“Nay, I think you wouldn’t.” The words tumbled outof her at the same time as she realized the significance of all shehad just learned.
She knew her name. Who she was and where she hadcome from. Her mother was alive. She was not alone anymore. Shedidn’t have to spend the rest of her life on this island,frightened and uncertain of what was to happen to her the nextday.
The realization swept through her like a whirlwind,wreaking havoc with her emotions. She didn’t know what to thinkfirst, what to do. Her mother was alive. She laughed, and then thetears began to fall.
Her father was dead. Tess didn’t remember him, butshe still had lost him in the same instant that she was told abouthim. Many questions battered away at her. The confusion of thatnight and what had she witnessed exactly that made her bury thememories so deep in the recesses of her mind.
“I am sorry Tess. I know this is a great deal tosort through.”
“Nay, thank you.” She wrapped her arms around him sotightly that there was not a breath of air left between them.“Thank you…thank you.”
Tess was so lost in her own happiness and her ownthoughts that it was some time before she noticed the difference inhim. Colin continued to hold her, but she could feel the tensenessthat had entered his body. Tess’s anxiety again asserted itself.She pulled away.
“There is more that you are not telling me,” shesaid, wiping at the wetness on her face
He shook his head. “This all happened so many yearsago. I am just impatient with myself for not rememberingmore—remembering the details—of what was said about the people whosupposedly had been behind the attack.”
Tess placed a hand on his shoulder and pushedherself to her feet. The power of nightmares lay in how real theyseemed. Perhaps, she thought, in how much reality was contained inthem. If she were to look back closely enough, if she could forceherself to remember the details of the dreams, then perhaps shecould recall more of what she had witnessed as a child.
Right now, though, another problem was pressing—theperson she had become. Tess looked down at her simple and tatteredhomespun dress, at her work roughened hands. The thought of what anoble lady named Lady Evelyn might think of the commoner whoclaimed to be her daughter was distressing.
He was reading her thoughts. “Tess, I know you mustbe anxious about being reunited with your mother again,” he began,standing up. “But why not come back to Benmore Castle with me—justfor a short time—until a message can be sent to your mother, andarrangements can be made for you to meet.”
She had once before rejected this same invitation.Now, though, Tess found that she felt differently.
Eleven years was a long time. Whatever bond she oncemust have had with her mother suddenly seemed so fragile,especially considering how little she recalled. Still though, Tesswanted to go to her. Part of her did, anyway. But Colin hadsuddenly become the one person that she believed she could trust.He was her only friend, and a thought began to emerge in hermind.
“Aye. I will go with you to Benmore Castle. Butwhen…when the message arrives from my mother, will you take me toher?”
“If you wish it.”
Colin took her hand in his, entwining their fingers.He said nothing more, but Tess could see that he was strugglinghard to voice something deep within him.
“You’ve no need to be doubting what we saw, m’lord,”the burly fisherman growled at Alexander Macpherson. “Unless St.Adrian himself has taken to wearing a kilt and walking on therocks, I say there was a Highlander on that island. And we’ve ne’erspied one of yours out there before.”
“Did he call out to you? Motion for you to comeashore? Did he showanysign that he’d needed help?”
“Nay. Nothin’ of the kind. The lad just stood there,a-watching the half-dozen fishing boats we had out. Then he justturned around and disappeared onto the island.”
“And you didn’t go ashore after him?”
“What for? No reason to.” The man shrugged. “And wehad fishing to do. After a storm like that, the fishing is alwaysgood. The rest of ‘em are still out there, m’lord. I only cameback, as I’d heard one of your men talking of it in the alehouselast night. He said there was gold in it for whoever helped findyour brother. I’m thinking maybe I made a mistake coming here.”
“Nay. You made no mistake.”
The fisherman followed the Highlander out of hiscabin door and waited as Alexander shouted orders to his ship’smate.
“He didn’t look like he was in any trouble at all,”the fisherman added when the ship’s master was done. “And ‘tis notlike the lad’s all alone there. Auld Garth and his wife have beenliving on that island forever and a day. I cannot say they’re veryfond of company, but the two are sure to give a man a meal or twoand a dry place to sleep.”
“Very well,” Alexander drew a bag of gold from hisbelt and tossed it to the man. “I’ll see to it that more of thiscomes your way if that the man you saw was my brother.”
“Aye, m’lord. Wishing ye the best, I am.” With animbleness that defied his burly physique, the fisherman scrambledover the side and into his currach.
It was too much to hope, the Highlander thought ashe turned his thoughts from the man rowing toward the shore. Butthey had searched north and south along this coast for Colin andfound nothing. With each passing hour, Alexander’s hopes of findinghis brother alive had lessened.
And then the fisherman had rowed his skin-coveredboat into the harbor.
Perhaps St. Adrian wasn’t finished with hismiracles, after all.
