Page 77 of His Secret Highland Bride

“But I might be able to help,” Lindsay said.

Her father laughed. “You owe him nothing.”

Was that true? She was interrupted from saying anything else when Tory entered the room after knocking lightly on the door. “A letter has arrived for you.”

Tory’s green eyes seemed to say something as Lindsay grabbed up the note and flipped it over to see the seal. Disappointment and anger rushed through her. It wasn’t from Shane.

“Did Shane leave a note or a message?” Lindsay asked, hating the desperate edge to her voice.

“Nay. I didn’t know he’d even left until I went looking for him a little while ago.” She frowned before saying, “Mayhap he was afraid we would tell him he shouldn’t be riding yet.”

Or mayhap he didn’t care enough to even tell his wife he was leaving. Unsure what to think, she opened the letter and began reading, only vaguely hearing her father dismiss Tory with a “That will be all.”

Lindsay read the letter quickly and let out a small squeak of surprise at hearing her dear cousin was with child and would deliver in the next month. She asked Lindsay to come visit before cold weather descended on the Highlands and they were both stuck where they were until spring.

Lindsay considered asking Shane when he returned if a visit to the MacKenzies would be prudent and then remembered how her husband had gone off without consulting her or so much as saying goodbye. “I’ll be ready to leave in the morning,” she told her father.

…

After a fitful night’s sleep, Lindsay rose shortly after dawn and dressed. She still wasn’t sure how long she’d be gone or if she ever planned to come back. Just in case, she’d packed her trunks, and as her father saw to having them loaded in the carriage, Lindsay took Tre to the village to leave the little dog with her small cousins.

She paused at the path that would have led her to the cottage. She longed to go there, to continue living that life. But it had been nothing more than a lie.

In the bailey, her father was mounted and ready to go.

“I should say goodbye to Tory,” Lindsay said.

“Nay. I’m ready to go. We leave now.”

Lindsay sighed, and after deciding the other woman was probably busy in the kitchen, seeing to the morning meal, Lindsay decided she wouldn’t risk her father’s mood another moment.

The sun painted the horizon pink and purple as they rode for the MacKenzie stronghold. Looking back over her shoulder, Lindsay wondered if she would ever return. Her father had offered the very thing Lindsay had wanted weeks ago, but everything had changed since then, and then changed again and again.

What she knew was she needed time to heal from the wounds Shane had caused, first with his plan to end their marriage, and then with his silent abandonment. He’d not left so much as a note, so she’d done the same, leaving with no promise to return and no words to know what their future might hold.

A few days later, they arrived at Castle Leod, and Lindsay paused to take it in. She’d hoped for some sign to tell her this was the place she was supposed to be, but it was just a gray stone castle, much like the one she’d left.

“Are we to stand here or move up to the gate?” her father snapped after they’d been standing on the rise for some time. His mood hadn’t improved when he’d learned of her desire to visit Meaghan, but he’d accompanied her all the same. Hearing his disapproval of Shane had forced Lindsay to defend him, which had caused a great number of arguments along their travels until they’d both resolved to stay silent.

She needed only to ride down the small hill, and they would let her in. Her cousin would welcome her with open arms, and she could start a new life here if she wished to. No longer with her husband, but not with her father, either. It was what she thought she’d wanted that morning, but now she wasn’t so sure. If given her choice, she wished she could go back to the time before she knew who her husband was. She wanted to live in oblivious happiness once more.

But that wasn’t an option, so she nudged the horse into movement and went to face her future.

As expected, Meaghan was pleased to see her. Her husband, Joshua, was a pleasant fellow, just as big as Shane but with blond waves instead of Shane’s sable locks. She shook off the comparison and forced a smile on her face as the couple welcomed them inside the keep to meet a few of her friends.

She was given a room in the castle while her father was pleased to visit with the MacKenzie laird. They’d missed the nooning; a tray and a bath were brought to her room. It was a lavish welcome, and she was grateful, but she missed taking a quick dip in the frigid river with her husband to get clean. She was dressed in a fancy gown from her trunks and was surprised how it seemed her life with the MacPhersons had almost been wiped away.

“You look much better,” Meaghan said as she came to check on her before supper. Lindsay was not looking forward to eating in the hall with the rest of the MacKenzie clan. She was a new guest and would therefore be stared at as some oddity. She said as much to her older cousin, who laughed.

“You are not the only guest among us, though the other will not be a guest for long. In fact, if you’ve come from the MacPhersons, ye may know her already.”

Lindsay tilted her head as Meaghan went on.

“Lady Deirdre MacPherson has stolen our laird’s heart. They’ll be wed in a fortnight. She is the late MacPherson laird’s widow, we’ve been told.”

Lindsay’s eyes widened in surprise, and she pulled her cousin to the side of the corridor.

“Deirdre MacPherson is here?”