Page 29 of His Secret Highland Bride

Lindsay woke to an empty cottage. Well, empty except for Treun, who was patiently waiting by the door to be let out. She guessed Shane was already in the village working with Doran or out visiting the rock.

Memories from the night before rushed in at the thought of her husband, and her face went warm as she remembered the kisses they’d shared. It had been wonderful. So much so, she’d wanted more, but he’d stopped and left as if something were chasing him.

Likely, it was guilt.

She didn’t know what else to do for him. It would take time for him to be ready to move on, and she would need to be patient, even if she wasn’t certain how much time they had.

After finishing the cleaning of their home, she decided to go into the village to see if any of her things were still at her uncle’s cottage. She only had the one dress, and while the other dresses hadn’t been much better than the one she wore, they were better than nothing.

Her mouth pinched in anger when she thought of her maid. If she ever got her hands on the girl… The dresses were one thing, but the jewels were much harder to replace. They’d belonged to her father’s mother and were a gift from her father. One of the few times he’d seemed pleased to have a daughter to dote upon. When he learned they were lost, he would be very disappointed in her.

But surely not as disappointed as he’d be when he found out she was married to a soldier.

The cottage she’d shared with her uncle and cousins was dark and quiet for once. She threw the fabric back from the window to let the light in and took in the dusty room. The table stood in the center of the space, with a stub of a candle and knotted bundle of twine upon it. In the far corner, where she’d kept her things, she found nothing. Not even a scrap of fabric.

Feeling a familiar sense of dread, she quickly left the cottage, almost desperate to get back to the sun, where the light would scatter the ghosts of that place. Hearing the cracking of wood against wood, she found two familiar men in the field next to the village. She stopped to watch as Shane and Doran sparred, distracted by the way her husband moved out of range of Doran’s practice sword, as well as the way his brown hair curled at the ends when dampened with sweat.

At the sound of a throat clearing, she turned to a smiling woman she’d seen with the butcher.

“Good day to ye, miss. A letter arrived for Randall, but I wasn’t sure what to do with it.”

“I will take it,” Lindsay said, knowing when she spotted the seal that the letter was for her rather than her uncle anyway.

The woman nodded. “Well, then, I should be getting back.”

Lindsay thanked the woman absently as she flipped the letter over and recognized the writing as that of her father. When she was alone, she broke the seal and opened the letter.

Dear Daughter,

I will arrive after harvest to see to the matter of your marriage to the MacPherson laird. I will bring your belongings at that time.

I received your letter requesting passage back home to Riccarton, but there is no reason to make the trip. Make your way to the castle to prepare for the festivities. I will join you soon.

Until then,

DW

He’d signed the letter as he always did, with the larger-than-life D for Donald and the swooping W for Wallace. She read it again and a third time. With each pass, she realized how thoroughly trapped she was.

“What have I done?” she muttered to herself as she looked around, almost confused to find she was still where she’d been standing when it seemed everything in her life had suddenly turned upside down.

She was promised to the MacPherson laird, but she was already married to one of his warriors. What would the man do to Shane when he found out? They were only starting to know each other. She tossed the letter into a nearby fire and turned for home. She would need to tell Shane the truth and let him decide what they should do. They hadn’t consummated the marriage. It wasn’t too late to have their vows annulled.

Perhaps she could make her way to the MacKenzies. Her cousin Meaghan lived there with her new husband. But wouldn’t her father simply track her down and bring her back to face this problem? With more anger for his efforts?

She considered her options as she made her way to the path that led to her new home. She found her husband coming in from the field in which he’d been sparring with her cousin moments ago. He held out a small bouquet of flowers he must have picked as she’d stood there reading her father’s missive. With his full lips pulled up into a dashing smile, he held out his gift.

“I’m sorry for running off as I did last night,” he said. “I am trying, Lindsay. Please, give me more time.”

All thoughts of telling him what waited for her or ending their marriage drifted away as the scent of heather and daisies surrounded her. It was wrong. She didn’t belong to him because she was promised to another. What would happen if he managed to care for her only to have her taken away from him? He’d lost so much already. But she wanted to be Shane’s wife a little while longer. While it was still her choice to make, she was choosing him. Harvest was still a few months away yet. She had time.

“Are you well? You seem pale,” he said, concern pulling his brows together.

“Aye.” She nodded and then let out a sigh. “We have time.”

“What were you doing in there?” He nodded toward the shack.

“It seems my uncle must have sold the rest of my dresses. I’m afraid I only have this one.”