18
Cameron kept glancing over, not quite believing that Charlotte was really walking beside him. They had left the castle as soon as breakfast was over, neither of them wanting to waste a minute of their day together. They started in the gardens that they had already explored once but quickly moved on to something different.
He found that he loved watching the way her face lit up as they stumbled onto different parts of the estate. He had felt similarly the first time Alastair had brought him there, but for much different reasons. He hadn’t seen it as a chance to start over or the beginning of something wonderful. It had only been a chance to see what had become of his father.
But walking the grounds with Charlotte on an unusually sunny day made him want to think about anything but that wicked old man.
His eyes glanced around the estate, trying to imagine how she was seeing it and what she was thinking. From the maps he had studied of the highlands, he knew that the Sinclair lands were nestled at the base of a mountain range that provided them protection from their enemies as well as a stunning view. The rolling hills and valleys of his own lands were sure to be a stark contrast from what she was used to seeing, but he hoped she found them just as beautiful. With the sun shining bright and hot, waves of fog rolled off the grass, making everything feel mysterious and shrouded. It came up to his knees, blocking his view of his own feet. He used the fog as an excuse to stay close to her, telling himself he needed to be nearby to catch her in case she tripped.
They had already explored the gardens once before so today he took her to the other side of the castle, showing her the orchards and a pond. He hadn’t been sure just how far she wanted to walk until she pointed to the glen of trees on the other side of the dark, murky waters and pointed.
“What’s over there?” she asked, her eyes full of wonder as they took in the dewed green grass and the foggy air sitting over the water.
“I dinnae ken. I have never ventured that far from the castle.”
She shot him a wry grin and they headed off in that direction. It was farther than he had anticipated taking her, but he didn’t care. He was all too happy that she wanted to spend more time with him.
The tall, heavy limbs of the trees shielded most of the sunlight overhead, lessening the fog on the ground. He watched as her eyes darted from one part of the forest to the other, taking in the vast array of wildflowers, mushrooms, and all the scampering creatures.
“It is so bonny here,” she breathed, her eyes glued to the world around them.
His were glued to her as he said, “Aye, ‘tis.”
As they wove through the thickly treed forest, he decided to start asking some of the questions he had been dying to know the answer to. They were silly things like her favorite color or what her siblings’ names were, but they were pieces of her that were still a mystery to him.
“Ye have mentioned a brother a few times. Is he yer only sibling?”
Her eyes drifted over to him rather than the surrounding fauna. He had to admit, the lush greenery made it hard to look away, but she put it all to shame when she smiled up at him. His heart sped up and he fought to keep his breathing steady, though it wasn’t the threat of a breathing attack that worried him. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of her.
“Aye,” she answered with a nod and a bittersweet smile. “His name is Blake.”
“Tell me about him,” he pressed.
She sighed as she searched for what to say, before settling on the most basic details.
“He is a few years older than me, though as kids that did nae bother us much. As we got older, my father poured a lot of energy into training him to become the next Laird. I was nae given as much attention, though I think that was a good thing. Blake became verra serious. He rarely had time for me anymore. He still had his rebellions from my father’s strictness, always chasing around the lasses. I dinnae think he thought anyone kent about them, or maybe he did nae care that we did.”
“Is he still that way?” Cameron asked, curious to know more.
“Och, nay. I thought he would always be an eligible bachelor and kill off our family line. But he recently met a lass and transformed into a completely different kind of man. They married only a few weeks before I left. I think she will be verra good for him, and for the clan.”
“And yer father? What does he think of their marriage? Does he approve?”
Cameron’s fingers grazed the bark of the tree they passed, letting the rough texture ground him in reality as they walked.
“I dinnae ken. I mean, he had to for them to be married. I think, in truth, he is just glad to ken that Blake has settled down and that there is hope of the line continuing. My father has great expectations for us both.”
“So he cares greatly for ye? He must if he wants to see ye both succeed.”
She huffed a laugh that drew his attention. His brows furrowed as he took in her incredulous expression.
“I would never say that my father cares for anything but the legacy he will leave as Laird Sinclair. That extends to his children only so far as we are able to continue that legacy.”
Cameron nodded, understanding exactly what kind of man her father was.
“So he does nae love ye?” he said quietly, softly, knowing he could be stumbling into an old wound for her.
“He has never said those words to me before, nay. My mother did, and often. But when she died there was nay one to replace them.”
