Page 129 of Claimed Highland Brides

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Barclay stood at the bow of the ship, watching the shores of Scotland come into sight. The journey from Spain had been fraught with headwinds and sudden squalls, but here he was, at last, about to set foot in his homeland after ten years in exile.

Grandfather is going to be quite surprised.

He had written many letters to his father’s kin over the years. Little reminders that he was still alive and well and that he had not forgotten his birthright. He’d never received a reply and so it was fortunate that he was not expecting one. Other than his grandparent, he did not keep in touch with anyone else. Having been too young to truly forge lasting bonds, he did not have many friends in Scotland.

I wonder if the Douglass sisters still remember me.

He did hope that they were all well. Many times when he felt alone, he recalled Aileen’s words to him: It’ll be better in the morning.

Those words kept him going on the days when the darkness threatened to overwhelm him. A footfall had him turning his head. “So that is Scotland, eh?” His cousin Diego came to stand by his side, jet-black hair blowing in the wind, dark eyes fixed on the shoreline.

“Aye.” Barclay’s voice was soft and low as his homeland grew nearer.

Diego turned to face him. “Are you sure you want to do this? If it is land you need, we have plenty in Espania.”

Barclay grinned. “And generous ye are wi’ it. But this is my father’s legacy. It is all I have left of my parents. I must claim it.”

Diego nodded. “Entiendo. I would feel the same had I grown up away from my homeland.”

“Gracias for undertaking this journey wi’ me, Diego. Ye and yer brother have made it easier to confront these shores.”

Diego waved a hand. “No es nada.”

“It is not nothing, Diego.” Barclay stared at his cousin until the Spaniard was forced to look back. “It is everything.”

Diego laughed quietly. “Ach. Always so histrionic. It is as if you are a full Spaniard.”

“I grew up surrounded by them. Tha’ must be why.”

Diego nodded. “I shall get Antonio, and we shall watch your homeland approach together.”

“Aye. Thank ‘e Diego.”

* * *

Aileen opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, realizing that her feeling of approaching danger was simply part of her dream. She inhaled softly and sat up. The morning was wet and dewy, rife with the petrichor from the rainy night. She breathed in deeply, savoring the beginning of the new day. Closing her eyes, she began to pray.

Thank ye, dear Lord, for the new day. Thank ye for my family and our home. Thank ye for health and safety, food to eat, and beds to sleep in. Thank ye for love.

She opened her eyes and smiled, stretching languidly as she took stock of her body. She wiggled her toes, watching her feet as they moved, so pale and smooth as if she never got any sunlight. She shuffled off the bed, grabbing a robe and slipping it on. It was early, but she knew that soon, her youngest sister, Ùna, would come looking for her. She had taken to coming to Aileen’s room after Jamesina got married.

Aileen smiled. I suppose now she willnae have to wake anyone else up to accompany her to breakfast. It’s not as if I’ll ever be wed.

Of her five sisters, Aileen considered herself to be the plainest. With her long, coltish legs, pale and thin as she was, she melted into the background compared to her vibrant siblings. Her hair was a dark brown, like tree bark after the rain; her eyes, a washed-out grey that jumped to green when she was happy and blue when she was angry. There was nothing about her that stood out, and while this had bothered her for a while when she was younger, she had come to terms with it now.

Right on cue, there was a perfunctory knock on the door, and Ùna stuck her head in, grinning from ear to ear. “Guid mornin’ Aileen. Time to wake!”

Aileen smiled back. “Oh, ye’re too late this mornin’, Ùna. I am awready awake.”

Her youngest sister skipped inside the room. “Excellent. Can we go for breakfast now?”

“Aye. Let me get my slippers. I see ye’re dressed for the day. Did ye visit the stables before coming here?”

Ùna took her hand, leading her out of her chambers. “Aye. Gordon took me for a ride on Pegasus.”

“Really? He isnae too big for ye?”