Chloe thought of her own passage through the time portal and how horrible it had made her feel. She stared at her sister with a renewed sense of respect and awe.
“How did you survive?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know, but I’ve decided the stone protected me.”
As she mentioned it, she slipped her hand into the pocket of her gown as if to make sure she still possessed it. Chloe did the same and was relieved to feel the jagged piece of stone residing in the depths of her pocket.
“And this, of course, is you and Bruce.” Evie stood in front of the wall hanging and peered up at the images. Her gaze was fixedon Bruce. “I had hoped the tapestry was wrong and he didn’t follow you.”
“But he did,” Chloe said, a sudden chill pressing through her. She clutched her elbows. “And he’s out there somewhere.”
Her sister turned to her, reaching for her. “He can’t hurt you here. Callum, Malcolm, and Jamie will make sure of it. They will protect you.”
There was a fierceness in Evie as she said it. There was no reason to doubt her sister’s word.
She thought of Malcolm, then, and how he had placed his body between her and Bruce with his sword drawn. As if it were the most natural thing to do.
Her gaze drifted from the wall hanging with her and Bruce to the next one with the silhouette of the woman. She and Evie, both, stared at it for a long, quiet moment.
“Do you think that’s Brianna?” Chloe asked at last.
“It has to be.”
Silence stretched until finally Chloe snickered. “Can you imagine our beach-loving sisterhere? In the Highlands?” She shook her head.
Evie grinned, her face lighting up. “I’ve thought about this a lot, you know. And I did wonder if she would come.” She reached for the tapestry, running her hand down the edge of it. “It’s only a silhouette of a woman, but I can’t imagine who else it would be.”
Chloe considered this for a long moment, too, as she peered at the darkened figure woven through the threads. She thought of their childhood. Brianna was ten years older than they were and had been out of the house by the time they were in middle school, living her own life. Their parents had argued with Bri numerous times before she left. Maybe that was why she had left: She was tired of the arguments.
Their parents had wanted a different life for her. Certainly not one of her wandering through the Caribbean taking photographs and trying to make it as a professional. They had wanted her to go to college; she refused. They had even offered her a free place to live while she went. And yet, she still refused.
Chloe never understood it—why was she so determined to leave? Why did she never come back except for the occasional Christmas holiday? The questions she didn’t dare ask gnawed at her. Did she resent her and Evie? Was their closeness too much for her? Was she jealous? The thought stung, but it lingered there, unspoken, like a chasm between them.
Their parents’ death shattered everything about their worlds when she and Evie were still in high school. Brianna had had no choice but to return to their hometown as their legal guardian. But even then, Chloe sensed the resentment simmering below the surface. Brianna did what she had to by taking care of them, but it had always felt temporary, like she had one foot out the door. And when the time had come, she was gone again, like they knew she would be.
“Chlo? Are you okay? You looked lost in thought.”
She shook herself out of her thoughts and focused on her sister’s face, creased with concern. She managed a smile. “I was trying to imagine Brianna here, in the past, with us.”
“Do you think it’s her?”
“I think if it is, she’s going to be pretty angry when she arrives.”
CHAPTER 13
Chloe followed Evie into the great hall. Her pulse quickened the moment she saw Malcolm. He sat at the long table with a tankard and a trencher of thick porridge in front of him. A stack of what appeared to be small cakes were beside the trencher. His gaze lifted, locking onto hers, and for a breathless moment, the room faded away. It was only Malcolm with his rugged good looks, his quiet charm, and those sea-green eyes that saw far too much. Chloe forced her feet to move to the table, her footsteps and her thudding heart far too loud in the deafening silence.
What was it about him that turned her inside out with a single look?
“I’m going to grab some food for us. I’ll be right back.”
Evie hustled away before Chloe could object, leaving her alone with the man. Almost as if she’d planned it. Her insides jittered as she perched in the seat as far away from him as possible. A tight knot coiled in the pit of her stomach.
“Did yer sister show ye the tapestries?” he asked.
The question surprised her. She peered at him from across the table. “Yes.”
He leaned back in his chair. Their eyes met and for a moment, she thought she could get lost in those sea-green eyes. They were so full of life. He ran his hand over his beard, the coarse hair bristling against his skin. She had never liked men with beards, but there was something intriguing about Malcolm. His long dark hair hung over his shoulders. Another thing. She had never liked a man with hair longer than her own.
