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He seemed to drift off for a moment, and he lost once again why he was where he was. The room was a blurred mix of colors, and all he could feel was the softness of the bed underneath him. Then he saw a face in front of him: pink lips, reddish-blond curls, and green eyes. He reached out for it, saying softly, “Charlotte. Ye’ve come. I needed ye.”
But then the face disappeared, and Angus fell into a feverish slumber once more.
* * *
After their game, Elizabeth left for her room to continue reading, and Charlotte finally had a chance to read Mrs. MacLean’s letter. She pulled it from her pocket and sat in a new chair in the parlor to read.
Dear Miss Andrews,
You are much missed. I cannot decide whether it is Liam or Angus who misses you more. Both of them have been a little sullen since you left. As for Angus, I fear he will wear himself down until there is nothing left. I do not blame your hasty departure. I know it is your duty to follow your father’s instructions.
I have been taking care of the patients as you’ve asked, but I’m afraid they have not improved. David is growing even more ill, and Breya is concerned that he will die soon, leaving her alone in this world. I will continue to care for them as best I can. Do let me know if there is anything new you think of or if there is a time when you may come and visit. I would like to see you again, as I know all of us would.
Mrs. MacLean
At first, Charlotte was touched by her kind words. Only an old Scottish woman would write such a heartfelt letter. Despite her scores of friends in London, not one of them would write in such a touching way. That’s why she had attached herself so wholly to Julia after they were reunited and, hopefully, now to sweet Elizabeth.
But after she’d finished the letter, her heart fluttered with worry. She breathed slowly, thinking about all that the letter contained. First, Mrs. MacLean thought that Angus actually missed her and that his sullenness had to do with her leaving.
Also, she knew that although Liam liked her in a lighthearted sort of way, he would get over her departure soon enough. But to hear from both Liam and Mrs. MacLean that Angus was not faring well made her guilt even more pronounced. Did she do him wrong by leaving? Could she really have helped simply by staying another week? She wondered the same about the patients.
Would her presence there for just a few days longer have made any difference? Well, at least her father had had the means to send over a large amount of food. Hopefully, that would do something for them. But Mrs. MacLean did not even mention it in the letter. She bit her lip in concentration. Mrs. MacLean must have sent it just before she’d received them. Also, Charlotte did not think she would be able to find a time, but both Liam and Mrs. MacLean had mentioned that she should visit whenever she could.
Perhaps she could somehow orchestrate a visit if Lord Darling knew nothing about it. She would not be able to tell her father either. It sounded like they might need her. She thought about Angus, sitting alone, the weight of a clan on his shoulders, and she actually felt sorry for him. What was happening to her? She had left in a hurry, desperate to get away from the man who had angered her at every step, and now she was pitying him? She wished to be by his side?
That was the real reason she wanted to go. She knew it in her heart, but she tried to push that away. She wanted to be with Angus, to see him again. She tried to think of it as the fact that she couldn’t watch human suffering, but that was not it, at least not fully. She sat back in the chair and placed the letter on a side table. Why did Angus anger her so much? What was it about him that had frustrated her so and made her act so unbelievably rude and harsh one minute and amorous the next?
He had tried to keep her in line and tell her what to do, and that had always made the rage boil up inside of her. But he was nothing like Lord Darling, stating words like laws in a cold tone and thinking her a less than capable, silly woman. No, Angus was not like that. He was simply trying to keep her safe. With all that he had to do, he had made her a priority, and while she had been so wrapped up in trying to live her own life, she didn’t see it. Now she had run away from the castle and had willingly flung herself into a prison.
She sighed. She would find a way to get over the Sound and to the island sometime. It may take a little thinking to set up a plan, but she would do it. It was the only way to test a theory about the feeling that was beginning to sprout in her. She had to see Angus again.
She left the room and decided it was time to speak to her father about all the nonsense that was going on. She crept by his study and thanked God that he was alone. She knocked quietly and then rushed inside. General Andrews looked slightly surprised but then smiled, even if a little sheepishly.
Charlotte closed the door and then placed her hands on her hips. “Father, I think ‘tis only right that you tell me just what is going on here? We can no longer send gifts? He will be helping you find me a match? I barely know this man, and suddenly he comes and controls everything?”
General Andrews laid down the quill pen that he was using and sighed. He moved to a side couch that was next to the desk and patted a spot next to him. Charlotte acquiesced and sat, waiting for his reply.
He laid his hands softly on his knees. “I am sorry, my dear, but there will have to be a lot of changes. Changes that even I did not know about. The men will be adding even more training to their daily schedule. Meals will be cut down, for the Earl thinks we have too many frivolous things here and we are wasting our money. And he asked about your plans for marriage, and I told him I was hoping to find the time to make a suitable match. He agreed to help because he feels it is bad luck for a woman to be in the Fort with all these men, and it might not be safe.”
Charlotte was aghast. “But Elizabeth is here!”
Her father shrugged. “He says that Elizabeth is a well-behaved young woman and would never stray from her father’s commands. And if battle ensues, then there is an aunt she may go and stay with.”
Charlotte gasped. “Father, do you not take offense at such a comment? He assumes that I am ill-behaved!”
“I do, but what can I say? The man has been sent by the King. The Earl fears an upcoming battle, and so has given that same fear to the King. I must follow whatever rules necessary in order to appease my sovereign.”
Charlotte was silent. She knew that whatever her father was, he was loyal to his King and country, and he wouldn’t do anything to damage it if he could help it. She gripped onto his hand and looked into his eyes, wishing she could get through somehow.
“But, Father, surely, we can ask that you have the final word on anyone that he selects? Or will he force his way?”
Tears were beginning to well in her eyes. At the reminder of the Lord’s command, she felt her old world slipping away from her. The image of a smirking Angus came to her, and at that thought, one tear slipped free of its bonds and down her cheek.
Her father looked at her with kindness. “I will do my best, my dear. But he has told me that he has already found someone that he deems to be sufficient.”
