Page 36 of Healing the Highland Sinner (Tales of the Maxwell Lasses #7)

Two Weeks Later…

The ride back to Clan MacAulay ’s lands was long and exhausting, but Rosalind had never been happier. Beside her was the man who made her heart sing in ways she never thought possible. He made her feel the way the poets wrote about. He made her feel things she didn’t even know existed. Certainly, things she never thought she’d have in her life. Ellair had opened her heart, mind, and soul up in ways she had never contemplated before and he’d been able to do it so effortlessly.

But as they crested a rise and she got her first look at Castle MacAulay sitting on top of a hill just a short ride away, she felt her stomach folding in on itself. Her mouth grew dry, and she had to swallow down the lump in her throat.

“Are ye all right?” Ellair asked.

She swallowed again and put a smile on her face she hoped looked passable. “Aye. I’m fine.”

Ellair reined his horse to a stop, forcing her to as well, then turned to her. His full, soft lips were curled in a gentle smile as he reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I can tell ye’re nae fine,” he said. “What is it?”

She sighed heavily and tucked a strand of her locks behind her ear. She cut a glance at the castle that loomed and felt her heart quicken. Rosalind turned to Ellair and offered him a shaky smile.

“I’m nervous,” she said.

“Nervous about what?”

“About… everythin’,” she replied. “I’ve left me entire life and all I’ve kent fer years behind in Thurso. I left Ciar and me braither back at Castle Gunn?—”

“And they’ll both return here when Blaine is fit enough tae travel.”

“I ken. ‘Tis just…”

Her voice tapered away as she realized she was whining like a bairn, but she had been comfortable in her old life. Not necessarily happy, but for the most part, she’d been comfortable. And now, having cast that life away in search of something new, now that she was on the verge of entering her new life, with the man she loved no less, she found the going treacherous. She found her heart skipping beats, and her stomach roiling nervously.

Ordinarily, she was a bold and confident woman, but the thought of going to a place e she did not know as she embarked on this new life twisted her insides. She was a smuggler, used to a rough and tumble existence. But waltzing into a laird’s castle and being expected to exude social grace—something she’d never had any use for—filled her with dread. Worse, it made her feel like a fraud. Rosalind feared they would see right through her and never see her as anything but a criminal, as Gunn’s man Jamison had.

And the worst part of it was, Jamison wasn’t wrong. She was a criminal, and he had been right to call her out as one. Rosalind could not argue with him, or anybody else about that. Not really. So, the idea of walking into Laird MacAulay ’s castle, meeting his family, and expecting them to embrace her as a lady, as a normal person, seemed ridiculous. They were going to see her for what she was, just as Jamison had. She was certain of it.

“’Tis just what?” Ellair prompted gently.

“’Tis just… I worry yer family will think me unworthy of ye, that they’ll see me fer what I was and nae fer what I aspire tae be.”

His smile was soft but understanding. Ellair raised her hand and kissed it softly, running his thumb gently across her knuckles.

“They’ll see ye as ye are,” he said. “And what I see is a beautiful, confident woman who is nae afraid of anythin’. Least of all, me family.”

She laughed softly and turned away. Over the past couple of weeks, following the fall of Hugh Sinclair, they had grown closer. Their days had been filled with getting to know each other better, their nights with steamy passion that made her shiver just thinking about.

“Trust me when I say me family will see in ye, what I see in ye,” Ellair said. “And they will love ye as much as I dae.”

His words ignited the fire in her heart, making it burn bright, and it warmed her from the inside. The smile that slipped across her lips was more genuine this time and she squeezed his hand in return. However, the shadow that had fallen upon her heart lightened, but did not disappear completely. Ellair saying these words was one thing. Seeing it happen for herself was something else entirely. Her time as a smuggler, exposed to some of the worst elements in Thurso, had left its mark on her. And she was not as easy to trust as she might have been when she was younger.

“I hope ye’re right,” she said.

“I ken I’m right. Ye need nae worry. Ye’ll have a home here and be surrounded by people who will love ye,” he said. “I can already see ye becomin’ good friends with Billie and Keira.”

He had spent time on their travels explaining everybody to her, so she wasn’t completely in the dark upon arrival at Castle MacAulay. But the closer they drew to their home, she more jumbled her mind became and she was having a hard time remembering who was who. She felt like a completely hay-brained idiot. Ellair laughed and shook his head.

“Ye’re really workin’ yerself up too much about this,” he said. “They are just people, Rosalind. Nay different than ye or me.”

“Ha,” she scoffed. “They’re fancy folk and I’m… nae.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “And ye think I’m one of the fancy folk?”

“Well… nay. But ye’ve been around them.”

“And they accept me for what I am without hesitation,” he said. “Just as they’ll accept and embrace ye as well.”

She gnawed on her bottom lip, still skeptical. “If ye say so.”

“I dae.”

“Fine,” she replied with a grin. “Now, who are Keira, Abigail and Billie?”

“Keira is wife tae me braither, Cormac,” he said. “Billie is her sister and Laird Domhnall MacAulay ’s wife. I really think ye’ll get on well with them. They’ve got the same fire and spirit ye dae.”

“And who else is goin’ tae be there?” she asked.

“Last word I had, me and Cormac’s best mate, Iain MacThomas and his wife Evangeline will be at the castle waitin’ fer us as well,” he said. “Abigail, Arabella, Hugo, Elsea, and Angus are all travelin’ tae France fer some family business, so ye’ll meet them later.”

“Right,” she said. “And who are they?”

He laughed. “Let’s nae overburden ye with all the names and places just yet. Ye seem overwhelmed as it is,” he said. “Let’s just focus on taeday and easin’ yer mind enough tae see that the people we’ll be meetin’ are goin’ tae love ye just as much as I dae. How’s that sound?”

“It sounds nice,” she replied.

Ellair kissed her hand again, then turned his horse and got back on the road to the castle. The way he said he loved her—so casually—filled her heart with a joy she had seldom, if ever, felt in her life. He said it as if it was a fact and always had been. It never failed to put a smile on her face and a flutter in her heart. It was a feeling she was so unaccustomed to before Ellair, and now it was one she wasn’t sure she could live without.

He had managed to allay some of her fears as they traveled the final stretch of road, but as they passed beneath the portcullis in the curtain wall of Laird MacAulay ’s castle, Rosalind’s stomach began turning somersaults once more. A line of people waited in the yard, just below the steps that led to the front doors of the castle, like they were royalty. They all stared at her, seeming to be eager to get a look at the woman Ellair had claimed as his own. Their gazes were curious, probing, and Rosalind thought she might be sick.

A pair of stable boys took the reins as they dismounted and Ellair stepped over to her, grasping her hand gently and offering her an encouraging smile.

“It will all be fine,” he whispered. “Nay need tae fear, me love.”

“Says ye,” she whispered back.

Ellair brought her to the line of waiting people and Rosalind felt the weight of their stares pressing down on her. The lump in her throat returned and her mouth was dry. She was doing all she could to keep her trembling legs from giving out beneath her.

“Laird Domhnall MacAulay,” Ellair said. “May I present tae ye, Rosalind Fletcher.”

Domhnall MacAulay, tall, with broad shoulders and a barrel chest, was a bear of a man. He was handsome with a strong jaw and thick arms. He wore his dark hair long and wild, and his blue eyes were cold and piercing. He looked like the sort of man who could discern your secrets with nothing but a gaze. He had an intimidating air about him as he looked at Rosalind, making her legs shake even harder, threatening to spill her there in front of everybody.

“So,” he said, his voice deep and booming like thunder. “Ye’re the one they call the Widow then, eh?”

“They did, me laird,” she said, giving him a small but polite curtsey. “I’m retired from that life now.”

“Are ye?”

“Aye,” she replied. “I gave it up tae build a better life with Ellair.”

His gaze remained cold and assessing and Rosalind felt her palms growing damp and clammy. But then a smile spread across his face that immediately softened his features. His laugh was like a thunder clap and it immediately lifted the fog of tension that had been pressing down on her mercilessly.

“If nae fer ye, Hugh Sinclair would be runnin’ roughshod through the bleedin’ Highlands right now.”

“I’m nae sure that’s true, me laird.”

“’Tis the way I heard it,” he replied. “Heard ye struck him down and saved this one’s miserable hide, eh?”

She cut a glance at Ellair who was grinning broadly. “Aye. That she did.”

“Maybe I should make her me War Chief.”

“Ye’ve had worse.”

“Aye. ‘Tis true,” Domhnall said.

They all shared a laugh, and it lightened the shadow across Rosalind’s heart a little more. But then Domhnall looked her in the eye and smiled sincerely.

“Thank ye,” he said. “If I’d lost this one… just… thank ye. Fer that, ye’ll always have a home here under me roof. Always.”

And with that, he pulled Rosalind into a tight embrace that lifted the shadow from her heart completely. She melted into the man, reveling in the feeling of being accepted for, perhaps, the first time in her entire life. He took a step back, his hands on her shoulders and his face filled with such powerful emotions, Rosalind felt them deep in her own heart. His love for Ellair was more than clear.

“Well,” he said. “Let’s introduce ye tae everybody, then let ye get cleaned up. Tonight, we’ll be havin’ a feast in honor of the Widow’s retirement.”

The small crowd of people gathered around Rosalind, each of them taking time to introduce themselves. She had been especially looking forward to meeting Cormac, the man who’d sacrificed so much for his brother, and had not been disappointed. He was a good man, she could tell. And just as Ellair had predicted, Billie and Keira linked arms with her and escorted her into the castle, chatting excitedly with her. She could tell they were going to all get on very well.

As she was being ushered away by the two women to bathe and ready herself for the feast, she cast a glance over her shoulder at Ellair, who stood beside his brother and the Laird. His eyes latched onto hers and he smiled.

“I love ye,” he mouthed the words to her.

A tear of the purest joy she had ever felt spilled from the corner of her eye. “I love ye too,” she mouthed back to him.

And in that moment, Rosalind felt for the first time in a very long time, that she truly did have a home filled with people who would love and accept her unconditionally. It filled her heart with joy but also with so much more. And like Ellair’s love for her, it was something she had lived her life without, but now, she couldn’t not having. Didn’t want to.

She was at home.

But there’s more…

Dying to know if Rosalind was truly accepted by Ellair’s family ? Or if the ever-calculated war chief finally dropped to one knee and made it official? He’s taken his sweet time, after all. If you’ve been waiting for that moment…

Then you may enjoy this extended epilogue .