Page 51 of Highlander’s Lesser Evil

“She sent her to the Campbell clan,” he said tersely. “I know not of her whereabouts now.”

Slowly, the older woman reached out to touch his face. “I misjudged ye, Theo MacDougal. Rest assured, I wilnae make that same mistake again.”

She left them alone, and Gemma sat up and stared at her husband, but he was edging away from her like he was afraid to touch her. “I did not know that I was pregnant, and I would never have gone to Eliza to get rid of it,” she said as she narrowed her eyes. Now that the sugar was taking effect, fury was rising in her, as well as indignation on behalf of her child. “How did you know? Why would you even think that?”

Wearily, he got up and started to pace. His shoulders drooped. “My father is having ye watched. They suspected. The truth is that I should have suspected as well, considering how often we are together, but in truth, I had hoped that we would have more time.”

“You don’t have to send me away, Theo. You will make such a good father, and there is time. We still have months, and we are making progress here!”

“I told ye what would happen when we wed. I havenae changed my mind.” Sharply, he turned and glared at her, as if she was making this harder, and she knew that she was. She loved him, and she needed him with her if she was going into motherhood.

“Theo…” Her heart broke. There had to be a way to make him understand.

“Ye will be happy in Loch Moran, with yer friends and yer family, and ye will make an excellent mother. I know I chose well.”

Panic hit her, and she struggled out from under the blankets. “Theo, I am your wife! You can’t just send me away! I am your family! How can you do this? I love you. You...” Her voice faltered as she weaved, and he caught her quickly, easing her back down on the bed until he was kneeling beside her.

His eyes reflected her pain. “I told ye that I couldnae love, Gemma. All I can do is what I think is best for ye. Doonae worry. I will see that yer looms are sent with ye.”

With that, he turned and walked away, and Gemma’s heart shattered.

23

It was a drizzly day when Gemma returned to Loch Moran. The guards who escorted her were quiet, and Thomas met her at her old cottage. It appeared that no one had taken it over yet, but in the weeks that she was gone, someone had tended to the land; most likely Elizabeth and Jillian.

“Lady Gemma,” Thomas greeted with a low bow of his head. “‘Tis wonderful to see ye again.”

“Is it?” she asked sullenly as she stared at her home. There had been so many good memories here, but now it was just a reminder that she had failed. She’d been so determined to prove to everyone that Theo was a good man that she forgot to convince the man himself, and now she was back to where she started, alone but carrying a babe.

“Oh, aye. Everyone here has missed ye a good deal, and we are all excited about the prospect of an heir.” His smile slipped as he watched her, and he cocked his head. “Ye arenae happy to be back?”

“I am delirious to be back! This is my home, and I love it here. I love the people. I love the water. I love the land. I just didn’t realize that I would be coming back alone.”

Standing awkwardly next to her, Thomas looked like he would rather be anywhere else at the moment. She didn’t blame him. She could barely muster a smile, much less deal with the welcome that would surely come her way as soon as the village knew she’d returned.

Stiffly, Gemma had asked Theo to tell Thomas to keep her return quiet so at least she could have some moments of solitude. Theo had promised that Thomas would stay quiet but had warned her that the rest of the patrols might not.

Then he had pulled her close for a kiss, and she’d turned her head at the last minute. Her heart ached at rejecting him, and there was such pain in his face, but then, he was rejecting her. Her and their child.

“He loves ye. I had thought for a long time that he might not be capable, but he is nothing like his father. He is capable of giving his heart. I am sorry that he will never be able to tell ye.”

A man who was in love didn’t send his wife away, but Gemma didn’t voice that out loud. It was late, and all she wanted to do was get inside and be alone for a bit. She thanked Thomas after he put her things inside for her and lit a fire. The small cottage warmed quickly after he’d left, but all she could think about was how she would be spending the next year sleeping alone.

It was ridiculous. After all, she’d spent most of her life sleeping alone, but she’d gotten used to Theo’s warm embrace at night, his steady breathing and snores next to her, that protective arm thrown around her.

At least, as long as she and the babe were staying here, Theo would do whatever it took to keep this place safe, and that was the whole point of marrying him.

Just as she was getting ready for bed, there was a tentative knock on the door. Even though she knew full well that it wasn’t Theo, her heart leaped anyway. Most of the village would be asleep by now, so when she opened the door, she found a pleasant surprise waiting for her. Grinning from ear to ear, she reached out and hugged Jillian and Elizabeth.

“Oh, how I missed you!” she exclaimed as she ushered them in. “How did you know I was here? I only got here a few moments ago!”

“My father had someone watching the border for when ye crossed,” Elizabeth exclaimed. “He didnae want me to go out since Oliver is here, but I snuck out anyway. Mother knows that I am here.”

“Did he hurt ye?” Jillian asked quietly with a dark intensity in her eyes. “Ye can tell us, Gemma. We will protect ye.”

“Not in the way that you think.” Closing the door behind her, she looked at her small sitting area and realized that she didn’t want to sit at the table and talk with her friends like strangers. She needed their warmth. Taking their hands, she led them to the small bed, and they all crawled in and propped up against the wall, linking arms and snuggling under the blanket.

“Theo is afraid that he will be just like his father.” She told them what she’d been doing in the village and how much work she’d put into proving Theo’s good heart. “And now I am with child, and he is worried that he will hurt us somehow. He thinks sending me away is safer.”