reunited with your mother again,” he began,
standing up. “But why not come back to Benmore Castle with me—just
for a short time—until a message can be sent to your mother, and
arrangements can be made for you to meet.”
She had once before rejected this same invitation.
Now, though, Tess found that she felt differently.
Eleven years was a long time. Whatever bond she once
must have had with her mother suddenly seemed so fragile,
especially considering how little she recalled. Still though, Tess
wanted to go to her. Part of her did, anyway. But Colin had
suddenly become the one person that she believed she could trust.
He was her only friend, and a thought began to emerge in her
mind.
“Aye. I will go with you to Benmore Castle. But
when…when the message arrives from my mother, will you take me to
her?”
“If you wish it.”
Colin took her hand in his, entwining their fingers.
He said nothing more, but Tess could see that he was struggling
hard to voice something deep within him.
“You’ve no need to be doubting what we saw, m’lord,”
the burly fisherman growled at Alexander Macpherson. “Unless St.
Adrian himself has taken to wearing a kilt and walking on the
rocks, I say there was a Highlander on that island. And we’ve ne’er
spied one of yours out there before.”
“Did he call out to you? Motion for you to come
ashore? Did he show any sign that he’d needed help?”
“Nay. Nothin’ of the kind. The lad just stood there,
a-watching the half-dozen fishing boats we had out. Then he just
turned around and disappeared onto the island.”
“And you didn’t go ashore after him?”
“What for? No reason to.” The man shrugged. “And we
had fishing to do. After a storm like that, the fishing is always
good. The rest of ‘em are still out there, m’lord. I only came
back, as I’d heard one of your men talking of it in the alehouse
last night. He said there was gold in it for whoever helped find
your brother. I’m thinking maybe I made a mistake coming here.”
“Nay. You made no mistake.”
The fisherman followed the Highlander out of his
cabin door and waited as Alexander shouted orders to his ship’s
mate.
“He didn’t look like he was in any trouble at all,”
the fisherman added when the ship’s master was done. “And ‘tis not
like the lad’s all alone there. Auld Garth and his wife have been
living on that island forever and a day. I cannot say they’re very
fond of company, but the two are sure to give a man a meal or two
and a dry place to sleep.”
“Very well,” Alexander drew a bag of gold from his
belt and tossed it to the man. “I’ll see to it that more of this
comes your way if that the man you saw was my brother.”
“Aye, m’lord. Wishing ye the best, I am.” With a
nimbleness that defied his burly physique, the fisherman scrambled
over the side and into his currach.
It was too much to hope, the Highlander thought as
he turned his thoughts from the man rowing toward the shore. But
they had searched north and south along this coast for Colin and
found nothing. With each passing hour, Alexander’s hopes of finding
his brother alive had lessened.
And then the fisherman had rowed his skin-covered
boat into the harbor.
Perhaps St. Adrian wasn’t finished with his
miracles, after all.
It would be difficult to leave Tess with her kin,
Colin realized as he moved quickly across the island.
There were other things that Colin remembered.
Things that he could not tell her. Hints and accusations, whispers
and rumors. Tales that might have been the absolute truth…or the
embittered yearning of a clan that had lost its laird. Indeed, the
Lindsay clan had seen no justice meted out to Sir Stephen’s
killers, whoever they were. Whatever Colin’s recollections, though,
he realized they were based on fragments of what a young lad had
heard years ago from traveling merchants and musicians who had
previously passed across the lands of clan Lindsay. None
standing up. “But why not come back to Benmore Castle with me—just
for a short time—until a message can be sent to your mother, and
arrangements can be made for you to meet.”
She had once before rejected this same invitation.
Now, though, Tess found that she felt differently.
Eleven years was a long time. Whatever bond she once
must have had with her mother suddenly seemed so fragile,
especially considering how little she recalled. Still though, Tess
wanted to go to her. Part of her did, anyway. But Colin had
suddenly become the one person that she believed she could trust.
He was her only friend, and a thought began to emerge in her
mind.
“Aye. I will go with you to Benmore Castle. But
when…when the message arrives from my mother, will you take me to
her?”
“If you wish it.”
Colin took her hand in his, entwining their fingers.
He said nothing more, but Tess could see that he was struggling
hard to voice something deep within him.
“You’ve no need to be doubting what we saw, m’lord,”
the burly fisherman growled at Alexander Macpherson. “Unless St.
Adrian himself has taken to wearing a kilt and walking on the
rocks, I say there was a Highlander on that island. And we’ve ne’er
spied one of yours out there before.”
“Did he call out to you? Motion for you to come
ashore? Did he show any sign that he’d needed help?”
“Nay. Nothin’ of the kind. The lad just stood there,
a-watching the half-dozen fishing boats we had out. Then he just
turned around and disappeared onto the island.”
“And you didn’t go ashore after him?”
“What for? No reason to.” The man shrugged. “And we
had fishing to do. After a storm like that, the fishing is always
good. The rest of ‘em are still out there, m’lord. I only came
back, as I’d heard one of your men talking of it in the alehouse
last night. He said there was gold in it for whoever helped find
your brother. I’m thinking maybe I made a mistake coming here.”
“Nay. You made no mistake.”
The fisherman followed the Highlander out of his
cabin door and waited as Alexander shouted orders to his ship’s
mate.
“He didn’t look like he was in any trouble at all,”
the fisherman added when the ship’s master was done. “And ‘tis not
like the lad’s all alone there. Auld Garth and his wife have been
living on that island forever and a day. I cannot say they’re very
fond of company, but the two are sure to give a man a meal or two
and a dry place to sleep.”
“Very well,” Alexander drew a bag of gold from his
belt and tossed it to the man. “I’ll see to it that more of this
comes your way if that the man you saw was my brother.”
“Aye, m’lord. Wishing ye the best, I am.” With a
nimbleness that defied his burly physique, the fisherman scrambled
over the side and into his currach.
It was too much to hope, the Highlander thought as
he turned his thoughts from the man rowing toward the shore. But
they had searched north and south along this coast for Colin and
found nothing. With each passing hour, Alexander’s hopes of finding
his brother alive had lessened.
And then the fisherman had rowed his skin-covered
boat into the harbor.
Perhaps St. Adrian wasn’t finished with his
miracles, after all.
It would be difficult to leave Tess with her kin,
Colin realized as he moved quickly across the island.
There were other things that Colin remembered.
Things that he could not tell her. Hints and accusations, whispers
and rumors. Tales that might have been the absolute truth…or the
embittered yearning of a clan that had lost its laird. Indeed, the
Lindsay clan had seen no justice meted out to Sir Stephen’s
killers, whoever they were. Whatever Colin’s recollections, though,
he realized they were based on fragments of what a young lad had
heard years ago from traveling merchants and musicians who had
previously passed across the lands of clan Lindsay. None
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