Page 17 of One Forbidden Kiss with the Laird (The Cinderella Shepherd Sisters #2)

For a moment Callum was too shocked to speak.

If he was being charitable, he would reason that the Kingsleys did not know the Highlands the way he did.

The hills were treacherous to the uninitiated and there were dozens of ways Miss Shepherd could have hurt herself while trying to get home.

He was shocked by their lack of concern for this young woman they had taken in to their family.

She might not be a close relative, but they were responsible for her safety while she travelled with them.

Despite this none of them seemed to really care.

‘I will join the search,’ he said, spinning on his heel before anyone had the chance to reply.

He was outside before the footmen and groomsmen had got themselves organised and spent a few minutes explaining the general area he had last seen Miss Shepherd.

The servants were a mixture of local lads brought in while the family were in residence and a few that had travelled from the Kingsleys’ London household.

He mainly addressed the local young men, knowing they would be much quicker at traversing the challenging terrain than the English.

Despite his burning need to be out searching for Miss Shepherd, he took an extra thirty seconds to ensure everyone understood how and when to check back. The last thing they needed was for someone else to go missing and for no one to realise.

Callum was thankful that the rain had almost stopped now.

The mist seemed a bit lighter, too, and visibility had improved somewhat.

The weather changed quickly here in the Highlands, going from sunshine to rain in a matter of minutes, but it could also change back quickly, too.

Probably there wouldn’t be a cloud in the sky in time for sunset.

He retraced his steps towards the cottage, pausing at the points he thought Miss Shepherd might have stepped from the road to check for any sign of her. His tracking skills were honed in the snowy and icy terrains of Canada, but many of the same principles applied here.

At a point where a grassy path left the road he paused, noting the flattened grass that looked as though someone had recently walked this way. Quickly he followed the path, keeping his eyes locked for further signs that someone might have passed through.

He spotted the pale blue of her dress first, an incongruous detail in the landscape he knew so well. It helped that the mist was lifting and the rain had slowed to a gentle drizzle. He felt a rush of relief to find her which was replaced by panic as he realised she was not moving.

Filled with guilt, he rushed towards her, kneeling down on the wet grass underneath the tree. He could see why she had chosen this spot—the tree provided a good amount of shelter and had a broad trunk which she had propped herself up against.

‘Miss Shepherd,’ he said, reaching out and taking her hand. Her eyes opened and she looked at him, her expression one of relief mixed with a slight emptiness.

‘Lord Leven,’ she said after a moment.

‘Callum,’ he corrected her, even though he knew it was inappropriate after everything they had shared.

She shivered and he realised her fingers were hot beneath his touch. She had been out for only a couple of hours, but already her body was responding to the chill she had contracted with a fever.

‘Come, Miss Shepherd, we must get you home.’

‘You’ll take me home?’ Her voice was raspy and thin and he thought there was a hint of a smile on her lips. As he tried to pull her to her feet she closed her eyes.

‘You must help me, Miss Shepherd.’

She opened her eyes again and this time he saw she was a little more composed. With his help she managed to stand, leaning heavily on the tree trunk while she got her balance.

‘My head,’ she whispered. ‘Everything is spinning.’

‘We need to get you back to Taigh Blath. Sir William has already summoned the doctor for Miss Kingsley. Doctor Frederickson can check you over, too.’

She nodded, managing to focus on his face for a moment.

For now at least she was willing to let him help her, although no doubt as soon as he had assisted her home she would decide she never wanted to see him again.

He would not blame her. The kiss had been inexcusable, his reaction after was that of a blundering fool.

She staggered a little as she walked, but he managed to get her back to the path and towards the main road.

They did not speak, he wanted her to conserve all her energy for walking, but equally he did not know what to say to her.

How did you tell someone you were besotted with them, but despite that you were determined to marry someone else?

When they were within fifty feet of the road she began to lean on him a little more until he felt her legs buckle underneath her.

She slid to the ground, shivering, her head falling to her knees.

A hand on the skin at the back of her neck confirmed his worst fears.

Miss Shepherd was in the grips of a fever and it was only getting worse.

For the second time that day Callum lifted a young woman into his arms. Miss Shepherd was petite and he managed to get into a decent rhythm with his walking and breathing.

He was aware the quicker he got her back to Taigh Blath, the sooner someone could strip her sodden clothes from her body and tuck her into bed.

A chill such as this could be a dangerous thing and he only hoped her body was strong enough to fight it.

* * *

He almost groaned in relief when the house came into view. It took another five minutes to reach the front door, but even there he did not dare set Miss Shepherd down. If he put her down, he was not sure that he would have the strength to pick her up again and he wanted to get her to her bed.

The door opened and he was surprised to find Sir William standing there, looking shocked.

‘Is she hurt?’

‘A chill from being caught in the rain. Is the doctor here?’

‘Not yet. Can you take her upstairs?’

Even as his leg muscles burned and his biceps throbbed he nodded, starting up the stairway in the centre of the house.

Lady Kingsley stood at the bottom of the stairs, a grim expression on her face.

He expected her to follow, to be the one to organise a fire in Miss Shepherd’s room and the removal of her sodden clothes, but she did not move.

Sir William led the way and once Callum had finally set Miss Shepherd down on top of her bedcovers it was Sir William who called for a maid to light the fire and see to the shivering young woman.

As Callum went to move away Miss Shepherd opened her eyes, a faint smile on her lips. She muttered something unintelligible, the only word he caught was kiss .

‘Hush,’ he said, tenderly stroking the hair from her face. ‘You’re safe now.’

Sir William must have seen the interaction, but he did not comment on it, instead waiting for Callum to leave the room before closing the door behind him and leaving the maid to see to Miss Shepherd.

‘Will you stay for some refreshment?’ Sir William said as they descended the stairs.

There was no hint of any concern for Miss Shepherd, despite the delirious state she had been in.

Sir William was a cold man, but Callum wondered if there was something else in the older man’s lack of worry.

The animosity between Miss Kingsley and Miss Shepherd was odd, but stranger still was the contemptuous way Lady Kingsley treated the young woman they said was a distant relative.

In the few brief interactions he had witnessed they had all treated Miss Shepherd as an inconvenience.

‘No,’ he said brusquely. ‘I need to go home and change. I will call tomorrow to find out how Miss Shepherd and Miss Kingsley fare.’

Sir William inclined his head, deciding not to push the matter and Callum stalked from the house, calling Hamish to heel, his thoughts still with Miss Shepherd.