Page 100 of Bond of a Bewitched Highlander

"Enter," Brodie said.

Elsea opened the door.

"Oh, Lady Elsea! You're here?" Cat hurried forward and embraced her. "No one told me. 'Tis wonderful to see you, my friend."

Elsea beamed a wide smile, her eyes alight with happiness. "I'm delighted to see you, too, Lady Cat."

Brodie could not stop staring. Elsea used to smile at him like that, but she had not gifted him with such a look in ages. 'Twas one of the things he used to love about her. One of the many things.

"Cousin Torr." Elsea curtsied.

He bowed, and they exchanged pleasantries.

"You must tell us everything," Torr said to Brodie, eyeing him with curiosity, a teasing glint in his gaze.

"I need to talk to Torr alone," Brodie said, giving his sister a stern look. Besides, he did not need Elsea in the room, smiling and making him feel as if he'd been kicked in the stomach. 'Twas hard enough to breathe without pain. He knew what they assumed. He would enlighten Torr soonest.

"Fine," Cat said in a sullen tone. "You must tell me everything," she whispered and touched Torr's arm. "I'm going to eat. Do either of you want anything?"

"Nay," Torr said.

Brodie shook his head.

Once she left with Elsea, Torr closed the door.

"Cat cannot be involved because of the danger," Brodie blurted.

"I agree." Torr sat in the chair by the bed. "She's nay trained in knife fighting the way Elsea is."

"I refuse to allow Elsea to be injured again either."

"How was she injured?"

"A vile whoreson kicked her down on a galley, and she hit her head." Brodie explained almost everything that had happened up to the present, including that the Earl of Talnaroch was the kidnapper.

"Talnaroch? Saints! You must be jesting!" Torr well knew the bastard earl was the one Elsea had left Brodie for.

"The very same blackguard." Brodie told him the reason the greedy whoreson was kidnapping the selkies and about the ten who were still missing.

After knocking, a maid entered with a tray of ale and placed it on the table. They thanked her, and she closed the door on the way out. Torr handed him a tankard and took one for himself.

Brodie reclined against a mountain of pillows, which allowed him to drink comfortably.

"How is Elsea's head injury?" Torr asked.

"Better."

"Have you forgiven her?"

Brodie scowled. "Are you mad?"

Torr snorted, then eyed him for a long moment. "She put herself in extreme danger to help the selkies."

"I'm grateful, and I thanked her for freeing them, but that has naught to do with her earlier betrayal. I have no clue about her true motivation."

"You think she's lying?"

Brodie shrugged, then winced at the stinging pain in his chest. "Why would she risk her life so profoundly to help females she'd never met? I view anything she says with skepticism. She has proven herself hellishly untrustworthy. Besides, she's betrothed to the bastard."