Page 12 of Highland Spirit

“I gave it to her, but I want it back.”

“Well, mayhap we can find ye another doll,” Ethan suggested, managing to get a big pout from her in return. “What did it look like?”

“Her doll was made of rags and was wearin’ a blue and red dress,” said her brother. “But she has no friend named Isobel. We were the only children on the isle. Sophie made that part up.”

“I dinna!” screamed the girl, looking furious with her brother for saying that. Oliver gave her a look that said he wanted the girl to stay quiet about something.

“I see.” Suddenly, a vision flashed through Ethan’s mind of the little girl he saw yesterday at the castle. “Sophie, ye said ye had a friend named Isobel?”

“Aye,” she said, wiping her eyes. “I did. Honest, I did.”

“Nay, she’s lyin’,” said Oliver, making Sophie start to cry again.

“Was the little girl, perhaps livin’ at the castle?” asked Ethan.

“Aye,” said Sophie. “But she sneaked out to play with me sometimes.”

“Sophie, hush,” said Oliver in a warning tone. “Mathair wouldna like it if she kent ye were makin’ up stories again.” Just the mention of their dead mother upset the girl and she started bawling once again.

“Now wait a moment.” Ethan held up a hand to the girl’s brother. “I do believe ye, Sophie.”

“Ye do?” She looked up and blinked her wet lashes twice.

“Aye, because I think I saw yer friend, Isobel yesterday,” Ethan explained. “At the castle.”

“Ye did?” Hope showed in Sophie’s eyes.

“Aye, and she was holdin’ a doll that sounds very similar to the one ye described.”

“I want to play with Isobel,” said Sophie. “I want my dolly back.”

“That’s goin’ to be a little hard to do since the castle is haunted,” continued Ethan. “I, for one, dinna ever plan on goin’ back there again.”

Sophie released her brother and ran to Ethan, wrapping her arms around him. She sobbed and looked up to him with those sad eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Please, find my dolly for me. Please, Ethan.”

Ethan picked up the little girl and stood up, holding her to his chest in a protective hug. She was cold and her little body shook like a leaf. This doll meant the world to her. She needed it to comfort her now that her mother had died. How could he tell her that he wouldn’t help her? He would seem like naught but an ogre if he turned her away.

“Och, lass,” he said, rubbing her back and looking out over the water in the distance toward the isle. He kept thinking of seeing Alana in the tower and part of him longed to go back to find out if it was true. “Mayhap I can try to find yer doll for ye, but I canna promise ye that I will.”

“Oh, thank ye,” said the little girl, kissing him on the cheek and looking up at him like he was some sort of savior. Ethan wasn’t a savoir, and the last thing he wanted was to step foot on that blasted isle again. But how could he turn down the request of a poor child who had naught left in life but her brother? Everyone needed a comfort item to make them feel safe, and hers was her doll. It was the last remembrance of her departed mother. Knowing this, nothing else seemed to matter. He had to find that doll for her because he wanted to make the little girl smile.

“Oh, it’s no’ a problem,” said Ethan, already feeling a knot twisting in his gut. He always thought Caleb was the one who made addlepated decisions. But now, he was the one doing just that. After all, he’d just agreed to purposely go back to Blackbriar Castle.

Chapter 4

The sky darkened overhead as Ethan stepped into the boat later that day, preparing to go back to the cursed isle. Part of him wanted naught to do with the wretched place, but he was going for more reasons than one. The first one being to help the little girl so she’d stop crying. The second, because he needed to find out if it truly was Alana he saw in the tower window.

“We’d better hurry,” said Hawke, untying the boat as Trapper jumped in over the side. “It looks like there is one hell of a storm brewin’.”

Hawke insisted on going with Ethan to the isle since Sophie was now in his care. Even if the girl wasn’t his by birth, he had an instant family with Oliver and Sophie, being married to Phoebe.

“Mayhap we’d better wait until the storm passes,” said Ethan, glancing up at the sky. Yesterday was nothing with the light wind and flurry of snow. Today looked like the sky was about to open and a blizzard was going to cover the land.

“Nay, my ears canna take the wee lass’ cryin’ a minute longer,” grumbled Hawke. “If ye say ye ken where this doll is, then God’s eyes, get it fast!”

Just as Hawke was about to push off, Caleb came running down the hill to the loch. “Wait!” he called, waving his arms as the wind picked up and the snow started to fall.

“What is it?” asked Hawke. “Is somethin’ wrong?”