She did and startled to a stop.
“Forgive my intrusion,” Burke said and offered his arm to her and quickly refreshed her memory of him. “We met at the seamstress shop in St. Andrew. Burke Longton from America.”
Her tense stance eased and she accepted his arm. “Forgive me, I did not know you visited with my father.”
“I haven’t visited with your father. It is you I wished to see.”
Her steps faltered and he was quick to reassure her.
“I mean you no harm, Lady Alaina. I seek information about my brother—Cullen.”
She stopped and glanced over his face with loving eyes. “I wondered how two men with an uncanny resemblance could not be related.”
“Let me explain,” Burke offered, and proceeded to tell her his story in detail and how Cullen had no idea that he had a brother.
Tears threatened her eyes. “Cullen would be so happy to learn of this. He always wondered about his father. He would be pleased to know how much his father loved him.”
“Tell me of my brother, please.”
“He is a wonderful man with a good sense of humor.”
Burke grinned. “Like our father.”
“He’s taller than you and broader in the shoulders and chest. He is so very gentle and loving.”
“You fell in love with him?”
She nodded.
“How is that possible?”
“Cullen is an easy man to love.”
“No, I mean how did you two meet? How was it possible for you to even get a chance to fall in love?”
“Cullen is a master with a bow and arrow. My father hired him to school the guards in his techniques. My friends and I expressed interest in learning and my father, after objecting and then realizing we simply thought of it as entertainment, agreed.”
She turned silent, and Burke could see her eyes clouding with tears. It was obvious the memories caused her pain, and he felt compelled to offer comfort while learning what he could of his brother.
“I am sorry to upset you. I know this must hurt terribly, but it is very important for me to find out whatever I can of Cullen if I’m to free him.”
Her hand flew to her chest and she gasped. “You will free Cullen?”
“I don’t intend on leaving Scotland without my brother.”
Her eyes turned sad and her shoulders sagged. “You will take him away.”
“Along with you if you so choose,” he offered and smiled. “I have a lady of my own I wish to return with to America. We can all be family together.”
“That sounds delightful, but my father would never permit it. I am to wed a titled man of my father’s choosing, one who will financially benefit my family.”
“If my brother is anything like me, he’d never allow that to happen.”
She smiled and wiped at a single tear that spilled down her cheek. “You are right, which is what caused Cullen’s plight.”
“Tell me,” Burke urged, time running out.
“Cullen and I decided to run off together once we realized how much we loved each other. We planned to forge a life high up in the Highlands where no one would find us. As long as we were together, nothing else mattered to me. Before we could implement our plan, I took ill.” She paused and fought back tears. “My father sent me away and Cullen searched for me, though it was my father who found him and imprisoned him.”
