Page 17 of Heart of the Highlands: The Rose (Protectors of the Crown #6)
Abby had insisted they abandon the carriage as soon as they reached the shimmering waters of Dornoch Firth, opting to ride their horses the remaining distance. The mountainous terrain loomed ahead, and she knew that taking the longer route would double their time. Time, she did not have.
Determined, she pressed her heels into her horse’s sides, urging it forward as she raced toward the imposing silhouette of the keep against the evening sky. Frustration bubbled within her, and she fought back a curse that threatened to escape her lips. After a long day of travel, they finally arrived as dusk settled.
The earthy scent of horse and sweat clung to her, a testament to their arduous journey, while her hair cascaded wildly around her shoulders—untamed and free. She cared little about how she looked.
As Abby reached the sprawling courtyard, she swiftly dismounted her horse, her heart racing with urgency. With a fluid motion, she passed the reins to a nearby stable boy, barely sparing a glance at Leland, who lingered behind. A knot of anxiety twisted in her stomach; she feared she might already be too late.
The imposing doors of the keep swung open with a creak that echoed like a distant thunderclap as Abby bolted inside. The corridor leading to the chapel stretched before her and seemed endless as she descended the long hall. Each footfall seemed to echo in the nearly silent hall, amplifying the distant murmurs of the guests as she drew closer to the threshold.
With a determined effort, she heaved on the ancient oak door. It groaned in protest, a heavy sound that betrayed its age, and she let out an almost primal grunt as the weight shifted before her. As she slipped inside, catching her breath in ragged gasps, a few congregants at the rear turned their heads, curiosity flashing in their eyes. Yet, Abby's focus zeroed in on the scene before her—time seemed to slow as her gaze locked onto the radiant bride and her groom standing in their sacred space at the front of the room.
They were faced away from her, kneeling in front of the pastor, and Abby felt a wave of disbelief wash over her. Her heart sank as she struggled to find her voice. She tried to speak, to object to this marriage, but no words came out as if a blow to her stomach struck her. She was too late.
She wrapped her arms around her midsection as a cold chill swept across her skin. Her head dropped, and her hair fell over her watery eyes. Slowly, she backed up toward the door. She wanted to leave before anyone noticed her. Just as she was about to turn to reach for the handle, the congregation stood as the bride and groom rose to face the crowd.
Abby nearly fainted. Her cousin Bella, the most beautiful bride she’d ever seen in a flowing white gown that cascaded around her like rippling silk, was not standing next to the man who had stolen her heart, but instead, she stood next to the strikingly handsome, Laird Theo Hudson. Perhaps she should have warned Bella after all about his nightly pleasures.
Abby exhaled sharply, the breath she’d been holding finally escaping her lungs. Her thoughts swirled. If Bella hadn’t married Aiden, then that could only mean one thing…
Bollocks .
Aiden wasn’t here. He had probably already returned to Kilvarock by now.
Bloody hell.
With a huff of frustration, Abby pushed forward, the heel of her slipper scuffing the store floor, echoing inside the narrow corridor. The flickering sconces cast long shadows along the walls, but no amount of warmth or light seemed to ease the tension coiling inside her.
Abby exited the door that led out to the courtyard. She returned to the stables to find Leland talking to…
“Aiden,” she cried out, her heart swelling inside her chest.
Leland nodded to Aiden and shook his hand before excusing himself to leave them alone. Abby nearly tripped over the skirt of her dress as she quickened the pace. She stopped just a few feet from him. Her eyes were glazed over as she dutifully waited for him to speak.
“I dinna think I’d e’er see ye again,” he said.
“I thought ye were getting married.”
“Nay. I nearly was, but turns out, Bella was wooed by the devious Laird Hudson while I was away. He needed a bride and an heir to pass on his title, and he had won Bella’s heart and compassion.”
“But isn’t he…,” Abby couldn’t quite bring herself to say the words.
“Aye, but ye cannae make a loaf of bread without flour,” he replied with a smirk, clearly amused by her discomfort.
Abby cheeks warmed at his bluntness, but a soft smile began to form on her lips.
“Flour and bread, is that what ye call it? I suppose next ye’ll tell me that a mon cannae steer a horse and reins.”
Aiden smirked, clearly entertained. He stepped closer, his voice dropping low and serious. “Oh, I’d wager you’d be surprised by what some men can do. There are some truths behind it. No’ everything need be so complicated.” He paused, locking eyes with hers.
The weight of his gaze silenced Abby for a moment. The palpable tension began to fill the air. Abby’s heart skipped a beat. She could feel the heat of his skin radiating through the small space between them.
“Truths?” she breathlessly whispered, swallowing hard. She was suddenly aware of the distance his lips were so dangerously close to hers.
Abby lifted herself onto the tips of her toes, drawing closer until their lips brushed against each other with a tender featherlight touch. The gentle warmth of the moment quickly intensified, transforming the softness into a lingering passion and desire.
“Wait,” she said, breaking off the kiss. “There is something I have to tell ye. There is something about me ye dinna know, and I haven’t shared this wit’ anyone. I am cursed,” she confessed, hoping to ease him into the revelation without overwhelming him.
“Cursed?” he lightly asked in disbelief, as if she was joking with him.
“I can see things, visions before they happen. I see glimpses of the future, and ye were one of them.”
As Abby lowered her gaze, Aiden gently placed his fingers under her chin, tilting her head upward till their eyes met.
“I know.”
Abby cast him a sidelong glance, her brow arching in surprise as she processed his words. “How could you possibly know?” she challenged, her voice laced with disbelief. “We’ve managed to keep it hidden from everyone.”
“I know because I, too, share the same curse.”
“WHAT!” Abby exclaimed, her pulse quickening. “You’re a seer?”
Her emotions surged within her, a thrilling concoction of curiosity and exhilaration. The revelation sent a ripple of excitement through her, for she had never encountered anyone who shared the same extraordinary gift.
“My dreams started about six months ago when I saw this beautiful woman in the market at Thurso. And she has been haunting my dreams e’er since. That woman has my heart. It took some time to realize that that woman is ye, and I think ye and I share the same visions.”
“Then ye know why I cannae marry ye, because if I ever become heavy with child, I willnae survive. Ye need an heir, and I cannae give ye one.”
Aiden’s brow knitted together.
“Oh Abby, that is no’ what happens. Ye dinna die in childbirth,” he said as happy tears filled his eyes.
“How can ye be so certain? I’ve seen it. Once a child is born, everything goes black.”
“I think I understand now how we are connected. In yer visions, ye see only the beginning. In mine, I only see how it ends, like night and day. Ye do no’ die in childbirth, Abby. E’erything goes black because once ye give birth, ‘tis the death of yer gift.”
Abby stood there, her mind racing, still processing the unexpected comfort Aiden’s words had given her. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but this time, it wasn’t from fear or anxiety; it was from a strange, overwhelming relief that she had never experienced.
She had spent so many years in isolation, afraid to let anyone close enough to see that part of her that was so different. But now, everything has shifted.
For the first time, Abby allowed herself to imagine a life that wasn’t constrained by the weight of her visions. She has always feared the inevitable, what her gift might cost her. The whispered warnings, the half-dreams, the unspoken assumptions that would not allow her the chance for a normal life and have caused her to vow never to marry, never have children, and never fall in love. But now, all those fears have evaporated.
Her heart swelled with joy and hope that almost felt foreign to her but welcomed. Her visions, while so much a part of her identity, had also shaped her deepest fears. And with that simple thought, she glanced up at Aiden, his eyes steady, his expression tender, and for the first time, Abby realized how excited she was about all life’s possibilities before her.
With an everlasting smile and excitement coursing through her, Abby wrapped her arms around Aiden, kissing him with fervor, pouring her heart into that moment, and allowing herself the freedom to fall deeper in love.
“So, it was fate that brought us together after all,” she said.
“Well, we certainly do no’ want to tempt fate, now do we?”
“What do ye mean?”
“Well, the way I see it, ye’ll just have to marry me,” he said, a playful smile forming on his lips.