Page 43 of The Highlander’s Tempting Touch

“If ye say so.” Ewan smirked at him. “I just thought it might explain why ye were in such a hurry to leave earlier. I thought ye might have needed tae find yer composure after struggling with… personal issues.”

His brother was right, if not in the way he thought. Still, Alistair wasn’t about to tell him so. He settled for punching his brother on the shoulder with a scowl. “Enough o’ that. I’ve work tae be doin’, and so dae ye. Tell the cooks tae send me meal up tae me study.”

He wasn’t in the mood to join the rest of the clan in the Great Hall, especially if Ewan was going to spend the entire meal smirking at him.

At least Sorcha hadn’t revealed the truth. He had no doubt the witch knew what had really happened, or at least, that they hadn’t really consummated the marriage yet. Her powers would make it easy for her to discern such things. For whatever reason, she’d chosen not to tell Ewan, and he was grateful for small mercies.

The gratitude lasted until he reached his study, to find Niamh waiting for him, her eyes wide and full of fear. “What is it?”

“What did he mean?”

Alistair stared at her. “What did who mean?”

Niamh stepped closer. “What did Ewan mean, when he said the curse is in full force?”

Niamh hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. She’d seen Ewan and Alistair going aside as she made her way to the Hall for the noon meal, and she’d been curious.

What she’d heard made her heart race. A curse? Who was cursed? What sort of curse? And what did it have to do with her? It clearly involved her in some way, since Ewan had mentioned asking the witch to lift it for her sake.

Worse to her mind was the fact that Alistair was aware of the curse and must have been for some time. How long, she didn’t know, but he’d said he was ‘already mindful’ of it, so the curse wasn’t something that had happened recently.

Now that she knew the curse existed, she couldn’t help confronting Alistair about it, outside his study. “Alistair?”

“Nae here.” Alistair opened the door to the study and ushered her inside, to shut the door behind her. “What did ye hear?”

“Only what Ewan said tae ye, just now. I was coming tae eat, and I heard yer voices. I was going tae knock, but… I heard what ye were saying, and…” She faltered.

“I understand what happened well enough.” He scowled at her, then sighed and looked away. “I didnae want ye tae worry about it. But aye, I’m cursed.”

“What sort o’ curse?”

“’Tis naething ye need to tae worry about.” He shook his head. “I have it under control, and I ken what tae dae tae avoid bringing it tae pass.”

“But… what Ewan said… daes it have something tae dae with me?” She stepped closer. “How did ye get cursed? Why?”

“It daesnae matter. And ‘tis naething ye need tae worry about, as I said.” He shook his head again. “Dinnae ask me any more about that matter. ‘Tis nae something I wish tae speak o’ any further.”

Niamh opened her mouth to argue, but Alistair finally turned to look at her, and the misery in his expression hit her like a blow. Grief, anguish, a hurt so deep it cut to the bone, all overlaid with a weariness that seemed like it would crush anyone else.

Whatever the curse was, however and whyever he had been cursed, it was clearly a painful memory. Something terrible had happened to him, and the wound was still raw.

Perhaps it had something to do with the woman he’d briefly mentioned in their first meeting. She recalled that he’d worn a similar expression when she’d teased him about the ring he’d worn at his throat.

She changed her mind. “All right. I’ll nae press ye further.”

A knock on the door announced the arrival of a maid bearing lunch. Niamh almost giggled to see the slices of pork roast on the plate. Alistair caught her eye and, after a moment, a reluctant grin tugged at one corner of his mouth. “Seems there’s enough fer two, if ye’d like tae join me.”

Niamh nodded and settled at the table across from him, watching as he poured them both small beers and distributed the food evenly between them.

She couldn’t deny that she was still curious about whatever had happened to cause Alistair to be cursed. However, she wasn’t going to ask him for further explanations. Not when it clearly pained him to think of it, and when there was another source of information, apparently close at hand.

She recalled that Alistair had mentioned sending Ewan to the witch in the morning. If he’d already returned, then it was a short journey. Which meant it was possible for her to visit the witch herself and seek the answers on her own. She didn’t need to wound Alistair by demanding the answers he wasn’t ready to give.

Niamh’s willingness to leave the matter of the curse alone was more of a relief than Alistair had expected. He’d thought they might have an awkward, silent lunch, but instead, as soon as the food was divided and both of them were at the table, Niamh spoke. “Dae ye think the cook noticed that the pig had been bled?”

“Likely. ‘Tis me hope he thought twas one o’ the scullery maids, trying tae be helpful. Or assumed it was Catriona, doing her tests fer poison.”

Alistair bit into the pork with a slight feeling of trepidation. He trusted Catriona to be careful, but knowing the pig had been poisoned made him slightly nervous all the same. However, the meat was tender and flavorful, dripping juices that he soon found himself sopping up with the bread on his plate and devouring ravenously.