Her Highland Devil (Scottish Highlander Romance), page 22
“Dae ye think he has a hand in this?” Callum asked.
“It is difficult tae say. Dae ye think he does?”
“I dae not think so. All he did was tae make it easy for her by delivering the letter.”
“What letter?” Efgerald asked.
“The letter she wrote tae her family. She told me she gave it tae him and he saw tae it that it was delivered,” he was speaking with all the strength he had left. He winced his pain as he tried to open his eyes.
“My Laird,” the physician said, coming in. “This is nae good for his health. He needs all the rest he can get.”
Efgerald sighed and stood up.
“Dae nae go, Efgerald,” Callum shouted stubbornly but his friend whispered into his ears.
“Save yer strength and get better quickly. Then we can deal with this once we hae enough proof that Malcolm knows about it.”
Callum felt something stab him as he struggled. The next thing he knew was that he lost the little strength he had left and he lost consciousness.
***
Efgerald watched his friend where he lay helplessly on the bed. One of his arms was in a sling from the injury. There were several bandages all over his body. Half of his head was covered in bandage. He has never sustained this much injury before, not even from grand battles.
“How long does he have tae get better?” he asked the physician.
“He needs at least about four weeks, my Lord,” the man replied. “What I just gave him will cause him tae sleep continually for five days so his strength can return. Ye will not be able tae talk tae him for the next five days.”
“Thank ye.”
“I need tae go attend tae the other casualties. Excuse me,” the physician said, bowing a little before exiting.
As the physician left, sir Rory came in. Both men looked at Callum where he lay. The older man shook his head.
“We dinnae see this coming,” Sir Rory said regrettably.
“No, we dinnae.”
“Were ye able tae speak tae him?”
“Aye, the Sassenach lass is responsible.”
The older man shook his head. “I do nae believe it.”
Efgerald frowned. “Why don’t ye? He said she wrote a letter tae her family. Few days later, the cavalry invaded.”
“But what does she stand tae gain this?”
Efgerald scoffed. “Her return back tae her home from whence we took her without her consent after we killed her people,” he replied.
“But, she seemed happy here. She was in love with him…”
“Maybe she was only fooling us all and she was good at it.”
Sir Rory thought for a while but still shook his head. “This is confusing. The lass doesn’t…” his voice trailed off and he shrugged. “Callum will never forgive himself for being fooled.”
“He thinks Malcolm has a hand in it,” Efgerald said quietly.
Sir Rory looked at Efgerald. “Ye think he does?”
“I do nae know. Everything happened too quickly. Have ye seen Malcolm today?”
“Aye. He was busy helping with the casualties.”
Both men kept quiet but instead watched Callum.
“The attack was too easy. It was perfect timing. Where was he?” Sir Rory asked.
“Isabella’s grave, with the lass.”
“Something is not right. We need tae be very careful here. I dae not think the lass is tae be blamed for this.”
“He also said she left with her people willingly,” Efgerald said.
“Oh, well,” said Sir Rory. “Maybe she has a hand in it after all.”
***
Dianne stood by the window, watching her daughters play downstairs. While Brooke and Berthie chased themselves all over the garden, Gabby sat, laughing and watching them. She seemed really uncomfortable in the muslin gown she was wearing for she kept pulling at it. Finally, she removed her gloves and the scarf around her neck. After this, she pulled down her gown a little bit so that part of her chest could get some fresh air.
Lady Dianne kept on watching as Gabby stretched and smiled. She noticed the dress she was wearing.
“My daughter is showing off her cleavages,” she gasped quietly but loud enough for Sophie who had just come in, to hear.
“Well, we had to empty the closet before she became comfortable with the one she is putting on right now,” said Sophie, handing Dianne the cup of tea she had brought in.
“Something is wrong with her, Sophie. Can’t you see that?” Dianne asked, raising the cup to her lips.
“I think she has just grown quite accustomed to the Scottish ways.”
Dianne shut her eyes and swallowed. “I feel as if I do not even know my own daughter anymore.”
“Why don’t you try to talk to her? She is still your daughter.”
Dianne turned from the window and walked to the bed. “She has changed, Sophie. My daughter acts and dresses like a stranger. The way she kept saying she needed to go back to her home, it was…” she shivered and sat on the bed. “It made me think perhaps I might have lost her to them.”
Sophie picked up the tray that she had earlier left on the table. “You have not lost your daughter, but you might, if you do not talk to her.”
Lady Dianne sighed and watched as Sophie took her leave. Minutes later, she stood up and walked to the window one more time, this was when she saw Ronnie talking to her.
Immediately, an idea came to her mind and she carefully set her cup on the table before leaving the room.
***
When Gabby sighted Ronnie coming in, she almost grimaced out loud. She couldn’t handle him, not right now. She was still trying to get over the possibility of Callum hate her forever and never seeing him again.
“Hello, Gabby,” he said as he walked closer.
“Ronnie,” she said, standing up to meet him. She tried as much as possible to look happy to see him, but she actually wasn’t.
“Spending time with your sister?” He asked, looking at the twins who were still chasing each other around the place.
“Well, I’m trying to get used to being back home,” she said mildly.
He sat beside her, on the grass. That was when he saw her gloves, lying on the ground. “You are not wearing these?”
“No. It’s dressing too much. I don’t know why we need those anyway. We should allow our skin to enjoy fresh air more often. It is good.”
Ronnie looked at her as if she was someone else entirely. “The Highlanders have really turned you into one of them so quickly.
Gabby rolled her eyes. She was really tired of hearing this. She was tired of being here, she missed her husband. She needed to find her way back to her husband.
“Wait. When the Highlanders came for me, it was supposed to protect us against the Jacobites. Now that I am back, do you think we can be attacked again?”
“No,” he replied.
“No?” She asked again. She could remember Callum telling her exactly what she had just said. “Are you saying that the Jacobites wouldn’t attack us again?”
“Yes. They wouldn’t. We have enough men now. Thanks to the letter you wrote, we know how to protect ourselves from the Highlanders and we know how to attack them.”
Gabby sighed. Whatever Malcolm had done with her letter, it seemed it might do more harm to Callum and his people. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ronnie’s touch. He held her hand, warmly into his, stroking her palm gently.
She looked up at him. “What are you doing?”
“We haven’t kissed since I got here, I thought that this will set the mood right.”
Before she could object, his lips were on hers. The kiss was brief, but she didn’t return the love.
“Not really the type of kiss I was expecting,” he said, a little bit disappointed.
Gabby didn’t know what to say and how to make him feel better, but one thing was certain, which was that, she didn’t want to kiss him again.
“Ronnie, how are you doing?”
They both turned around to see Lady Dianne behind them. Ronnie stood up to kiss her hand.
“It is a beautiful day, isn’t it?” She asked, trying to start a conversation.
“Yes, it is,” Ronnie replied.
Gabby was confused. She had never seen her mother and Ronnie involved in a conversation before. It seemed a bit odd but it was better that Ronnie had something else to focus on apart from the one-sided kiss.
“So,” said her mother, rubbing her hands together. “Have you two love birds talked about your marriage?”
Gabby couldn’t believe her ears when she heard this. “Marriage?” she asked just to be sure.
“Yes, darling. Remember you were taken on the day of your wedding?”
“I remember that, mother. But do you really think now is the right time to start planning a wedding?” she asked again, hoping her mother would take the hint and would eventually leave.
“Yes, darling or do you two not want to marry soon?”
“No!”
“Yes!” Stated Ronnie.
Gabby looked at him. “Ronnie, I just got back. I am really not interested in getting married right now. Can we talk about this later?” without waiting for any reply, she excused herself hurriedly, holding her wide gown as she walked. Why was their outfits always this flamboyant?
***
Both Dianne and Ronnie watched as she went back into the castle.
“Something is wrong with her, my lady,” Ronnie said, brushing a hand through his hair.
Dianne sighed. “You think so?”
He nodded. “She has changed. It seems something is really bothering her. It’s either that or maybe she is not happy to be back as we expected.”
“But she is happy to be back. Maybe she just needs time to readjust,” said Dianne.
Ronnie shrugged. “Well, I hope that is it, because, I keep feeling she may not be interested in me anymore.”
Dianne laughed. “Why would you think that?”
“Well, she didn’t tell me she missed me. She never wrote to me and now that I kissed her, it was no different than kissing the back of my hand.”
Dianne sighed. She knew he was right. She had seen the whole thing from where she stood upstairs. She needed to find a way to make him believe that everything was alright.
“Look, I know how you feel. Even I sometimes think perhaps, I have lost my daughter. She has been back for almost five days now and she has been behaving rather strangely. She wears her hair down. Her cloths always have to show part of her bosom. She hardly uses gloves anymore. Still, I know that my daughter is still in there. All we need is to reach out to her. I believe that your marriage will fix the rest. Perhaps, the Highlanders made her go through some horrible situations that she couldn’t forget.”
Ronnie smiled. “Oh, I doubt that. She was happy, my lady. She was happy where she went to and it makes me so angry, but I cannot tell her that it makes me angry. I cannot get over the fact that another man-made love to her several times. It drives me mad when I think about it. Every night before I slept, I kept hoping she was fine. I kept imagining she was being tortured where she was taken to. But now that I know she was happy in her captivity, everything seems futile. Are you sure the marriage is the right thing?”
Dianne sighed. “Stop hurting yourself, Ronnie. You love her and she loves you. You two grew up together. Whatever she went through can be forgotten, you just need to remind her of where you were in her life.”
Chapter 26
“Morning, my lady,” said Sophie as she came in the next morning. Gabby barely answered.
Her face was swollen from having cried too much and her hair was scattered all over the pillow. The maid noticed that the food she had brought in for her the other night was untouched. It was still in the tray where she left it.
“My Lady?” She called out again, walking closer to Gabby whose eyes were open, but she made no movement.
“Are you alright?”
There was no response.
“Please, talk to me, you are frightening me,” she cried, rushing to her side.
Gabby exhaled loudly before sitting up.
“You look awful,” Sophie said as she relaxed. Glad that Gabby was at least alive. “You did not eat your food. Why?”
Gabby turned her eyes to Sophie, then at the food and then shook her head. “I wasn’t hungry.”
Sophie stood with primed lips, then walked closer to Gabby. “Please, talk to me, I will listen.”
“What is the use? Mother already thinks I am selfish, and I am making them all miserable.”
“Please,” replied Sophie. “Talk to me.”
Gabby swallowed. “When I was taken away, Sophie, it changed me because I needed to adapt to their way of life. I ate their food, drank their water, wore their cloths and I got closer to them.
“They are not really as bad as we think. They have good people like Erinda, Carotia and her beautiful kids, Isobel and the rest of the women,” she said slowly, smiling even while looking really sad. Sophie inhaled and sat down beside her.
“You know, the first time I got there, I drank wine throughout because I was afraid their meats were human flesh,” she chuckled. “But as time went on, I realized everything we have heard was not all true.”
“Did you meet the man called the devil?” Sophie asked and Gabby looked at her and laughed.
“Yes, I did.”
“So, was he really a giant? Fearful? Dangerous? And can he break an enemy’s skull with his bare hands?”
Gabby laughed even more. “He is a giant, he is fearful and maybe he can break the enemy’s skull with his bare hands but that is an enemy’s skull, not his wife’s, not his family’s or friend’s. And no, the stories never said how handsome he is, or how kind at heart, or how whenever he smiles, it makes you fuzzy inside.”
Sophie frowned. “What are you talking about? How did you know all this?”
“Because I married him!”
Sophie gasped when she heard this. “You married the devil?”
“Please, stop calling him that, he is nothing close to the devil. He is a good man who treated me with so much kindness and whom I’ve grown to love. Ignore all those stories that were made up to frighten little children, none of it is true.”
“I am certain that your parents would faint if they were to know that you married the Devil.”
“Well, they are not to know but they will eventually. But I don’t even think that matters anymore since I may not be seeing him again.”
“Why do you want to go back, my Lady? Are you not happy to be home with your family?”
“Thank you,” Gabby said excitedly. “I wished that someone would ask me this but nobody would listen to me. They are so bent on making me feel like a terrible person who doesn’t appreciate all the effort that was put into rescuing me. You see, I wrote a letter to both mother and father and I think someone changed the content of the letter.”
“Why would they do that? Despite all the wonderful things you said about the Highlanders, did you make enemies among them?”
“Oh, yes, Sophie. There was this woman who wanted Callum for herself. She was his former betrothed’s best friend as well as his mistress.”
Sophie frowned. “Do come again, please.”
Gabby narrated everything that had transpired between herself and Erlyn to her. Then she also told her everything what Callum had told her about Malcolm and the lady.
“So you think that these two had a hand in getting you rescued so that she can have her way with Callum?” Sophie asked after a while.
“Yes, yes, oh, Sophie! You are so brilliant!”
“But if this really happens,” continued Sophie. “What does Malcolm have to gain? For as far as I can see, it is only the lady that can benefit by marrying the Laird. If Malcolm indeed wants to become a Laird, why will he try to have you taken away?”
“I have been thinking about it myself. If the two are working together, then one of them is still being unfaithful to the other,” Gabby said.
“Unfaithful? How?”
“Well, from all that Callum said, I have realized that the only thing Malcolm wants is whatever Callum has. He wanted Isabella, he wanted to be the Laird. When I got to the castle, he was incredibly nice to me. Callum said he was trying to win me over and that I mustn’t trust him. He told me about writing a letter to my parents and then warned me not to disclose to my husband. Immediately after this Erlyn left. Now, this is what I think. Perhaps, they are working together. If they are, that could make a lot of sense, right?”
