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He grumbled, “Are ye just as besotted with the lass as every other man on this damned island?”
Liam shifted on his feet. “Are ye nae, Angus? She is like nae other women in the world. She is like a beautiful flame, uncatchable. There is nae one who sees her who does nae think of her once she is gone.”
Liam was starting to look a little dreamy, and Angus rolled his eyes. “Nae, I dinnae feel that way about her. She is just a woman who is here visiting her cousin, and she needs tae be kept safe and kept from being a burden. That is all.” These were the words he so desperately wanted to believe. It felt good to say them aloud and let someone else hear them. Then they might eventually turn out to be true. But after last night’s kiss, he knew that they weren’t.
“Go, lad. I will wait for the lass tae awake. Ye may bed in the castle if ye like this eve. The storm yet rages on.” And as if the storm was following orders, the wind howled anew and pounded against the windows and walls and made an eerie sound throughout the dark hallway.
Liam left with a nod, and Angus waited in the hallway near Charlotte’s room. He removed a wooden pipe from his jacket pocket and a leather pouch full of tobacco. It was a rare moment when Angus would resort to smoking, but he’d felt the desire more often of late due to all of the stress that was consuming his mind and not allowing him to rest.
He lit the pipe on one of the torches on the wall, breathing in the sweet smell of tobacco, letting his mind unfurl and relax as he waited against the wall in the hallway. He knew that Mrs. MacLean might not approve, but he needed to see Charlotte and make sure she was all right. It was his duty, was it not? And he hoped that she would be awake soon.
A servant nearly bumped into him as they turned down the hallway. “Oh!” the young girl said. “Excuse me, Sir, but here is a letter come for Mistress Andrews. ‘Tis from the Fort, as she expected.”
Angus took it in hand, surprised at its arrival. “They must have had a bloody time of it, coming across the Sound in this weather.”
“Aye, Sir, the rain started as they were already almost fully across. ‘Tis a young boy.”
Angus nodded. “Give him food and drink then, lass. He may bed down in the kitchen taenight or wherever Mrs. MacLean sees fit.”
“Aye, Sir.” The maid curtsied and left, and Angus kept his eyes on the letter. It had the seal of Fort William on the front of it, and he smoothed over its rough edges with his thumb. He felt divided, as he hoped that her father demanded her return but also wished it not to be so. He looked up at Charlotte’s door, wondering how she’d react when she saw the letter.
Suddenly, curiosity seemed to take over his mind. He needed to know what was in the letter, or her father’s response would eat away at him. Besides, he didn’t know how long he would have to wait. Charlotte might be more injured than any of them knew. She could not wake up for a while, or if she did wake up, she might be unable to pen a response as quickly as her father would desire. He might have to write a letter himself to alert him of her condition. He tried to ignore the pangs of guilt as he felt his thumb slip under the fold of the letter and break the wax seal.
Once the deed was done, he hurriedly unfurled the letter to read the note written in a beautiful and elegant hand, the hand of an Englishman with a wealthy education. It read:
My dearest Charlotte,
Although I know you do, dear Julia, a great service, it pains me so that you do not wish to join your father in his work at the barracks. Your presence would be a great comfort to me as I lie in wait for a new assistant to arrive here. He will come to stay for quite a long while, assisting me in Fort duties as well as relations with nearby clans. I have been told that there are rumors of war, but I do not fear it. We have things well in hand.
You may stay for a little while longer. You need to come in one week. That is when the man, the Earl of Oxford, will be here, and he will wish to meet you. I need you by my side as the proper young lady that you are, representative of our family. And, Charlotte, we need to continue the discussion we had before we left for Scotland. You need to begin to consider your marriage. It is your duty, and there is much at stake.
See you soon,
Father
He reread the letter many times. So it was as he had half-hoped. Her father wanted her to return. It was not right away, but it was not much time until she was due back to her true home, with her family. He tried to tell himself that’s what he wanted. She would be there, and she would be safe, away from the dangers of the Isle, with her father and a whole set of soldiers to protect her. And then he could focus on everything he needed to do to keep the clan afloat.
But she wouldn’t be here anymore.
“What does that matter?” He whispered to the empty hall. Excellent; he was speaking to himself now, in the middle of a raging storm. Perhaps he was truly going mad. He took in a deep breath of smoke, trying to piece together the rest of the letter’s import. There would be a new man assisting at the Fort. There were whispers of war, of which he had not heard. And then the last part about her getting married.
She intended to get married. Of course, that’s what any young woman of her age and her station would be thinking about. It was the usual way of things. So why did he feel a sharp pain in his chest?
Mrs. MacLean opened the door with a jolt of surprise. “Oh! Angus, come in. She is awake now and dressed in dry clothing.”
Angus looked up. “Good.” But, he put the letter behind his back and prepared himself to be yelled at.
