Ella’s belly plunged as if into a frigid lake. She glanced at the older woman, who shook her head.
She had no choice. If she dreamed of having any future with this man, she must admit what she’d done, and hope he understood why she’d done it.
“Calum, I couldna bear to see ye suffering,” she began. “I helped care for ye before ye woke up. We…I…created Janet so that ye would allow me to remain at yer side, where I needed to be. Where I thought I belonged.”
“Did ye think so? Ye lied to me.”
How could his newly revealed visage be so full of censure? How dare he condemn her for caring for him? If this was going to be their future—if she made such an effort and he reacted like he’d rather die than accept her help—maybe she’d been wrong about him.
“I did everything to help ye heal. And to help ye see again. If ye canna forgive that?—”
“Ye believed I would thank ye for seeing me as helpless as a bairn?” The flat tone had a definite chill to it.
Ella crossed her arms and wrapped her hands around them for warmth and protection. “Like ye are behaving now?” She shook her head as he stood. To make her look up at him? “I never meant to do that. I love ye.”
“If ye truly did, ye wouldna have tried to fool me. Playing such games with a man in my condition is a kind of torture. Losing my sight wasna enough for ye? Ye had to make me fear I was losing my mind with yer deception?”
“Calum,” the healer interjected, “Ella helped me care for ye. There is nay shame in that. She lied to protect ye, and that is the only reason. She proved her loyalty to ye. Dinna blame her, for I went along with the ruse. I helped her craft it. Blame me for not having a better answer to the question of how to keep ye safe.”
Calum studied the older woman for a long moment. “And after that, I am supposed to trust either of ye?” He huffed out a breath. “Am I free to go?”
“I must cover the injured eye again so ye dinna damage it while ye sleep.”
“Nay.”
“I willna cover both. ’Tis time for ye to start using yer eyes again. Ye can uncover it in the morning. We’ll do that for the next sennight. After that, it should be healed well enough that ye may sleep without protecting it. And yer vision should continue to improve.”
He sat back on the stool without another objection and let her tend him while Ella watched. She felt frozen to the floor, unable to move, either to go to him or to leave. When the healer finished, he stood and walked out of the herbal without another glance or word to either of them.
Ella sank onto the stool Calum had vacated. “He willna forgive me.” She kept her tone matter-of-fact, but inside, her heart was in pieces. Sharp, jagged little pieces that cut with every breath she took. “Am I never to find a man who accepts me—all of me—for who I am?”
The healer pressed her lips together and raised a finger. “Dinna let him belittle ye. Without ye, he wouldna have regained his sight.”
“I dinna think he will believe that. Ye are the healer.”
“Perhaps as his eyesight clears and he regains his confidence, he will accept the part ye played in his recovery. He is still hurt and embarrassed by it all, but that will pass.”
“Will it? Will he come to me and beg my forgiveness? After this, I canna…I willna go to him.”
The healer pressed her lips together and nodded, then captured Ella’s gaze with her own. “If he doesna, there is yer answer. Ye have been strong for him, but ye must be stronger still for yerself. He will come to ye, or ye will tire of waiting and find what ye seek in another man.”
“I dinna want another,” Ella said, turning to stare out the doorway Calum had exited, the pieces of her heart a leaden weight in the bottom of her chest. “I thought I’d found what I needed in Calum. I hope that I still can. That he will come to see I did the best I could for him. I will fight for him—for us. But if I must,” she vowed, “I will find my way forward without him.”
HIGHLAND YULETIDE REUNION
Cameron Sutherland and Mary Elizabeth Rose meet in HIS HIGHLAND LOVE (His Highland Heart Series, Book 3) when he comes to Clan Rose after being injured protecting Catherine Rose and Kenneth Brodie. Cam and Mary’s romance comes to fruition as she cares for him in HIS HIGHLAND BRIDE (His Highland Heart Series Book 4).
In this story, Mary’s sisters and their families return to Rose for Cameron and Mary’s first Yuletide as a married couple—and the first for Mary as Laird of Rose. With so much family underfoot and preparations underway for the celebration, will they have any time together? I hope this glimpse puts you in the mood to celebrate the Yuletide season with the special people in your life.
SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS, YULETIDE, 1412
“They’re coming!” Mary Rose burst into the Clan Rose library waving a parchment, blue eyes wide and bright.
Cameron Sutherland set his book aside and glanced out the window at the waning wintry light, expecting to see riders approaching the gate. He saw nothing but snow streaked with pink by the setting sun and the deep green fir and pine forest beyond, so he rose and stepped toward his excited bride. “Who is coming, Mary my love? And when?” He reached out to brush a blonde curl from her shoulder just as Mary thrust the parchment toward him.
“My sisters are coming. With their families. A Brodie rider just delivered Annie’s letter.” Mary clasped her hands over her heart. “Ach, Cam, I’m so excited to see them and wee Ewan. I canna wait for the next fortnight to pass.”
Cam glanced at the bottom of the page while Mary talked. Signed by Annie, Lady Brodie, with the Brodie seal stamped in the wax. “I thought I heard someone ride in. This explains why the guard didn’t send for me.” He gestured with the parchment. “The rider brought this news for ye.”
