Her eyes widened some, and Creighton felt movement behind him. “Kaitlyn,” Rowan rasped, “ye are all right.”
“Apparently, she felled the father while still tied.”
The Erksine laird moved now, standing over them, and stared down at her. “Ye are most certainly yer mother’s daughter,” he murmured.
Kylie stared at him. “He killed her. He told me.”
Kneeling down, Rowan gently undid the ropes and helped her up. “Creighton and my son are going to take ye back to the keep. I will handle the father.”
With a snarl, Creighton stepped forward. Benedict had nearly killed the woman he loved. The man’s death belonged to him, but when Rowan looked up, there was so much pain in his face, and Creighton remembered.
Benedict had killed the woman Rowan loved.
Bending down, he picked up Kylie and winced at her cry. “I have ye, sweetheart. ‘Tis all over.”
Kylie nestled her head in the crook of his neck and closed her eyes.
Creighton never left her side, even when the healer ordered him out so she could examine Kylie fully. She knew what the healer thought might have happened, and Creighton had already asked her what the priest had done to her.
Afterward, Godfrey and Rowan muscled their way into the room and glowered at the healer. To her credit, she ignored them and finished her exam. “The bone isnae broken, but ye should continue to rest it. I will make a sling for ye. Yer head wound is a nasty one, but as long as ye arenae dizzy, I amnae overly concerned about it. Say the word, and I will kick the men out if ye have anything else to discuss with me.”
Rowan growled, and Kylie tried not to blush. This was not how she wanted to meet her father for the first time.
She wanted to take time and observe him. See any similarities between them. Ask him about her mother, but this was not the time.
“There is nothing else. Truly,” she assured the other woman.
“Vera well.” Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a sling and fit it over Kylie’s shoulder. Pain shot through her when she moved her arm, and all the men stepped forward.
“I am fine,” she said quickly before they started to yell at the woman. Not that she thought it would matter. The healer looked formidable.
And a little bit scary.
“Someone needs to stay with her through the night.”
“I will,” Creighton said, and her father growled, but he ignored him. “Is there something I should watch out for?”
“Aye. If she sleeps and doesnae wake up, ‘tis a bad thing,” the healer said shortly. “I would suggest she not sleep ‘til morning to make certain that her dizziness doesnae return.”
Snapping her cast shut, she stood and stared at Rowan. “Laird,” she said, and then grinned. “Ye found her. I always knew that ye would.”
She patted him on the cheek like a grandmother and left the room. Rowan glared at Creighton. “Ye wilnae be spending the night with my daughter.”
“I will,” Creighton said calmly.
“Ye arenae laird here!” he began to roar, and Kylie held up her hand.
“Excuse me,” she said quietly, “perhaps everyone could quit talking over me. The truth is, Laird Erksine, that while ye may be my father, I dinnae know ye vera well. I would prefer it if Creighton stayed with me.”
The room was silent, and Creighton reached out and intertwined his fingers with hers. “Vera well,” Rowan said as he cleared his throat. “Maybe I speak to ye in private before I leave ye?”
She nodded, and Creighton squeezed her hand before he and Godfrey filed out. Nervous, Kylie stared up at her father. “This isnae how I wanted to meet ye,” she confessed. “I had hoped to do it with more dignity. I promise that I dinnae get kidnapped by deranged men every day.”
“Nay, I am sorry. I should have realized that Benedict was responsible for yer mother’s death. I should have stopped this long ago.” He looked tired as he sat on the edge of the bed and studied her. “Ye look like yer mother. Beautiful. And, from what I saw in that basement, ye have her fighting spirit.”
Kylie opened her mouth and then immediately closed it. “That wasnae really me. I just happened to get my hands free in time and push him into the stone. He hit his own head.”
“Still, Kaitlyn...sorry, ye go by Kylie, don’t ye?”
“I do.”
“I want to hear all about ye and answer all yer questions, but I can see that ye need some time to breathe. Tomorrow evening, after ye have slept, I will give ye a tour of Erksine.”
“That sounds nice.” Relieved that he wasn’t going to start talking more tonight, she nodded. Now that she was afraid, she realized that she was overwhelmed and worried about what she might learn.
“Laird Armstrong seems to care for ye,” he said a little gruffly.
Was this what it was like to have a father? Marcus had cared for her, but then, she’d always thought he was keeping secrets, and that was why he was being overprotective.
“Aye,” was all she could say.
With pursed lips, he finally stood. “Take care tonight, Kylie. I will have a meal sent up for ye. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for ye.”
“Thank ye...Laird.”
She couldn’t bring herself to call him father just yet.
He left, and Creighton returned. Without a word, he gathered her in his arms and held her. “Ye scared me, my love.”
“I scared myself.” Pulling back, she stared up at him, her heart hammering in her chest. Her arm hurt and her head ached, but the man just made her feel so grounded.
She needed that right now.
“I am never going to be able to thank ye enough for all that ye have done for me, Creighton.”
“Let me hold ye tonight, Kylie.”
“Still taking care of me?”
“As long as ye will let me.”
He carefully folded her up against his chest and carried her to the bed. Closing her eyes, she rested up against his chest, and he kissed the top of her head. “No sleeping, my love. Just rest.”
“How will we pass the time?”
He chuckled. “I have a few ideas, but I dinnae think ye are in any condition for them. How about instead we just talk?”
“What would ye like to talk about?”
“Ye are scared. Why don’t ye tell me about that?”
So she did. They talked and even laughed. A tray of food showed up, and they ate and talked some more. And when the sun rose, and he kissed her head, she closed her eyes and slept, knowing that Creighton would be there when she woke up.
28
Rowan Erksine was a big man, with large bushy hair and a bushy beard to match. His hands were the size of Kylie’s face, and yet, he was gentle when he touched her.
And he touched her, often. He brushed the tendrils out of her face and put his hand on her shoulder. He asked about the lump on her head, checking it over and over again to make certain that it wasn’t bleeding, and he picked up her arm to see if the pain was easing.
Creighton and Godfrey held most of the conversation when they were together, but after the meal, Rowan asked her if she would walk with him, alone, and she agreed.
After spilling out all her fears to Creighton last night, she felt more grounded and ready to get to know her father. She was still nervous, but he’d reminded her she’d met all kinds of people recently, and she didn’t need to put so much pressure on herself when it came to her father.
That helped.
“Creighton and Godfrey told me what ye thought of me for all those years. I am sorry for that,” Rowan told her as they walked slowly through the village around the keep. It was small and sparse, but she couldn’t help but notice all the people that had come out to grin and wave at them. News had spread fast, but no one stopped them or questioned her.
“I am sorry, too. I dinnae know what made me believe it except that I knew we were leaving. Was my mother afraid of ye?”
“Yer mother was afraid of nothing,” he ch
uckled. “Nay, Morgan Erksine was a force of nature, and I loved her for it, but she fought just as passionately as she loved. We were betrothed, but there was another clan visiting one night...”
“MacSeaver.”
Rowan sighed. “Aye, and Fletcher was jealous. He accused his wife of sleeping with me, which was a lie, but Morgan overheard and couldnae be persuaded otherwise. Normally, when she was angry at me, I let her calm down for a few hours before we spoke, but I was tired. We exchanged words that I regret, and she left that night.”
“Ye didnae go after her?”
“Nay. Kylie, I had no idea that she was pregnant or feeling vulnerable, but I chased her away. When she heard that I was looking for her, she must have thought I was coming to take ye away, but I wanted ye both. I hope ye believe me.”
“Did she love the man that she was with?”
Rowan took a deep breath. “I dinnae know, my dear. The villagers tell me that they were no more than friends, but yer mother guarded her heart. She only told me she loved me once. She used to tell me that ‘twas the ones ye loved that hurt ye the most. I think about that all the time and how I hurt her.”
“Were the words ye said truly enough to chase her away?”
“To her, aye, and I should have known it too.” He took her hand. “I dinnae want all yer information to come from me. Today, we can talk to the villagers here, and tomorrow, yer Laird Armstrong has agreed to escort ye to the village where ye spent yer first years. Would ye like that?”
“He is not my Laird Armstrong, but aye. I would like that.”
“Perhaps ye dinnae need the villagers to know that ye are more like yer mother than ye think.”
He said it almost sadly, and she wondered if it pained him too much to have her here. All this time he’d been looking for her, but maybe he was just looking for her mother.
“I would like to speak to the villagers, but I also want to know the woman that ye knew. I have sacrificed a lot trying to discover what happened to my mother, but I think I just wanted to know her. I want to know ye, too.”
“I want that, too.”
The villagers only had nice things to say about her mother and talked about her big heart and strong will. Kylie was happy to hear the nice things, but it was clear from her conversation with Rowan that her mother was more complicated than that. After all, she’d left the man she supposedly loved on the word of one man, and while Kylie knew her father blamed himself, the truth was that her mother should have been smart enough to talk things out and make it work. Instead, she ran and hid his child from him.
That didn’t sound like a woman with a big heart.
Despite sleeping that morning, she was tired by the time dinner was ready and too overwhelmed to eat with Rowan and Godfrey in the great hall with the other Erksines, so she opted to have dinner in her room.
It didn’t surprise her that Creighton joined her.
“Ye have a sad look in yer eyes,” he observed. “Did ye discover something that upset ye today?”
“I learned only wonderful things about my mother,” she said tiredly after she finished her dinner and climbed into bed. She was dressed only in her shift, but Creighton had seen her in less than that, and she was no longer embarrassed to be around him undressed.
“And that upsets ye?”
“To hear them talk about her, she was perfect, but they knew that she broke her engagement to her laird, went into hiding, and tried to run with me. How is it that they only think wonderful things about her?”
“Rowan was afraid that might happen, ye know. ‘Tis why he wants me to take ye to the outlying village where ye lived. He thinks ye will get a better sense of yer mother then. What do ye think of Rowan?”
“He is large,” Kylie said with a laugh. “Kind. Patient. I can tell that he is eager to get to know me, but he isnae pressuring me. He is also a man burdened by guilt. He wilnae tell me what he said, but he has admitted that he said unkind things that drove my mother away when she falsely accused him of being unfaithful, and now he feels her death is his fault. He never wed another. ‘Tis clear he still loves her.”
And perhaps he was the biggest piece of evidence she had not to follow one’s heart. She could not imagine what she would do if she consented to marry Creighton, and he left her. It was hard enough now knowing that she would lose him, but to have hope and then lose it?
She would be devastated.
“He told me that ye and he and Godfrey spent some time together. What do ye think of them?”
“I havenae spent enough time to form an opinion, but they seem like good men and good leaders. They are respected and beloved by their guards and their people. Godfrey was thrust into the role of leadership at a young age while his father traveled looking for ye. I wondered if he would harbor some resentment toward ye for that, but he sees ye as his sister and part of his family.”
“They are both disappointed that I wilnae take the name Kaitlyn,” she said in frustration. “They have yet to ask me if I will take the name Erksine.”
“Kylie is yer name.” Joining her on the beg, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. By now, she was used to him being next to her and touching her. It soothed her as well as excited her. “They will come to terms with that. After all, ye are so much more than yer name.”
He also didn’t ask her to take the name Erksine, and she was grateful. It would be hard for her to explain why she wanted to remain a MacSeaver.
“I missed ye today,” he told her quietly as she started to drift off to sleep. “I have become accustomed to spending my days with ye.”
She knew the feeling well. She’d missed him too.
Daniel Erksine had lived the hard life of a farmer on the coldest side of the mountain. His village was small and barren, protected from the elements by a grouping of trees, and difficult to get to.
As they walked along the narrow ledge next to a sheer rocky drop, Kylie could see how her mother had been able to hide so well there. There was no way the laird could have surprised her. The whole clan was already gathered and waiting by the time they made it over the ledge. On either side, guards were posted so they would be able to alert someone if a traveler fell.
The real question was how her mother had managed to convince a whole clan to keep her quiet from the laird they had pledged their loyalty to.
“So, ye are Morgan’s daughter,” an older woman said as she pushed through. Kylie only had to take one look at her before her heart skipped a beat. She remembered this woman, remembered her kindness and laughter even if there was no evidence of it now. “Kaitlyn, is it?”
“Aye, but I go by Kylie. I have most of my life now.”
The woman grunted. “We received word that ye were here, and I figured it was only time before Rowan sent ye to me. Ye look like her, ye know?”
“I have been told.” Kylie hesitated. “Everyone seems to have loved her.”
“Aye, they did. She was an easy lass to love if ye got to know her. I will warn ye, Kylie, that I have nothing against ye, but if ye want to leave here thinking only good things about yer mother, then ye should go back to the keep. We think of her vera differently here, and we wilnae mind telling ye.”
“I came here for the truth,” Kylie told her as she steeled herself. “And to learn of Daniel Erksine. For the longest time, I thought he was my father. I have fond memories of him.”
The woman narrowed her eyes. “My Marcus didnae tell ye about him?”
“Marcus knew of him? He told me that they were acquaintances, but he was so careful about what he said. I thought he was lying to me.”
The woman clenched her jaw for a moment and then jerked her head. “Come. Ye arenae dressed for our weather, and ye will freeze before I can finish telling ye the story. I will make tea and tell ye about how both my sons raised ye.”
Marcus and Daniel were brothers? She’d been raised by family after all?
Knowing that the story would make her sad, she reached out for Creighton, a
nd he took her hand. Together, they followed the woman into her cottage.
After she started to boil the water for tea, she turned. “My name is Titha. When I had Marcus, I was married to a horrid man disguised as a charmer. I was younger than ye then, a silly little lass who didnae know better, but I loved my son. My husband died when my son was just a few years old, and I remarried. James was a better man in some respects and a worse man than others. He cared for me, and when I had Daniel, he loved him, but he could never accept Marcus as his own. Oh, he never went out of his way to hurt him, but Marcus knew he wasn’t loved, so when he was sixteen, he wanted to travel. He snuck in with the merchants before they took their trip in the spring, and I didnae see him again until he was a man. He’d traveled, learned a trade, and settled as a MacSeaver.
“James was different from Marcus, although as brothers, they were close. He was more sensible and less passionate, so when a lovely and pregnant lass fell sick at our doorstep, he took her in and cared for her. At the time, we didnae know that she was the laird’s bride-to-be, but word soon spread. Of course, by the time it reached us, the word was that the laird had tossed the chit out.”
Kylie and Creighton were seated close to the fire, and Creighton kept one arm around her. When she stiffened just a little at hearing the woman speak so callously of her mother, he tightened his hold, and she relaxed.
This was what she’d come to learn.
“I suspected that we didnae know the whole story, but my son had a healing touch, and I knew that he would never toss her out. After ye were born, we fell in love with ye, and as a village, we decided to keep ye a secret so the laird wouldnae exile the two of ye.” The woman smiled. “When Rowan found out, we feared retribution, but he only thanked us for taking good care of ye. He is a better laird than his father, I can tell ye that. Anyway, Morgan never told us what really happened with her and Rowan, and we stopped asking. She was charming and sweet, always doing things for other people.”
“And yet ye seem to hate her?”
Highlander’s Elusive Bride: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance Page 16
