Highlander’s Evil Side by Shona Thompson
Chapter Three
Devona could feel her heart racing, as though it wanted to jump out of her chest and run even faster than her legs were to get away from William. She had not expected to see him so soon, she planned to avoid it for as long as she could; but then again, it was probably a far-fetched wish considering she was already in the clan. Still, it was too much of a coincidence to run into him while she tried to find edible things to throw together for a meal that evening.
Her lip still stung lightly from where he had bitten her during his last kiss. Her head was hot, and her body was reacting way stronger than it ever had before. Were his kisses always so intense? Did his hands always feel like open flame against her skin? Time had treated him nicely, just like with Alastair, and his arms were much bigger than she remembered. He had a somewhat wilder look about him now, or perhaps, it was just the way she ran into him.
His beard made him look more feral, adding to the intimidating gaze of his blue eyes and the domineering way he kept her eyes on him as he assessed her. Somehow, she had needed to clench her thighs to keep herself together. How ridiculous, just a few minutes with him had roused feelings within her which had not surfaced in seven years. She touched a hand to her lips tentatively as she ran. He had kissed her, so that meant that he was not married, right? William was not the type of man that would kiss her if he had a wife... Then again, she could not be sure. Despite her best efforts, she could not help the feeling of happiness that bubbled up inside her at the thought that he might still be single.
She burst out of the forest, and the sun hitting her eyes as she left the cover of the trees drew her back to reality. She raised her hand to shield her face and allow herself to catch her breath. She had actually ran the whole way back lost in her thoughts. She took deep, calming breaths as she went down the path to the little inn she was boarded in by the kirk. She did not have enough money to board anywhere else, and the old women from the kirk who ran the inn were a big help to her.
“Mother!” a small, adorable voice called, and Devona felt her heart melt as the blond little boy ran towards her. That’s right, the little inn was perfect for her since the old ladies kept an eye on him for free. Her son. She opened her arms to accept his hug, as he ignored the racket from the inn as one of the old ladies chastised him for running when he could fall.
“Nathan me darlin’ are ye that happy to see me?” she all but sang, unable to control the inflections of her voice when talking to her son. He was getting bigger each day, but in her mind, he was still her baby and she always cooed to him. He chuckled lightly and held her skirts as she nuzzled his face.
“Yes, I really did miss you,” he said, his French accent shining through. She wondered if he would continue to talk like that forever or if he was still young enough for his accent to change due to the environment. It had only been a few days, but everyone at the inn already knew him as the little foreign boy. The almost strawberry blond of his hair as well was unusual.
“Did Mother see my grandparents?” he asked as they began down the hill together. She had left the day before to see her parents and had returned with a trader’s wagon that afternoon. She knew that the old women would have fed Nathan while she was away so she could not return emptyhanded, especially when she knew she could not pay for the food. That was why she had went to find the berries and mushrooms. Her son’s innocent eyes stared up at her in question, completely ignorant of their problems. She hoped he would never come to know.
“Aye I did, I also saw yer uncle, remember I told ye about him? He has children now, so ye have cousins! Dae ye want to meet them?” she asked, smiling when he nodded excitedly in response. Nathan was a good child, he never complained and was grateful with whatever she gave him. She knew that he was most likely having a hard time since they had to leave France so suddenly. He did not even get to say goodbye to his friends, they were just gone with the wind, and now he was surrounded by old women with no one to play with. She needed for him to meet his cousins so he could have playmates again, even though he would be the oldest.
They reached the inn, and she greeted the old woman who had followed after Nathan when he ran off, bowing her head respectfully.
“Thank ye for lookin’ after him, Madam Rainer,” she said, and the old woman simply waved her off, seeming embarrassed by her thanks.
“Oh, please, there was nothin’ to it. Yer lad is like an angel compared to lads I have dealt with. It was nay trouble at all,” Madam Rainer said. Devona smiled down at Nathan, rubbing his head as pride filled her after hearing him being praised.
“Alright, Maither needs to make dinner now so go play out in the back,” she instructed.
“Yes, Mother!” Nathan said and took off running. She watched him go, guilt eating at her that she could not give him everything he needed. Perhaps she would have to take Alastair’s offer to live with them after all. It was her parent’s old house too, so she would not feel so bad to put his family out.
…
William had forgotten all about his hunt and was riding back to the castle in a broken state. He had followed Devona, not buying her excuse and wanting to see just where she was running off to. He’d stayed hidden in the tree line when she had stepped out unto the hill overlooking the kirk and the small inn beside it. Was that where she stayed? That inn was run by the kirk and was more of a place to shelter those who had nowhere to go, like orphaned children before they are sent to the orphanage, or old people with no one else to take care of them. It was a very cheap place to board up for the short term.
He had just been thinking that perhaps, it was pride that made her not want to find him in her state, when his hopes were dashed against the wall quite brutally as a child ran up to her calling her Mother in such a joyous, loud voice that carried all the way to where he was by the tree line. She had a child now. So, while he was agonizing over her disappearance and missing her, she had gone off and gotten married? All his motivation to chase her melted away like fat over a fire. William had known no greater betrayal. Not even the betrayal of his friend that sparked the war three years ago could compare.
Did his love mean nothing to her? He felt like such a fool as he rode absently, his brown stallion trotting along. Was this what she meant when she said she was different now? If she was so different, why did she kiss him like that? Although he was the one that initiated the kiss it was certain that she had kissed him back just as fervently as he kissed her. She had been so supple, just as he remembered. He covered his mouth with one hand as his face grew hot, her tongue was soft, and she left her jaw slack to allow him access… In the moment, he was plagued by too much anger to feel aroused but now that his anger had melted in the shock and betrayal, his arousal from the memory was immense. He wanted to smack himself.
What are ye doin’? Where did yer anger go? It is now that ye should be most angry. Ye have been made a mess of. It does nae look like she missed ye at all, her child is old enough to deduce that she had moved on immediately she left ye.
He had not considered it before, but now in response to his thoughts he did. Although he had not looked closely, the child he had seen was at least six years old. So, she had moved on with no time to waste back then… While he was busy going crazy as he read the letter she had left for him over and over for at least two years. He needed to find that letter in fact. He had stashed it away when he decided to attempt recovering from the breakup after two years. It had been years, so he wondered if he had forgotten any important thing from the message.
Speeding up his horse with that motivation in mind, he returned to the castle and headed straight for his bedroom. He searched in his closet for the small box he had left it in and opened it, reading the letter again.
Dear William, by the time ye read this letter, I would be long gone, somewhere on the open seas, lookin’ for me future elsewhere.
I am sorry to leave ye like this… Dae nae resent me. Our love was innocent and foolish, but that was what made it beautiful. To think that a mere farmer’s daughter would dream to wed the son of the Laird. It was a dream that I realize was too far-fetched now that me eyes are open. I can nae stay beside ye to live out yer future, so I have left to find mine. Please think of me kindly as ye go on to find yers as well.
Devona.
Reading it again, William’s anger returned two-folds. He crumpled the old paper which he had kept safe all those years and squeezed it back into the box before flinging it against the wall. When he read the letter seven years ago, he had been thrown into panic. He wanted to find her, so he sent investigators. She had vanished from the Highlands. Every night he went to bed and told himself that she would come back to him, reading her letter over. He was sure that she was having a hard time forgetting him as well. He wanted to hold her and tell her that regardless of status there was no woman who could be with him if it were not her.
The last time he had read her letter had been the day he had told Jane Baxendale of his intention to announce their engagement. He had read the letter guiltily, asking her to forgive him as he had to do what was best for the clan and his people. He had done all these, not knowing that she had moved on immediately. So that was how she had played him? Leaving out of the blue and throwing away the feelings they shared like it was nothing?
William stormed out of his room in search of his uncle. It was time for him to do what he needed to do. If she could move on like it was nothing, then so could he.
…
It did not take his uncle any time at all as merely a day after William had gone to him expressing his intentions to find a wife, the castle was bustling as the maids prepared for a feast. Despite being the one who had incited the festivities, William had holed himself up in his office stewing over his anger and hurt feelings. He wanted her to see that he was moving on. It was petty and ridiculous of him, but he was determined.
He had not told his uncle about his plan to have a contract with a widow after all. So , the feast was inviting every woman who held fancy the position of being his bride in the clan and beyond. In fact, he was probably not going to find that many widows since most widows were not brave enough to attempt remarriage when not prompted. It was seen as somewhat embarrassing to return to the marriage pool with all the young girls who would have just come of age. The feast was more of a show that he was moving on than a place where he truly expected to find a bride.
The door to his study opened and he was surprised to see Alastair. From the expression on his face, his friend seemed to be in a good mood as he crossed the room and William got up to accept the hug he offered. Just because he was upset with Devona did not mean that he would project it unto her brother. Unlike her Alastair had been loyal to their relationship for years now. Besides, it was Alastair who was going to help him bring Devona to see him move on.
“Welcome back me friend, how was yer time off?” he asked as Alastair took the seat in front of him, grinning from ear to ear.
“It was a great time. Ye would nae believe it, I met Devona at me parent’s grave. Ye remember me sister dae ye nae? I was shocked because I was so sure that I would never see her again. Imagine me surprise!” Alastair said. His friend was too excited to see the bland expression on his face. It was in times like these that he wondered if he should not just tell Alastair that the woman he had been pining after all those years was his sister. To ask him if he remembered Devona, it was so funny that he almost laughed. It was good that he had seen her himself before Alastair brought him this news. Otherwise, he would have overreacted for sure.
“I was happy enough, then I returned to find that ye were preparing a feat to find a bride. I am so happy for ye,” Alastair continued, genuinely looking glad. “I ken that ye said ye were heartbroken all this while, but I had always hoped that ye would come to love again. It has always been a dream of mine to have our children be friends just as we are.”
William smiled, although it was wistful. If it were up to him their children would have been cousins and not just friends. Still, his friend’s genuine happiness was enough to slightly clear the clouds that had been thickening over his head for days. Since he was planning to move on anyway, it was a good idea to also look at the good sides of his choice. Indeed, his child would be friends with Alastair’s children. That was something to look forward to.
“Ye ken, I had asked Devona to come stay with us here just like before. Ye daenae mind, dae ye? She could take her old room,” Alastair said, causing William to raise his brow. It seemed his friend did not know yet that his sister was married. Still, William was not against it at all. It was the perfect opportunity for him to rub it in her face that he was going to get over her.
“By all means, please dae so. Of course, I daenae mind. I would even give her a bigger room,” he said. Alastair looked so happy about it that William actually felt somewhat guilty. He would probably have blurted out everything if Alastair did not change the subject right at that moment.
“So how have things been back here? I came to see ye immediately, so I have nae even been briefed on the meetings I missed,” his friend said. “I took me time on the way back, tryin’ to pick up on gossips on how the recovery from the war is goin’. The people are happy and hopeful, everyone is glad for the peace.”
William sighed, of course the people would be happy for the peace. No one liked war, and in times of war, the citizens suffered even more than those in power. It was the right choice to do as his uncle wanted after all. If a war were to break out because he was considered unfit to be Laird, it would only put more strain on the people unnecessarily.
“Ye did nae miss much. The majority of the meetings were about getting’ me to find a bride and produce an heir. The elders gave me an ultimatum to find a bride by the end of the year, or the Lairdship would go to Lachlan,” he said. Alastair’s reaction was expected. His friend jumped to his feet, fiery rage in his gaze.
“They said what?! Lachlan left for Germany years ago and since he returned he has only stayed in his father’s household. We daenae even ken what kind of man he has become while he was away. Who kens what he is up to? Even when we were young, he was always slinkin’ around doin’ God kens what… I have never been fond of him I tell ye… Lachlan as Laird?! Ha! I would like to see them dare! Wait, does that mean that this feast to find ye a bride wasnae yer choice? Are ye doin’ this just because of the pressure from the elders?” Alastair thundered.
William almost laughed at Alastair’s view of Lachlan. It was true that despite Lachlan growing up with them, they never really got close for some reason. It was not as though there was no room for Lachlan in the friendship between him, Alastair and Lain, somehow Lachlan preferred to build his own friendships with the sons of the elders. As a result, they did not ever get close and barely spoke to each other. Before Alastair would rage too much, William calmed his friend down.
“Relax, me friend, I'm all right. I also see sense in me uncle’s words. For the good of the clan, I need to dae me duty and find a bride to sire an heir. I was thinkin’ I would find a nice widow and have a contract marriage with her. After she sires me an heir, she can dae whatever she likes as I would give her enough compensation to make it worth her while,” William explained, his words finally calming Alastair who seemed to be considering them. “Besides, I stirred up trouble with them when I mentioned that instead of me cousin, Lachlan, I would rather ye who I trust take up the position of Laird after me.”
As expected, Alastair lurched back at his words as though they were flames, causing William to chuckle loudly.
“Ye said what? I could never take yer place, me Laird,” Alastair said passionately. “Even if it were a joke me friend, there are some things that ye should nae say as they are too dangerous. Certainly, the elders would nae let such a thing happen. There would be war… It is scary just thinkin’ about it. I wish to continue servin’ ye in peace like this.”
William smiled at his friend, tapping his fingers on the flat surface of his desk. “I ken, Alastair… I ken,” he said; indeed, it was in everyone’s best interests that he found a bride and had a child as soon as possible. The scene with Devona and her child came back to him, and his smile turned wistful… If only it were his child calling her mother.
