23
Cameron decided against leaving Charlotte to her own devices after catching her in the courtyard with Alec. It was clear, after she had calmed down enough to explain, that she had been ambushed. But that was the exact situation he had been hoping to avoid. So he kept her at his side. Though, if he was truly honest, then he would admit that he wanted to be near her as much as he wanted her safe.
The day had crawled by, despite the massive amount of work they had to do. They were all waiting on pins and needles for what was to come but no one would admit to.
By the time dinner had rolled around, all of their nerves were frayed. Charlotte’s eyes were still red and puffy and Alastair wouldn’t stop pacing. Cameron gave up trying to stop him hours ago. The meal had been a silent one and now Alastair was back to pacing while Cameron sipped on his whiskey and Charlotte fiddled with her fingers.
“If we can get all of the troops here before the battle starts, then we will have a chance at victory,” Alastair stated with more confidence than the expression he wore had.
“Ye have said that three times in the last hour, Alastair. But there is nothing we can do to get the troops here any faster. So we will just have to wait and pray.”
Cameron’s words were sobering, but the truth and they all knew it. The harsh reality was that they were going to be sorely outnumbered no matter how many troops showed up. With at least three clans showing up to stop them, there was little anyone could do but hope and pray that something would stop the battle before it even started. Cameron would do whatever it took to make that even a possibility, he just had to figure out how.
Watching Alastair pace back and forth was doing little to help him think so when a knock came at the door, he had to bite back a sigh of relief.
“Come in,” he called out, setting his glass on the table.
Charlotte looked up from her fingers, worry in her eyes. He hated that look and he hated that there was nothing he could do to get rid of it.
“Sorry to intrude,” a deep voice said as the door swung open, “but one of the generals has requested for Alastair to come to the tents. They are starting to plan out strategies and need to ken what the Laird’s wishes are.”
Alastair hardly let the servant finish the request before he was walking out through the door.
“I will join ye for breakfast to discuss what I have learned,” he called on his way out.
The door shut and Cameron almost felt like he could breathe again. As much as he valued Alastair’s wisdom, it was sometimes a bit stiffling. And his presence kept Cameron from sitting any closer to Charlotte which is all he wanted to do since ushering her back into the castle.
He wasted no time in moving from the table to the sofa in front of the fire. Despite the temperate weather, the cold was already starting to get to him. Once settled, he looked up at Charlotte.
“Come sit with me,” he requested.
She did as he asked, though she didn’t meet his eyes.
“Do ye want to tell me what is bothering ye?” he asked, not failing to notice how she sat as far from him as possible on the sofa.
Her hands started to fidget again and he reached out, covering them with his own hand. Tucking his arm behind her shoulders, he slid down the sofa until their legs were touching, his crushing her skirts. He didn’t care. He needed to hold her as much as she needed to be held.
“How can ye ask me that?” she answered, her voice small. “There is so much happening and it is all my fault. I—”
“Can I tell ye a story?”
She stopped spiraling, his question interrupting her panic perfectly. That was only half of his goal. There was so much that he wanted her to know and this would likely be their last chance together. If she was ever going to get the full story, now would be his only chance.
“A story? Ye want to tell me a story right now? When there are sure to be a fieldful of soldiers on our doorstep in the morning?”
“Aye.”
She shook her head but a small smile crept up and he knew that was all he needed.
“Go ahead then. Tell me a story.”
“It is nae just any story, Charlotte. I want to tell ye the full truth of who I am. It is my story.”
His words had an effect on her. She sat straighter against the sofa and turned her head to face him. He knocked back the rest of his drink and steeled his nerves.
“I ken that we have talked a bit about my life in the village and that my siblings and I were separated. But there is more to it than that. There is more that I want ye to ken.”
She nodded and he continued.
