Page 15 of Saved by the Cruel Highlander (Lairds of the Loch Alliance #1)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Three Days Later

H olly sat at the large table in the dining hall with Cole. The boy brought her immense happiness, yet a deep sadness accompanied it. His parents had abandoned him in the woods and left him to die.

Elias’s appearance during lunch heightened her happiness. He had not informed her that he would be joining them for lunch; he had simply shown up.

Holly had smiled wide when he entered the dining hall and sat with them, and had received a nod in return.

Lunch that day was a hearty vegetable and barley soup with freshly baked bread. When the Laird joined them, extra butter was brought out.

“Take some more,” he ordered Holly, indicating that she should spread more butter on her slice of bread. “It’s better with more butter.”

“Aye,” she said, doing as instructed.

“And get the lad to do the same,” he added.

Holly looked down at the table and smiled. The boy was still a point of contention, even if the Laird had said nothing about him for three days. He had questioned him on multiple occasions but had only succeeded in extracting the surnames of his parents, which they had learned within minutes of meeting him.

There were lots of McDuffs around the castle, but the boy was sure he had come from further afield. That made it nearly impossible to find his parents. They could have come from any direction, and if they had gone into the forest to leave their child, then they had likely covered their tracks.

“Good riddance,” Holly had said.

Elias grunted before replying, “Aye, that’s all good and well, but someone needs to look after the boy.”

Holly would have done it if she were alone, but she had committed herself to the Laird. If she didn’t follow through, then she still had Felix to deal with.

She chewed on the chunk of bread she had dipped in the soup.

“Aye, ye are right,” she told Elias. “It’s very pleasant with more butter.”

“Aye, I always liked loads of butter on me bread when I was a kid, and?—”

The Laird stopped suddenly, and Holly was sure it was because his childhood reminded him of their current predicament—Cole.

As if he sensed it, Cole suddenly piped up, “Me Laird, Sir, McAllister, can?—”

“Just Me Laird is fine,” Elias said.

“Aye, Me Laird, but how did ye get yer big scar?” Cole asked.

Elias shot him a glare, but Cole was too young to notice.

The servants stationed outside the room were horrified as Cole asked the question, and one of the maids covered her mouth with her hand.

“Did ye get them in a fight, Mister Laird?” Cole continued.

“It doesnae matter where I got them,” Elias snapped.

“Aye, it doesnae matter,” Cole repeated. “Did ye fall when ye were as young as me? I fell once and got a bump on me head.”

“Will ye shush the child?” Elias said to Holly.

“He doesnae mean any harm,” she said. “He’s only inquisitive.”

“And I dinnae want an inquisitive child in me dining hall,” Elias warned.

“Ye were the one who joined us,” Holly pointed out.

The tension rose in the dining hall, and the staff all stared straight ahead, but Holly was sure they would be gossiping later about the lady who stood up to the Laird. Would they talk about her positively?

“He’s the one who came into me castle,” Elias shot back.

Holly’s jaw tightened. “And we both ken why that was.”

“Do ye like havin’ scars, Me Laird?” Cole asked. “I like how they look on yer face.”

Elias’s fork dropped onto his plate with a clatter, startling Holly and the two maids stood closest to him. Holly wanted to run to Cole and scoop him up in her arms to protect him from the Laird.

Elias suddenly pushed back his chair and stood up. It rocked backward but didn’t topple over. When he walked toward Cole, Holly almost screamed at him not to hurt the boy.

“It’s nae nice to ask people personal questions at lunchtime,” Holly said quickly to Cole.

Elias had that fire in his eyes. Holly knew he had every right to be angry, but she didn’t know what she would do if he lashed out at the boy.

He towered over him, his face strained. Yet, as he looked down at him, something softened, and the strain around his eyes eased. He reached out a hand, hesitated a moment, and tussled Cole’s hair.

“Nay, I dinnae like havin’ scars,” he said with a growl. “I dinnae like them at all.”

Then, he quickly strode out of the room.

Cole picked up another loaf of bread, chewing on it as he spoke. “I think he was angry with me.”

“Och, he’ll be fine,” Holly said, hoping he would. “Sometimes, people dinnae like to talk about things, and the Laird doesnae like to talk about his scars.”

She didn’t know how true that was. Elias had told her that he got the scars from his brother but hadn’t told her any more than that.

“How about ye dinnae mention them again,” she suggested. “Can ye do that for me?”

“Aye, I can do that,” Cole replied.

“Good boy,” Holly said. She went to him and kissed him on the top of the head. Then, she turned to the closest maid. “Cassandra is out in the gardens pickin’ some flowers for her medicines. Will ye take Cole out there and see if she needs a hand? Tell her that I sent ye, all right?”

“Aye, Me Lady,” the maid said.

“Can ye help Cassandra?” Holly asked Cole. “It’s mighty important that she has enough flowers and herbs to heal everyone in the castle.”

Cole nodded quickly and eagerly. “Aye, I’ll help heal everyone.”

Holly tussled his hair just like the Laird had done. Then, she got up from the table and left the room. She needed to speak with him.

Elias sat at the desk in his study, with his head down and his shoulders hunched. He pored over the papers before him, going over the same numbers over and over, and each time, they slipped from his mind. He slammed a fist on the table.

It was not the boy’s fault, but the child still needed to be taught some manners.

Elias swiped his hand across his desk, throwing all the documents to the floor. He got up from the desk and paced the room, trying to push the dark thoughts out of his mind.

Five years and he still felt an insurmountable rage toward his brother for what he had done. Five years and he still had to live with the memory of killing his brother. Five years since he had learned the truth about everything and become alone in the world.

I willnae ever go through pain like that again! I willnae do it! Then I’m sent the boy, and I cannae do anythin’ to stop him from goin’ through the pain of losin’ his family! It’s a twisted joke!

Elias put his hand on the wall and held it there, pushing on it as if he could push the castle back into the past and fix everything. He suddenly thought of Cassandra. She seemed to have a remedy for everything, but there was no fixing him.

A knock sounded at the door, a tentative thud, like a small child afraid to face their father.

“What!” Elias asked with practiced control.

He needed to shout to release some of the pent-up emotion and make himself feel better, and it worked for a moment before the anger came flooding back, stronger than before.

“Well!” he called when there was no reply. “Are ye comin’ in?”

The door was pushed open hesitantly, and Holly walked slowly into the room.

“I announced meself, but ye didnae reply to me,” she told him, a wary scowl on her face.

“Aye, well, I didnae hear ye, so ye need to speak up in the future.”

He saw the fear in her eyes, a reflection of the rage he showed. He knew it flared up in his eyes and on his brow. She didn’t deserve his anger, and neither did the boy, but they had both chosen to come to the castle, so they must deal with it.

“Are ye doin’ all right?” Holly asked.

Elias knew she had mustered the courage to come and talk to him, but he couldn’t stop himself from snapping at her. “Aye, I’m fine. Will ye just leave me be?”

“He didnae mean anythin’ by it,” Holly explained.

“I ken that, and I dinnae need ye explainin’ it to me. I’m nae a dobber.”

“I didnae say that ye were,” Holly countered.

“Then why did ye come here?” Elias growled.

“To make sure ye are well,” Holly said, her eyes welling with tears.

“And ye’ve done that, so ye can go,” Elias said.

Holly didn’t reply. She stood in the room, staring at him with soft eyes. He wanted to command her to leave him be, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. All he could do was stare at the woman before him, his future wife, and admire her courage.

It only served to infuriate and anger him more, but he admired it.

“Ye can talk to me if ye need to,” Holly said, before looking down at the floor.

Nay, I can never talk to anyone about what happened. Even thinkin’ about it sends me into a rage.

“I dinnae need to talk about it,” Elias said, taking a step toward her.

“Aye, but if ye do want to, I’m here for ye.”

Who does she think she is, comin’ in here like this? She’s been here for a week, and now what? She thinks she kens me? She thinks she can help me?

Elias continued walking until he stood before her. “I told ye that I dinnae need to talk about it.”

He realized his mistake when she looked up at him. He should have growled at her to leave his room, but he had spoken as if there was a problem, and he didn’t need to talk about it. She knew that now, and she would only push him and push him until he cracked one way or the other, all because she wanted to help.

“Dinnae push me,” Elias warned.

“I’m nae tryin’ to push ye,” Holly replied, looking him in the eyes. “I’m yer wife-to-be, and I only want ye to be happy, and ye’re nae. Ye demanded that I share me pain with ye when ye were in me room after me accident, and I didnae want to, but I did it, and I felt better for it. I ken ye have pain, Me Laird. I ken it eats ye up inside, but if ye share it with me, it’ll help ye.”

“Nay,” Elias snarled. He felt his fists clench. “Nay, it willnae help anythin’.”

He couldn’t talk about what his brother had done to him, to them.

“Please, Me Laird. Please?—”

Elias did the only thing he could think of to make her stop talking.