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“Elspeth?”
Silence.
Amy shook Elspeth’s shoulder a little. “Elspeth?!”
“Who’s Elspeth?” the woman said.
Amy grunted a little. “Do you remember what we just talked about?”
“And who are ye?” She turned around a little, her eyes milky with confusion. It seemed the moment of clarity was gone. Who knew if what Elspeth just said was even true or the product of her illness. Poor woman. It must be so terrible, to never have control of what you remember and what you know is true.
Amy sighed. “I’m Amy. We’re taking you home to your family.”
When they returned to Inverlochy, Alana and Diarmid still waited for her in the warmth of the great hall. Alana’s head lay on Diarmid’s shoulder, her face a worried mask. She turned and her eyes widened and tears welled in them.
“Oh, Mother!”
She covered her mouth with her hands and rushed towards Elspeth. Diarmid followed her. She took the confused woman in her arms.
“Thank God ye’re well,” she whispered against Elspeth’s white hair. She turned to Craig. “Thank ye, lord. Oh, ye’re such a good lord, we’re lucky to have ye. The old lord wouldna have done it for us…”
Amy chuckled internally, curious how Craig would react. Would he take the credit? Craig’s stern face went blank in surprise.
“’Tis nae me ye should thank. ’Tis my wife. I wouldna have found yer mother without her.”
Alana let go of her mother, and Diarmid hugged the woman by her shoulders. Alana came to Amy and took her hands in hers.
“Thank ye, mistress. Thank ye with all my heart.”
Amy’s cheeks warmed, and she squeezed Alana’s hands in return. This was why she was doing what she was doing. To put such happy, relieved smiles on people’s faces.
“Of course,” she said. “I’m just glad we found her in time.”
As the reunited family walked out of the hall, Amy let out a long breath. Elspeth didn’t remember anything of their conversation now, but what if she would? Hair lifted on the nape of Amy’s neck.
She needed to do everything she could to get into that storeroom and touch that damn rock. She needed to get out of here. Out of a world where she could be proclaimed insane or killed because people would be afraid of her for being different.
She glanced at Craig again.
Only…the more time spent around him, the less she wanted to return to a world without Craig Cambel in it.
Chapter 17
Four days later…
Amy left the kitchen with two bowls of stew, walking into the evening darkness. The weather had changed earlier that day from sunny and freezing to windy and warm. Rain was coming—she could smell the wet, lush scent of its approach.
Supper was about to be served, and everyone was gathering in the great hall. She saw Craig walking there with the young warriors he’d just finished training. He had been practicing swordsmanship with them often during the last couple of days. He was smiling, the locks of his hair clinging a bit to his sweaty forehead.
An image flashed in her dirty mind—his naked, muscular body with abs like rugged plains she could lose herself in, the hard pecs. She hadn’t seen him shirtless yet, but that’s how she’d imagined him from his powerful body when he kissed her. She wanted to lick those muscles, make him tilt his head back and moan.
Craig clapped one of the boys on the shoulder, then let him pass into the hall. He stopped for a moment and looked up at her.
Her breath evaporated.
He smiled.
The smile was so disarming and sweet she almost dropped the stew and flew into his arms.
