and me, Hugh. I just cannot shift the certainty that it means more than we have always believed.”
“What are ye saying, mo ghràdh? That ye do not wish to live at Sgur Castle?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s that I believe I am not meant to.”
“Roisin, we shall live wherever ye wish. I can oversee my estates with the assistance of a good steward, so don’t let that concern ye.”
That caught her attention. “Has yer brother Douglas made ye custodian of Balfour Castle?”
He smiled and shook his head, almost in wonder. “I forgot, ye do not know. And yet ye were willing to take me on, regardless. The earl has bequeathed me this manor for my services to Clan Campbell. But aye, in a sense I’m also custodian of Balfour, unless Douglas changes his mind and takes up his responsibilities.”
She tore her besotted gaze from Hugh and glanced around. ’Twas a fine estate, indeed, and the manor itself was, she had to admit, in a far better state of repair than Sgur itself. “Are ye happy with it?”
He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m happy because it gives me something to offer ye. The real question is areyehappy with it, Roisin? Would it please ye to be the lady of this manor?”
She couldn’t resist teasing him. “Is that yer way of asking me to marry ye, Hugh?”
He groaned and pressed his forehead against hers. “I haven’t asked ye, have I?”
“Indeed, ye have not. It’s quite an oversight, I must confess.”
“I’ll make it up to ye, and no mistake.”
“And I will ensure ye do.”
