Page 24 of The Highlander’s Virgin Nun (Highlanders’ Feisty Brides #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“A lexandra, sit down.”

“I will do nay such thing!”

Alexandra’s face was red. The veins in her arms strained against her soft, pale skin, and her chest heaved with every furious breath. Caelan had rarely seen her like this, but this was another consequence of his decision to send Rosaline away.

Still, he did not regret it.

“It wasnae safe for her, Alexandra.”

He had never raised his voice to his sister, but he felt it was needed in the moment. She had to hear him out, take him seriously. He had not sent his wife away out of spite.

“Ye dinnae even ken that braither of hers! He left her in that Abbey for years. Ye ken what she went through, and I’m sure he does too. How could ye trust him to keep her any safer than we would?”

“He didnae ken, Alexandra.”

“Ye believe that, do ye?”

Caelan leaned back in his chair, and Alexandra finally sat down. He tried to reason with her, to be as honest with her as he had been with Conall, but she would not be convinced.

“Alexandra, calm down and listen to me. I am yer Laird,” he demanded.

“I ken ye are under great threat, Caelan, but that doesnae mean that she is too. Killin’ her willnae earn them the Lairdship, only an enemy.”

“Aye, it will,” Caelan barked.

He had not wanted his sister to find out this way. He had imagined how overjoyed and excited she would be when she finally learned she would become an aunt. But life was not always so magical.

“What do ye mean?” Alexandra croaked, realization already dawning on her face.

“She is with child.”

Alexandra sagged in her chair, as if she had received a harsh blow. She placed a hand over her heart and raised the other to her mouth, but it quickly fell to her lap.

“How could ye?” she gasped.

“What do ye mean, Alexandra? We need an heir—ye kenned that was the point all along.”

Alexandra shook her head, disbelief written all over her face. “Ye put an heir in her belly, and then ye sent her away. Made her as much of a target as yerself, and then shipped her off.”

“Alexandra!” Caelen shouted, putting an end to her insolence and ensuring she knew he would accept it no longer. “She will be safer there. They willnae be able to track her braither down, and he has assured me that he will look after her. I’m goin’ to deal with the threat and make it safe here. Then, I am goin’ to bring her back.”

Alexandra pushed her chair back and shot up to her feet, before flipping her skirts behind her and marching to the door.

“Ye bloody well better, Caelan, and ye better do it fast. I think ye have made a grave mistake here, and if that girl bears the brunt of it, I will never forgive ye.”

She fled from his study, and Caelan was left in the wake of her words.

He was almost entirely sure that he had made the right decision, but Alexandra had voiced the only doubt that niggled at his mind. If he was wrong—if Rosaline was not safer with her brother—then she and their child would die, and it would be entirely his fault.

* * *

The journey, though long, was well-needed. On horseback, Rosaline and her brother took the time to catch up on so many years spent apart. Their final memories of one another, their parents, and their lives since. All of it was discussed at length, and yet there was still not enough time for everything.

“Here we are. Ye can see the new castle now,” Conall murmured as a tall, grey castle came into view, surrounded by early planted fields and rows of cottages.

Rosaline felt her weary bones ache, now that rest was in sight. She longed to rest her head on a pillow and sleep in her new home.

Me new home .

She ran the thought over in her mind, trying to take the village and castle in, trying to commit as much of it to memory as she could so that she would adjust to it as fast as possible. Because, of course, it wasn’t her home.

“It’s nae the castle we grew up in, but I took every measure to make sure it still felt like home,” Conall explained.

After their father died and chaos broke out, so much of the original MacKinnon Castle had been ransacked, looted, and damaged by fighting that Conall simply had to start over.

“I found safer land, and I took what I could. I built it from the ground up with me men. Keep an eye out when ye’re inside; ye may recognize more than ye think.”

As they trotted through the castle gates and dismounted their horses, Conall was greeted by a fairy-like woman with blonde wavy hair and soft brown eyes. She ran to him and leaped into his arms, holding onto him tightly and giggling with joy at his return.

“Eliza, this is me sister, Rosaline,” Conall said once his wife had released him.

Eliza stepped up to Rosaline and took both of her hands in her own. The smile on her face was warm, understanding, ready to listen.

“Welcome home, Rosaline,” she greeted.

Rosaline’s heart almost broke with appreciation.

“Thank ye,” she managed, fighting back tears. “It is so lovely to meet ye, Eliza. Conall has told me so much about ye.”

“Ye must be exhausted. I’ll show ye to yer rooms and perhaps bring ye some food. I dinnae suppose ye’ll be in the mood for a feast?”

Rosaline had to place a hand over her heart to check that it was still intact. The fact that Eliza understood that she would be tired and overwhelmed by meeting so many people touched her deeply.

“That would be lovely, thank ye.”

“Thank ye, darlin’,” Conall murmured.

He gave his wife one final small hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Eliza took Rosaline’s trunk and gestured for her to follow.

As they walked through the castle, Rosaline took it all in. She did, in fact, recognize many items. Bolts of MacKinnon tartan hung from the stone walls, and the long brass rods with eagle heads carved on each side. Highland landscapes, framed in green, yellow, and brown frames, lined the walls. Door knockers and handles sporting heads of various native animals—wildcats, squirrels, deer, and puffins—adorned each door she passed.

All of these items, Rosaline could remember from her childhood. While some looked much smaller, they were sleek and shiny, as if they had never withstood the test of time.

She glanced at each doorknob until Eliza grabbed one and turned it, opening the door to Rosaline’s new room.

“I picked this room for ye. It doesnae get any draft, has a nice view, and is close to the library, which is just down the hall. Conall remembered that ye used to like readin’ as a child.”

“I still do. That’s very kind.” Rosaline smiled.

“Please make yerself at home,” Eliza encouraged, putting her small trunk down by the bed. “I will fetch ye some food and bring it back in just a moment.”

With that, Eliza was gone, and Rosaline was left alone in her new room. Quickly, she unpacked her trunk and hung her dresses in the wardrobe. It was as if the faster she tucked her things in the wardrobe, the faster she would feel at home.

Rosaline familiarized herself with where everything was, moving the jug of water beside her bed, checking the desk for parchment and ink, and pulling the curtains closed. She would check the view in the morning, once the sun had risen. She took off her boots and put on a pair of slippers Eliza had left by her bed.

“I hope this is all right. Dinnae feel pressured to eat anythin’ ye’re nae fond of.”

Eliza returned with a plate of bread, meat, and vegetables and placed it on the small table by the window.

“I can leave ye to rest now, or I can stay and answer any questions ye have.”

Rosaline considered for a moment. She was tired and had had a very emotional few days. She would have liked to simply rest and try to calm her nerves, but she knew that rest would not come so easily.

So, she decided it would be best to get to know her sister-in-law and what life was like here.

“Please, stay.”

“Of course,” Eliza said with a smile, seemingly glad of the opportunity to chat with her sister-in-law.

“If ye dinnae mind me askin’, how did ye meet me braither?” Rosaline asked, thinking it best if she started the conversation.

She could see that Eliza was very considerate, but she also noted that the woman looked unsure where to start.

“Ye can ask me anythin’, lass.” Eliza let out a small laugh. “It was an unconventional meetin’. Yer braither kidnapped me.”

Rosaline’s hand flew to her mouth in shock, but then it lowered as she saw the smile on Eliza’s face.

“It sounds terrible, and it wasnae very charmin’ at the time, but he had his reasons.”

She kept silent, waiting for Eliza to elaborate.

“The clan was sufferin’ a grave illness. He desperately needed a healer, and me talents were spoken of far and wide. I never wanted to leave me home, and he kenned I wouldnae come if he simply asked, so he brought me here by force. He had nay choice.”

“Still, I hope he didnae hurt ye,” Rosaline said, fearful that her brother had turned into a cruel laird.

“Nay. We didnae get on well at first, but eventually, I saw the man desperate to save his people, who had gone through so much already. I was able to help, and as his stress ebbed, his kindness and softness shone through. And I fell in love with him.”

Rosaline took it all in, a sad smile crossing her lips. The story was complex and difficult, just like hers. She wondered if her story would have the same ending.

“I read yer letter,” Eliza admitted. “Yer husband, Laird Sinclair, he sent ye here. Why?”

“I am unsure,” Rosaline confessed.

While she had taken his words to heart—that her brother owed her and that he should take care of her while he still could—before leaving, she saw in his eyes and his words that there was perhaps more to it.

“He is under attack, constantly. Now that I am carryin’ his child, I am under attack too. He thought I would be safer here.”

“Ye are,” Eliza agreed.

“But he was cruel. He told me that Conall owed me. He made me a deal I couldnae walk away from. He is cold and distant and doesnae want to care for me. I cannae trust him.”

Eliza moved her chair closer and took Rosaline’s hands in her own once more. She looked deep into her eyes, and Rosaline saw her sincerity, care, and wisdom.

“It is hard for us to trust them,” Eliza began. “They have so much more power than us. They have wealth and armies and castles and titles, and we both met them while we had nothin’. I was terrified to leave me family and me patients, and I resented Conall for takin’ me from them for so long. But ultimately, he treated me with such kindness and was willin’ to share everythin’ he had with me.

“I think they struggle to express themselves sometimes, as they were taught to act, nae to speak. They come off as cold because they hide their warmth. But if ye look for it, if ye make them feel safe enough to show it, it can be truly worth it in the end.”

Rosaline listened to Eliza’s words. She tried to imagine how they applied to Caelan, a man Eliza had never met. They almost matched up, but she still had to take a leap and trust that the picture was real.

“Follow yer heart, Rosaline. I followed mine, and it was the best thing I’ve ever done.”

“I’m nae that brave,” Rosaline breathed.

“Ye have been through so much, Rosaline, and I dinnae even ken half of it. Ye are far braver than me to have made it this far. Of course, ye are brave enough.”

After a moment of silence, with Eliza stroking Rosaline’s hands lightly with her thumbs, she rose and gestured to the food she had brought.

“Please eat. It will do ye good. When ye are done, ye can ring for a servant to take yer plate or bring ye more. There is plenty.”

Rosaline nodded. “Thank ye.”

“Then, please get some rest. I left ye a nightdress in the chest of drawers in case ye didnae get a chance to pack one. There are extra furs atop the wardrobe and plenty of candles to light if ye arenae fond of the dark. Breakfast will be served in the main hall at dawn, but ye dinnae have to wake up early. Take yer time, and we will make ye a plate whenever ye are ready to join us.”

Rosaline stood up. “I really do thank ye, Eliza. It is so kind of ye both to take me in and make me feel so welcome. I dinnae ken what I would have done without ye.”

“Ye dinnae need to thank us, Rosaline. Caelan was right about at least one thing—we do owe ye. What was yer faither’s is as much yers as it is Conall’s. This is yer home, and ye belong here. Ye will always belong here.”

The words were too much for Rosaline’s already broken heart. She hugged Eliza tightly, resting her head on her shoulder. She had just met this woman, and here she was, clinging to her, almost in tears.

But Eliza did not make her emotions feel too big or too much. She wrapped her arms around her and held her just as tight, lightly rubbing her back.

“Sleep well, lass. Ye can relax now.”