Bryce had moved away from the trio, and he was near the door, desperate to leave. But he had seen the intimate scene, and he wouldn’t forget it. Lorna’s eyes flicked to his, and he felt such pity for her. She had initially seemed crazed when Watt had asked him to watch over her, but now, seeing this, she seemed only a woman in love trying her best to fight a way back to her lover. He wondered if he would ever love anyone enough to do the same.
* * *
Lorna wanted to scream. So many bad things were happening at once. Watt rejected her once again and married another; Bryce MacDowell was there with her watching everything unfold; and her parents humiliated her beyond anything they had ever done before. They scolded her like a child, and in front of them, she felt like she was two years old again, bare-faced and tearful, wondering if she would ever really grow up.
Before Bryce left, she saw her father remember his manners. He turned back to him and said, “Thank ye for escorting her, lad. But now this is a family matter. Ye are welcome tae stay the night, of course. Have Kyla show ye the room as she offered.”
Bryce left, and Lorna could finally breathe easy. At least a little bit. Her mother’s voice was fragile as she stepped closer and touched Lorna on the arm. “My dear, it is nae that we donnae care for yer feelings, but it is enough now. Yer love for Watt has gone on far too long, and it was foolish from the beginning. I am glad he is married now, so that ye are safe from him.”
Lorna swallowed and then grit her teeth together. There was no way she could burst into loud sobs in front of her parents. She was already crying, but she would be damned if she would howl with grief just after her parents scolded her. They never seemed to realize that she was no longer a little girl. She was a grown woman, twenty years old, and she could decide whom she loved. Her love for Watt had been true and honest, and yet everyone had treated her as if it was the most childish thing she’d ever done.
If only the man had loved me back! What is so wrong with me?
“I wish tae go tae sleep, Mother. It has been a long day. Can water be sent tae me room for a bath?”
She didn’t want to apologize any longer for her actions. Her parents were too used to it, and it showed when they both stepped back slightly with surprised looks on their faces. Her father frowned again, his thick, gray eyebrows twisting together, and he nodded.
“Aye, lass. Get tae yer room. It is all over now.”
Lorna pushed past them and out the door, not stopping until she reached her chamber and found Kyla already there, folding down her bedcovers and stoking the fire.
“Are ye well, Lorna?” Kyla asked without looking at her.
Lorna stalked over and flopped into a wooden chair by the hearth. She put her face in her hands, and she wished that she could suddenly be so wise that no one would scold her any longer. She hated it. It made everyone seem like they knew best and that her decisions were nothing but the foolish choices of a little girl.
“Aye. I will be,” she said softly, and moved her hands to look at the fire. The flames comforted her, and she could watch their dance as she let her mind wander. “But it seems me parents are nae as happy with my return. Or rather where I was.”
“I kenned that we should have told them where ye were going and nae just leave so suddenly. I also kenned there was something suspicious about the man they sent with their gift. He was always watching us, always getting close.”
Lorna shrugged. “Aye, well he must have heard something about my plans tae speak tae Watt.” She groaned. “I cannae believe that me parents would scold me about me feelings. In front of the Watt’s brother!” She threw her arms up in the air in despair and started to cry again until she started laughing.
Kyla looked at her like she was going mad, making Lorna laugh even harder. Filling a cup with wine, Kyla brought it to Lorna and bid her to drink.
Lorna did, and she sighed and shook her head. “It is all so ridiculous, Kyla. All I wanted was tae be loved back by the man who holds me heart. Who else hasnae had that desire?”
Kyla sat down in the chair opposite. “I ken, lass, but nae everyone gets that wish. It cannae come true for all of us.” Lorna noticed an expression of sadness in her friend’s face which quickly disappeared. “But that doesnae mean ye will find naeone. Ye will find a man who loves ye in return. That will happen. Put Watt out of yer mind as best ye can. It will get better, and then there will be room in yer heart for another.”
Lorna shook her head. “I donnae want tae forget him. Now, after hearing me parents’ rebukes, I almost want tae try tae speak tae Watt again if just tae spite them!”
Her voice was loud and angry, and it filled the room. Kyla’s eyes widened. “Please donnae say ye will try again.”
Lorna laughed at her friend’s fear. It was better to laugh than to cry. She also felt so tired that nothing made much sense anymore. “Nae, I willnae try again. Watt has found his lass, and I can see the love he has for her in the way he looks at her. It was enough tae break me heart again. But I do wish me parents would begin tae see me as a grown woman.”
“Show them that ye can move on from this heartache and look tae the future. They will see it, Lorna. I ken they will.”
Lorna nodded, looking to the flames again and trying to take deep breaths. At least the tears had stopped, and she could sit with her anger and her sadness in a calm fashion. She smirked.
“It is funny how Bryce has turned into quite a handsome man.” Her mind flashed back to the carriage, and how strong his arm felt under her grasp. She sipped at her wine and kept gazing into the flames. “Although, he is still just as insufferable as he always was. His voice full of teasing; his aim tae infuriate me beyond measure.” She thought of his roguish grin, and the kind way he’d looked at her in her father’s study, his lovely blue eyes full of genuine concern. She shook herself, not wanting to be taken in by him. He always knew just what to say to somehow lure her in and then make a joke of her.
Kyla stood to bring the bottle of wine over to them both, and she said, “That Bryce MacDowell had a wild reputation in France. He was a good warrior, one of the best in fact, and he fought for what he believed in. But there were always rumors about his gallivanting with women from all stations: milkmaids, French whores, countesses. It is best ye donnae think about how handsome he is, lass.”
Lorna sighed, listening to Kyla’s advice with little more than half an ear. She was more focused on what an exciting life he must have led before he returned home. As a man and not a Laird, he had so much freedom. But as a woman and a Laird’s daughter, she was stuck here, under the control of her parents, hopelessly in love with a man who didn’t want her. She sighed as Kyla settled next to her again.
“What hope have I got now, Kyla? Without Watt, I feel as though I am naething.”
The tears began again in earnest until the servants came with buckets of steaming hot water for the bath.
