Katie dutifully went forward to assist her, and Betty leaned heavily on a large boulder at the edge of the stairs. She blew away the hair that had fallen over her face and sat on the rock,seemingly unaware that Leah and Katie were expected to board the boat within the next few moments.
Leah walked back up the steps toward her and was amused to see that Betty appeared to have brought several items that she seemed eager to show her.
“This is for ye, me dear,” Betty said as she handed a pendant to Leah. It was a long silver chain with a gem at the base, also encased in silver. “It is an amethyst and will calm yer thoughts in this difficult time.”
Before Leah could thank her, Betty had rummaged through the items on her lap once more and pulled out a sprig of something dry that smelled lovely.
“This is lavender, it will calm yer nerves on the long journey. Put it under yer nose and smell it.” She waited for Leah to do so before continuing. “Dinnae worry yerself, lass,” she said, her eyes sparkling with hidden knowledge, “Master Magnus will come to his senses in nay time.”
“I do not think that he will,” Leah muttered bitterly. “Since he has chosen to make all of my decisions for me, he is nowhere to be found.”
Betty waved her off, and when she noticed Leah had no more free hands to take new items, she turned to Katie with a conspiratorial grin.
“This is a nugget of amber. Keep it in yer pocket, and it will ward off evil and harm.”
Katie looked at Leah with a deeply skeptical expression, but Leah could only smile. She was going to miss Betty almost as much as she would miss the island.
There was a clatter from the top of the steps as Betty was sifting through the rest of the things she had brought, and a servant appeared, running down toward them.
Leah frowned, handing over the items Betty had given her to Katie as he stopped before them.
“What is it?” she asked uncertainly.
“The Master has asked for ye, M’Lady,” the man said urgently.
Leah needed no more information than that. She followed him hastily.
CHAPTER 25
Magnus and Kennethdarted out of the room as soon as they heard the voice. They sprinted down the long corridor in the direction it had come from.
As he rounded the corner, Magnus saw a man standing beneath the double doors of the main hall, his sword drawn, waiting for him to arrive.
Magnus had never felt such pure hatred for anyone in his life.
Ye tried to kidnap me wife, yer man struck her and bruised that beautiful skin. Ye will die for this.
It was the most certain thought he had ever had. He raised his sword, the blood from Leah’s kidnapper still visible on the blade.
Just as he had suspected, it was Laird Thompson standing before him. He was an old man, although a little younger than Gibson, but smaller in stature and far less impressive. He hada reputation for getting what he wanted through manipulation and lies—something that Magnus had never emulated or admired.
He was a head shorter than Magnus but wide. The kind of breadth of muscle that was accompanied by a decade of eating good food and drinking too much wine. He clearly had an inflated sense of self-worth.
Magnus recalled that when the marriage to Thompson’s daughter had been suggested, he had not wished to dismiss it out of hand in order to prevent war. He had met with the lass to placate her father.
She had been pretty enough but snide and unfeeling like her father. She’d had a cruel look of disdain on her face throughout their meeting, as though she were superior to Magnus and was simply waiting for a better offer.
At that moment, Magnus had never been happier with his past choices. Despite what had befallen Elizabeth, he would not wish to be related to the man before him now for the world.
Instead, ye are married to a woman who is on her way to England, maybe never to return, because ye cannae tell her how ye truly feel.
Magnus gripped the handle of his sword with more force and took a step forward.
“Thompson,” he spat, eschewinghonorifics. To Magnus’s eyes, the man did not deserve the title.
“MacWatt,” Thompson said with the same condescending arrogance Magnus remembered from their first meeting. “It has been some time since I last saw ye. Ye’ve grown quite fat in yer solitude, I see. Believin’ ye are better than the rest of us in yer castle on this island.”
Magnus snarled and took a menacing step forward, Kenneth at his elbow, not moving a muscle, waiting for his instructions.
