She forced a smile despite the sadness in her heart.
“So, ye are nae too disappointed that it is me and not yer Laird?” he asked with a teasing note in his voice.
The feelings from earlier came flooding back as she thought of Callum. Where was he, and why had he not sent for her or come to check on her? The pit of her stomach twisted almost nauseatingly as she wondered if he had been more hurt than she had anticipated. “I am never disappointed to see ye, brother. I was just wonderin’ how Callum was doin’.” She gestured to one of the chairs beside the table and helped her brother into his seat.
He moved slowly, each action carefully thought out, before lowering himself into his chair. “Aye, and I am glad to see ye, lass. If ye are wonderin’ about the Laird, I saw him this mornin’. He seems to be on the mend. He was headed to a council meetin’ with that lad, Iain, who came to save us.”
Council meetin’.
Is that what was truly more important to Callum? He had solved the mystery of who had been behind the deeds, and now he had set his mind to finding the traitors.
I must nae have meant that much to him at all.
Her heart skipped a beat of betrayal and longing, but she quickly forced a smile and turned back to her brother as she took the seat opposite his. “Never mind the Laird or what he is doin’, I want to hear everythin’ that ye have been through. How did Donald Kincaid, or Stewart, manage to capture ye?” She put on a brave face and attempted to push her own feelings aside.
“Aye, I guess I do owe ye an explanation after puttin’ ye through so much. I cannae believe that ye pretended to marry a laird just to find me,” he teased her gently.
“I am certain that ye would have done the same for me,” Eleanor responded with a kind smile.
Furrowing his brow, Andrew gave her one of his old mischievous smiles. “I daenae think I would have gone as far as pretendin’ to marry a laird, but I certainly would have moved heaven and earth to find ye,” he teased.
Laughing for the first time in weeks, Eleanor shook her head. “I am glad to see that ye havenae allowed the matter to bring ye down.”
Andrew’s smile suddenly faded as he looked at his hands, where cuts and scrapes had been treated and washed. “It wasnae easy, and I will be glad to get back home once the Laird has released us.”
Home.
The word sounded strange to Eleanor as she mulled it over. The house was still there, and her father and brother would be there too, but would it feel like she belonged? Something deep inside of her stirred again as she thought of leaving the castle, Bran, Marion, and especially Callum behind. Even though she had not spent so much time in the castle, it suddenly felt as if she would be leaving a piece of her heart behind.
Andrew’s voice broke through her thoughts. “I came to the castle without anythin’ happenin’, it was only until the day after me arrival that I was approached by one of the council members. The man told me that he kent who was behind the forged deeds, and that I needed to follow him to find out more.” He stopped speakin’ for a moment and hung his head. “I should have ken then that there was somethin’ wrong.”
Eleanor reached out and gave his hand a careful, reassuring squeeze. “Ye couldnae have ken…”
He shook his head again and lowered his voice sadly. “That is the thing, I should have ken. The man who led me away was Donald Kincaid. He wasnae even a member of the council, and I allowed meself to be fooled. I had met every man the day before,I convinced meself that the man held the key to everythin’ I had been searchin’ for.”
Her heart broke for the regret in her brother’s eyes. She knew very well what it felt like to blame oneself for tragic events.
“Little did I ken that he was the key.” He shook his head disappointedly.
“Andrew, ye were brave in what ye did yesterday, and even what ye had to endure. Daenae beat yerself up for one mistake.” She let go of his hand and sat back, feeling her own body ache.
He offered her another sad smile before continuing. “As I was sayin’, he led me away from the castle. It wasnae until we were in the glen that I realized me mistake. It was the very glen where he forced me to me knees and made me call out yer name.” His voice became almost bitter as he averted his gaze toward the window.
“Andrew, I daenae blame ye…” Her words trailed off when he suddenly snapped his gaze toward her again.
“But I blame meself. Callum was willin’ to risk his life for ye. He even laid down his arms in order to save ye and what matters most to ye. I wish I had half the courage and strength that he has.” His voice was genuine as his eyes shone with the ghosts of regret.
Shifting off her chair, Eleanor came to her knees in front of him and took both of his hands in hers. “Do ye nae see how brave ye were at the end? It doesnae matter how long it took ye to speak up, ye acted far beyond the demands of chivalry. Ye had a sword pressed to yer throat, for goodness sake.”
Gratitude filled his eyes as he smiled down at her. “But Callum had nae sword pressed to his throat. He acted purely on what mattered most. He is a far braver man than I.”
His words gave Eleanor food for thought as she drew her lips into her mouth. What exactly was it that mattered most to Callum? He had pushed her behind him and stopped her from running directly to what could have been her death, but he had done so to protect her, and her alone, or was he thinking of the best interests of his clan?
It was not unusual for a man of war to assess a situation and make a call that would benefit the greater good.
Does he feel anythin’ at all for me?
Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered if her feelings toward him were at all reciprocated. He had not sent for her, or even come to see how she was doing, but was that because he knew that she was safe? Had their moment together in her chambers meant nothing at all to him, while it had turned her world upside down?
