Page 19 of Taken by the Heartless Highlander (Falling for Highland Villains #2)

CHAPTER 19

“The main dispute was with the bridge,” Callum said, pointing to a point where two rivers met on the map in front of him. “They’ve agreed to share the waterway now. Their two communities will both fish there,” he sighed. “It was a lot of fuss over nothin’ if ye ask me.”

Callum had been running through the recent comings and goings of the MacAllen clan for almost thirty minutes, but Noah was finding it difficult to concentrate.

He was waiting for Daisy and Keira to arrive so that he could take them shopping. He was eager to see the healer after the events of the night before. It was vexing to admit that he was looking forward to her company more than he had ever anticipated.

He heard a clash of steel echo through the open window from the courtyard below, where he had set Scott up for some training practice with one of the guards. The boy had been quite giddy with excitement, and the sight warmed his heart. He liked the lad.

“Me laird!” Callum said curtly, raising his voice and making Noah jump.

“What, man?” he asked irritably.

“What do ye mean, ‘what man’? I have asked ye three times if yer ridin’ out to Cullivan Bay with me today. Ye arenae listenin’.”

Callum narrowed his eyes as he scanned Noah’s face, and his expression turned from anger to concern.

“Did ye nae get any rest again?” he asked, his voice low and worried. “I thought ye’d be doin’ better with a new healer helpin’ ye.”

Noah was horrified when he felt a blush creep over his neck at the mention of Keira, and he hurriedly looked away.

Callum did not return to the maps in front of him, however, looking at Noah with an unimpressed expression. Noah rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, wishing he could hide under the desk rather than admit the truth.

He looked at his friend ruefully.

“I think the new healer might be part of the problem.”

Callum squinted at him and then rolled his eyes. “Ye blitherin’ fool,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Did ye nae bring her here for her own protection?”

“Aye, I ken I did?—”

“Well then.”

“Well what?”

“Dinnae lose yer head over a bonnie face. Although I dinnae blame ye. She’s very comely?—”

Callum stopped speaking abruptly, his face turning a tad pale as he looked at Noah’s expression.

“I have nay designs on her, man,” he said, raising his hands as though Noah was aiming a crossbow at his heart. “What has gotten into ye?” he hissed as Noah tried to tamp down the fury that had erupted inside him at the thought of Callum admiring Keira.

He opened his mouth to apologize when suddenly the woman herself appeared in the doorway of the room.

“Sorry,” she said quickly, her gaze flicking between them. “I dinnae mean to interrupt.”

Noah ignored Callum, who was still staring at him as though he had entirely lost his faculties and approached Keira warily, watching for any sign of the anger he had stirred in her the night before. But her face was a mask of indifference.

“Where is Daisy?” he asked.

“She isnae feelin’ well, I dinnae think it is wise for her to come to town and traipse around with us. She will get too tired, and she needs the rest.”

Noah glanced back at Callum, who had his arms crossed over his chest and was still glaring at him.

“Give me a moment, Keira, and then we will go” he said, and she nodded and stepped back. Noah pushed the door closed, turning back to his man-at-arms.

“What are ye about ye great fool?” Callum asked, though his tone was still more respectful than Noah deserved.

“Daenae ye think I ken how unwise it is?”

Callum shook his head. “I have only seen ye this agitated once, and that was when ye were givin’ away yer sister.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw, glancing at the door quizzically. “She’s hardly a lady,” he continued thoughtfully, “couldnae ye just have her and be done with it?”

“Dinnae speak of her like that,” Noah hissed, mindful of Keira just outside the door.

Callum’s face settled into a look of resigned concern. “Ye have always said ye dinnae want a woman in yer life.”

“I dinnae!” Noah exclaimed, scrubbing a hand over his eyes and groaned. “Will ye just let it be?”

Callum shrugged. “Alright. Whatever ye need. Ye ken ye always have me support, no matter how foolhardy yer choices may be.”

“Since we’re talkin’ of foolhardy choices…” Noah said slowly.

Callum raised his eyes to the heavens with a long-suffering groan. “Aye, out with it then. What do ye need? Ye ken I’m at yer command.”

Noah fidgeted, knowing the reaction his request might get but determined to see it done. “I want ye to find the priest,” he stated simply and was relieved to see understanding return to Callum’s eyes.

“The one who tried to burn yer healer alive, ye mean?” he asked as Noah scowled.

“She is nae ‘me’ healer.”

“But that’s the priest ye mean.”

“Yes! That’s the priest, I mean, do ye ken of another?” Noah replied in exasperation.

“Donaldson ye said?”

“Aye. Find out what ye can. He kens where she is, has been makin’ threats.”

Callum’s expression turned grave. “I’ll find him.”

“Thank ye.”

“Dinnae do anythin’ foolish,” Callum said as he raised his eyebrows at him meaningfully.

“Do as yer told, man,” Noah muttered and opened the door before he could say more.

I shall never hear the end of this.

“Are ye ready to go?” he asked Keira, who was a few feet away waiting for him to emerge.

“Are ye really takin’ me shoppin’?” she asked doubtfully, the same frown on her face.

“Aye. Ye dinnae have any clothes that havenae been set alight. It’s the least I can do. And ye dinnae fit into the—” he stopped. “Ye need clothes that’ll fit ye,” he finished lamely.

They walked into the town together. Noah following behind, enjoying the spark that returned to her eyes as she got outside the castle. She must have felt cooped up in the preceding days when she was unable to be as free as she was accustomed to.

As they reached the main street, the market stalls had already been set up. A bustling crowd was moving between the vendors, with shouts filling the air as they sold their wares.

As he walked behind her, he tried not to watch her figure too closely. Colored fabrics floated high in the distance, identifying the seamstress’s shop.

“Look at those,” Keira said in delight as they passed a stall covered with jewelry. Well—jewelry of a kind. Noah’s grandmother would not have classed the cheap stones as jewels, but Keira’s eyes lit up at the sight of them.

“We arenae here for necklaces, lass,” he said, shaking his head apologetically at the store owner, who was a slight man with three teeth. “Let us visit the seamstress and see what she might have that will suit ye.”

But Noah paused as Keira ran her fingers over a gold necklace with a black jewel at the base. He frowned at it. It was exactly the same shade as her hair. She looked back at him, smiling wanly, and then did as he had asked and walked away.

“How much is the necklace?” Noah blurted out.

“Two shillin’, Me laird,” the store owner replied.

Noah could almost hear his grandmother rolling her eyes. There was little chance that the necklace was even worth two shillings, but he felt compelled to buy it for reasons he did not wish to examine too deeply.

He had paid before he knew what he was doing and promptly handed the necklace to Keira. She stared at him in happy amazement.

“I dinnae mean for ye to buy it,” she said, looking around them self-consciously.

“Ye dinnae like it?”

“Nay, I do. But ye shouldnae have done that.”

“I bought it, ye like it. That’s the end of the discussion,” he said gruffly.

Keira did not press the point, dangling the necklace between her elegant fingers before placing it over her head.

Just the same shade as her hair, he thought with satisfaction, worth nothin’ at all until worn on her.

They continued on their journey through the market. Keira was careful not to point anything else out, and Noah could see she was holding back from speaking to some of the market stall owners.

He would have bought her everything she wanted, but he was glad she stayed silent. As the laird, he shouldn’t be seen lavishing gifts on a strange new healer who had come into the town.

However, as they reached the seamstress’s shop, Noah realized no one could prevent him from buying her all the clothes she could ever need, just to make her smile.

Keira was light-headed by the time they entered the shop.

She had never been bought a present before. Although she was sure MacAllen had done it out of some misguided sense of chivalry, she knew she would treasure the necklace forever.

She was fairly sure the stone at the base was black glass, something that could ward off the evil eye. She felt strangely comforted by it as it bumped against her breast as she walked around the store.

She glanced back at Noah, who was staring out of the window, watching the passersby.

“I will repay ye,” she said hurriedly.

The fabrics on the shelves around her looked very fine indeed. She could not imagine what an entire new set of dresses might cost.

“It is a gift. Pick what ye like,” he said stiffly and sat down in a chair to wait, giving her a stern glare that was not to be quarreled with.

“Thank ye,” she said just as the seamstress whisked her away and started to drape several beautifully embroidered fabrics over her shoulders.

“Nay, nay,” she said quickly, “they are stunnin’ truly, but do ye have any dresses already made up that might be adjusted to fit me? I will be leavin’ these parts soon.”

The seamstress looked a little crestfallen but went into the back to see what she could find.

Keira walked about the shelves, touching some of the fabrics and examining others. There were beautiful patterns and colors everywhere, more color than she had ever seen in the villages growing up. She felt like a grand lady in this place, wondering what it must be like for those who could afford such magnificent garments.

In truth, she suspected she would not be able to afford a single button. She glanced back at Noah to assess his reaction, only to find him still watching her, his gaze brooding and all-encompassing, just as it had been the night before.

She shivered, trying to hide his effect on her and determinedly suppressing her own desire. She was grateful when the seamstress returned with an armful of gowns.

Keira went into the back to try them on, waiting patiently as the seamstress marked what needed to be changed. Two of them needed barely any amendments at all.

She was far more comfortable than she had been in the ill-fitting clothing she had borrowed from the maid. For the first time, she could look at herself full length in a looking glass. She was pleased with the reflection staring back at her, unaccustomed to seeing herself in such finery.

As she donned the final dress—a long black gown with gold trim on the sleeves and down the center—she came out to show the seamstress the cut but, instead, found herself face-to-face with Noah. His gaze ran over her immediately, his eyes hungry as he looked her up and down.

“What do ye think?” she asked timidly.

He did not speak immediately, his eyes raking over every inch of her body until she was quite breathless.

“Buy it,” he said darkly.

“What?” she asked, surprised at his tone. “Do ye like it?”

“If I tell ye how much I like it, ye might accuse me of mockin’ ye again,” he murmured, and as he spoke, he took a step forward, as tall and menacing as he had been before. It unmanned her completely and she felt as though she would collapse into his arms if he said another word.

But even as he approached, Keira’s eyes were caught by something else: a movement over Noah’s shoulder that stole all of her attention.

Two women had entered the shop and were admiring the fabrics, just as she had done. But now that she had emerged, they were staring at her with a familiar look of suspicion and fear. Keira’s sucked in a shallow breath.

Noah stiffened instantly, and he turned around to see what she was looking at.

The women had bowed their heads toward one another and were whispering urgently. They glanced furtively at Keira as though she might bewitch them on the spot.

Noah’s hand moved to his sword, more on instinct than anything else. Keira stepped forward to try and quell his rising ire; she could tell by his shoulders that he was tense as a bowstring.

The women looked up at his towering presence and hurriedly backed away. Keira hated the idea that being associated with her might taint MacAllen’s reputation.

“Och, Laird MacAllen,” one of the women stammered. “G—good day.”

“Good day,” Noah replied in a voice that could have frozen fire. The shop owner had returned and was glancing between them all with some consternation. Noah’s voice was so heavy with threat that the women tittered nervously together before they walked out without another word.

Noah turned back to Keira, his mouth a hard line of discomfort.

“Lucas has already poisoned them against me,” she whispered. “His lies are spreadin’ even to yer clan.”

“He willnae be a problem for long,” Noah replied ominously, his expression grim.

“Ye cannae risk yer life for me,” she said urgently, coming forward, wishing she could touch him and beg him to forget what they had seen.

“We should get back,” he replied, his voice lighte, as though he were forcing calm into it to reassure her.

But as he settled his account with the seamstress and they walked back through the town, Noah’s hand never left the hilt of his sword, not even for a moment.