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Moira spent the next two days in her sick bed, and Glennie visited her often, staying for hours at a time, during which time they chatted about every subject under the sun. They found that they had much in common. Both shared a love of horses and books, and they both had the same dry sense of humour.

Moira found herself relaxing with Glennie as she had never done with anyone else in her life, and wished that she had a sister just like her. However, it made her feel sad that she had never been able to enjoy such companionship before.

During this time, she saw nothing of Niall, and she did not know whether to be glad or disappointed. He had become such a large part of her life since she first came to Baltyre that she missed the sheer size of his presence and personality, whether it was good or bad.

Moira had been about to ask about him many times, but something always stopped her. She knew that Glennie would tell Niall if she did, and who knew what would happen then?

On the morning of the third day, she decided that she had had enough rest and was ready to face the world again, so when Glennie came into the room she found Moira in her bath.

“Oh, excuse me!” Glennie exclaimed, turning away so that she would not embarrass Moira by looking at her while she was naked, but Moira only laughed.

“Do I have anything different from what you have?” she asked. “Or should I have three breasts? I am not embarrassed, Glennie, so please don’t turn away.”

Glennie laughed, then sat down on the bed. “You look better today,” she remarked. “More like your usual self.”

“I feel better,” Moira told her. “And it has been lovely to have you coming to see me every day, Glennie. I’m sure it has helped me recover more quickly.”

Then Moira suddenly became conscious of the livid scars that her husband had given her; most of them were quite small, but still very noticeable. Sandie had given her a salve to help the scars shrink a little, but Moira had seen no difference as yet, and the thought made her uncomfortable.

However, if Glennie noticed the scars, she made no comment, but patted Moira’s hand and smiled at her fondly. “It has been very good for me too,” she admitted. “I have very few friends, and those I do have never come here. I always have to go and visit them.”

Moira frowned. “Why is that?” she asked, puzzled.

Glennie sighed. “A number of things,” she replied. “Niall is not exactly welcoming, and, well, it’s hard to say, but there is an air of ferocity about this place. I know I am making no sense at all, but all I can say is that there are not enough ladies in this place to soften the atmosphere.

My brother is a good man—don’t let appearances fool you—but he is not gentle, even though he does have a heart of gold. I hope his brusque manner has not made you dislike him because I know the real man, and he is a very good one. In fact, on the subject of you staying here, I think I may be turning him around to my way of thinking.”

“You mean he might let me stay here?” Moira asked, frowning.

Glennie nodded. “Yes,” she said simply.

“Are you sure?” Moira was baffled. “Why has he changed his mind?”

She gazed at Glennie for a moment, then, to her surprise, Glennie posed another, infinitely more awkward question.

“Tell me, Moira, are you attracted to him at all?” she asked, looking at Moira keenly.

Moira splashed some water on her face to give herself a second to think. She wondered why Glennie felt the need to defend her brother, and her last question surprised her. It was not as though he and Moira were going to be involved in a romantic relationship.

At last, she said, “No, but I can see why you would think so. He is a very handsome man.”

She picked up the soap and began to wash her arms, which were already perfectly clean. She could feel herself blushing, and knew that Glennie could see it too. She was attracted to Niall; fiercely so, and it would be extremely hard for her to leave, but she was going to. She had made up her mind, and her resolution was set in stone.

“It’s time I got up and dressed,” Moira said, changing the subject.

She looked at one of her two dresses that the maid had laid out on the bed for her and sighed. She was too proud to ask if she could borrow a garment from Glennie, but the ones she was wearing were becoming threadbare.

Oh, well, I will have to make do, she thought, standing up. Her maid came to dry her, and a moment later she turned around to put on her worn dress, then her eyes suddenly widened with surprise.

Lying on the bed were two day dresses, one a deep dusty pink, and the other deep blue. Accompanying them were matching underwear, a jacket, a warm woollen cloak and a nightdress. Moira looked at Glennie, who was grinning at her happily.

“Did you do this?” she asked.

Glennie nodded. “I thought you would like to have some new things,” she answered. “If they don’t fit, we can have them altered. Do you like them?”

Moira moved to the bed and ran her hands over the garments. Both were made of fine quality wool and were soft to the touch, both had high necks and long sleeves, so they were clearly not ball gowns, but Moira loved them. More than that, however, she loved the thoughtfulness and generosity behind them.

“Oh!” she breathed as tears began to prick her eyes. “Glennie, They are lovely. Thank you. How can I repay you?”

“No need,” Glennie replied as Moira enveloped her in a tight hug. “Now, I would like you to come riding with me while the weather is fine. You can borrow a riding habit from me while yours is being made.”

“A riding habit too?” Moira asked in disbelief. “But Glennie, I will be gone soon.”

“Then you can take them with you,” Glennie said mildly. She did not voice the thought that she doubted whether her friend would ever leave.

The maid produced the garment, and although it was a little too big, Moira was overjoyed with it. She had never felt so comforted and cared for before, and it warmed her heart as she followed her friend out to the stables.

The red-haired young groom Moira had met before was standing waiting for them, but he did nothing more than nod at Moira and wish her a polite, “Good morning,” before directing his gaze, and all his attention, at Glennie.

She returned his look, and even though neither had said a word, Moira felt as though she was interrupting a private conversation as she waited for her horse to be saddled.

“Ritchie is coming with us,” Glennie said, “for our own safety. He is a very good swimmer.”

Moira thought one of the guards might have been better suited to the task, but she said nothing, merely nodded and smiled.

At last the horses were ready, and they rode into a fresh, breezy morning with a haze of white cloud over the sun. Moira took deep lungfuls of the cool, invigorating air and felt her burdens lessen as she watched birds flying, rabbits scurrying among the bushes, and saw the first flush of spring flowers. It was magical, and she smiled widely as the wind blew her hair back, then she urged her horse into a steady canter.

Glennie was right behind her and steered them both on a course towards the loch. When they were a hundred yards away, she stopped. “Shall we go down to the shore?” she asked, carefully watching Moira’s face.

Moira was trembling inside as she looked at the shimmering water. It looked so innocent and harmless, but she knew that it could be vicious and merciless, and everything within her told her not to go near it. She was about to turn away from it before Glennie’s voice broke into her thoughts.

“The only way to conquer your fear is to face it,” she said gently. “We are all scared of something, Moira. I am terrified of heights, but I am gradually overcoming it by climbing a little higher up on the battlements when I go there. We don’t need to go too close, not enough to frighten you.”

Her voice was soft and encouraging, but after a moment’s thought, Moira shook her head. She took a deep breath. “I’m afraid I’m not quite ready yet. Perhaps it will take a little while longer.”

She tried to keep her voice from trembling, and succeeded, but tears pricked the back of her eyes as she remembered the tenderness with which Niall had treated her when they had finally reached the riverbank.

Although she remembered the shock of the whole incident, the first thing she experienced was a feeling of profound relief as she found herself on dry land.

Then she recalled the feel of the strong pair of hands gripping her and pulling her out of the water. She remembered the look of concern in Niall’s green eyes, and the way his hands had moved carefully over her to make sure she had not injured herself.

The gentleness on his face as he helped her to her feet passed through her mind as she sat down on the grass. It took her a long time to calm down and relax, during which time she closed her eyes and let the sounds of nature soothe her. The loch was not her enemy, she realised, merely the circumstances in which she had found herself that night.

Her reaction to Niall had been one of the reasons for that, but he had come to make things right again. She had no idea why, however. He could not have known she was going to be in such mortal danger. Perhaps he was a good man after all, she thought.

Moira began to stroll along slowly behind Ritchie and Glennie, and saw Ritchie put his arm around Glennie’s waist as they meandered along, following the path of the river. She saw as Glennie and Ritchie were drawn together in a loving embrace. She felt infinitely jealous as she saw the tender look that passed between them, and although she could not hear the words they were speaking, she knew they were expressions of the deepest love.

For a moment, she watched them, but as they drew apart she looked away, not wanting to invade their privacy.

Gradually, Moira allowed herself to lag further behind, unwilling to intrude on their privacy. She had been invited to ride with Glennie, but she had a secret suspicion that Glennie’s real reason for the outing was so that she would have an excuse to be with Ritchie.

Moira had never experienced such a thing, but longed for it with all her heart. Glennie was an extremely affectionate friend, and no doubt when she married Ritchie—which Moira was sure she would—she would be a very loving wife and mother.

From time to time, Glennie looked back to check on Moira, but when she saw that all was well, she turned to direct all her attention back to her beloved.

Moira’s mind drifted back to Niall again. Why had he rescued her? He could have let her die and no one would have been any the wiser.

Perhaps he is not like my husband and father at all, she thought. She felt hopeful, but if that was the case, she certainly could not fall in love with him then stay and watch him marry another woman.

It was at that moment that she heard hoofbeats behind her, and she turned to see Niall cantering towards her. Moira looked immediately towards Glennie and Ritchie. They had not yet seen Niall, but as soon as they did, they quietly but hurriedly made their way into some nearby trees and disappeared from Moira’s sight.

She had to stop him seeing them, she realised. If Niall knew that a mere stable lad was seeing his sister, he would be furious. Although Moira knew that Glennie was quite capable of defending herself, she had no wish to see Ritchie losing his job because of the sin of being in love with the wrong woman.

She stood up and waited for Niall to dismount, and when he did so, he walked towards her, wearing a strange half-smile, half-frown on his face. “I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said.

“I thought about avoiding this place altogether,” Moira answered, “but something Glennie said changed my mind. She said that the best way to conquer a fear is to face it, so I decided to do just that.” She looked out at the clear waters of the loch, which were shimmering in the breeze, and shivered.

“It looks so beautiful,” she observed, “but I have a healthy respect for it now, and I will never dip a toe in it from now on.”

“Moira.” Niall’s voice was deep and thrilling to her ears as he spoke. He turned her around to face him. “I know what it is to be afraid—I have been there many times—and recovering is a gradual process. Give yourself time, and you will succeed, I’m sure of it.”

Moira stood looking up at him, mesmerised by his eyes, which were the same colour as the newly sprouting leaves on the trees around them.

Such beautiful eyes, she thought.

“I hope so,” she said, with a faint smile.

Then suddenly she remembered Glennie and Ritchie, and almost panicked. Almost. She began to walk slowly in the opposite direction to where she had seen Glennie and Ritchie, and Niall followed her. After the incident a few nights before, he was still afraid for her safety.

Moira was trying to think of something to say to break the awkward silence between them, but nothing came to mind.

“Why are you here, My Laird?”

He eyed her intensely again, in a way that always maybe her heart beat faster. Instead of answering her, however, Niall pointed to a spot in the middle of the loch. Then, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Look, Moira.”

Curious, she turned to see a swan with five tiny cygnets, gliding majestically along the water. Her fluffy grey babies were following her in a straight line like a row of toy soldiers, and Moira was enchanted.

“Oh,” she cried, “how lovely they are!”

“Indeed they are,” he agreed, smiling widely. “I used to come down here as a boy fishing and see whole families of them building their nests, and watch the cygnets growing into swans, then learning to fly. I wished I could fly too.”

Moira watched him, looking at his bright smile and shining eyes as he gazed back into his past. She knew from what Glennie had told her that they too had not had affectionate parents, although they had not seemed to be as bad as hers.

“Was Glennie ever with you?” she asked.

He gave a short laugh. “Indeed she was. She loved fishing, she still does, and she loves swans too. She always says they look like ships in full sail.”

Moira looked at the stately bird and her little children and smiled. “That is a very good description,” she remarked.

Once again, as she watched the cygnets, she wondered what it would be like to have children of her own, and suddenly a wave of sadness washed over her. She was sure being a mother was not in her future.

Niall watched Moira’s smile fade and her face took on an expression of deep sadness. He studied her shining hair, high, elegant cheekbones and full lips, her long neck and curvy womanly figure, then a surge of desire erupted inside him.

Why had he even doubted what he felt for Moira? He loved her fighting spirit, her stubbornness that was coupled with a deep tenderness and vulnerability that brought out all his protective instincts.

Moira had been admiring the swans, but she felt, rather than saw Niall’s eyes on her, and she turned to face him, realising that he was much closer to her than he had been a moment before.

“Moira,” he said huskily, his eyes on her lips as he reached out his hand to tilt her chin up so that she was looking at him.

For a few long moments, she was mesmerised by his bright, green eyes, and the earthy, manly smell of his body. A sweet pulse began to beat between her legs as he leaned into her, and his lips were slowly, inexorably descending towards hers. As he came closer, she felt the heat of his skin a hairsbreadth from her lips, and closed her eyes.