Page 10 of Desire of a Highlander

Faye’s gray eyes flicked up to meet his. “Where did ye find her?”

“In the hills. Not far from the waymeet. She was like this when I found her.”

Faye chewed her lip. “She was looking for the waymeet?”

He shrugged. “I dinna know. Why?”

Faye gestured to the lass. “Look at her. She wears strange clothing and that gold chain around her neck and ring on her finger would fetch a worthy ransom. She’s a noblewoman if ever I saw one. What I want to know is: why would a noblewoman be coming here? And more to the point—who is going to be looking for her?”

Ronan understood Faye’s point. In the rush to help her, he’d taken little note of the lass herself but now he looked he realized Faye was right. No common-born woman could afford a necklace or ring like the ones she was wearing. And her clothing? It was strange in the extreme. Some new court fashion? He had no idea. What he did know was that noblewoman or not, right now she needed their help and Ronan had vowed long ago never to turn away anyone in need. If he started now what was the point in all this? “

“Do what ye can for her,” he instructed Faye. “We’ll figure everything else out as we go.”

Faye nodded. “Aye, my laird.” There was a faint mocking edge to the way she said it, but it was an affectionate mockery. Whatever he’d been in the past, Ronan was nobody’s laird and they both knew it.

“Come find me if she wakes.” He walked out into the rain, calling Skye and Bran to heel.

Chapter 4

Elodie roused slowly, like a free diver rising up from the depths of the ocean. She became aware of warmth first. From the tips of her toes right up to the top of her head she felt snug and comfortable. Dimly, she remembered strange dreams. Something about a willow tree, a storm, and ending up in a strange place. The memory of these dreams brought a stab of unease but it lasted only a moment before being chased away by another memory. Strong arms. A gentle voice. A sense of being safe.

Slowly, she blinked her eyes open. A faint ache throbbed behind her eyes like a hangover, but Elodie couldn’t remember drinking. She’d been to a meeting with Cross Construction. And she’d—

Oh, hell. She’d resigned. She’d told them to stuff their job when she’d realized what kind of company they really were. And then she’d gone to the meeting at the community center. And then she’d gone into the yard, seen that strange shimmery arch and then...

She lurched upright with a cry only to discover that she was not in her bedroom as she’d expected. In fact, she didn’t know where she was. She was sitting up in a narrow bed on a lumpy mattress that felt like it was stuffed with straw. A plain, rustic room surrounded her, with thick wooden beams holding up the ceiling, a flagstone floor, and a large hearth on the far wall in which a fire was crackling.

No. This could not be happening. It had been a dream! Just a stupid dream!

A curtain in the far corner was suddenly pulled back and a woman entered carrying a mortar and pestle. She was perhaps in her fifties and was wearing an old-fashioned dress with a tartan shawl draped over her shoulders. Her graying hair was bound into two plaits that were coiled and pinned to the back of her head.

“Ah!” she said when she saw Elodie sitting up. “Ye are awake! Good.”

Elodie had to stifle a yelp. Who was this woman? She didn’t seem in the least surprised to find Elodie lying in her bed. Elodie on the other hand, felt her eyes widening and her mouth dropping open in shocked surprise. She clutched the blanket to her chest and croaked, “Who are you?”

The woman perched on a three-legged stool at the side of the bed, placing the pestle and mortar on the floor by her feet.

“My name is Faye,” she said. “I’m a healer.” She had a Highland accent so thick that Elodie had to concentrate to make out her words.

“Uh. I’m Elodie. Why...why am I here?”

“I was hoping ye might be able to tell me that,” Faye said with a wry smile. “Ye fell and hit yer head. Been unconscious all afternoon.” She cocked her head, eyes flicking over Elodie. “How do ye feel? Any nausea?”

Elodie shook her head.

“Pain?”

Elodie touched her forehead and winced. It felt tender and she could feel a bump there.

Faye batted her fingers away irritably. “Dinna poke at it! Ye have quite the egg on yer forehead, lass, but that will heal given time. Any pain anywhere else?”

“I’ve got a bit of a headache.”

“Aye, I would expect that. Dizziness?”

Elodie shook her head.

“Good. That’s good.”