THE GIFT: A Highland Novella (15 page)

Roderick told himself he could leave with peace of mind now, knowing she would not be so miserable here after all.

But there would be no peace for him.

His grandmother met his gaze, and he knew she saw into his heart. With Lily diverted, she sidled over to him.

“
She
’
s not our next seer, is she?
”
he asked.

“
Nay, she
’
s not.
”

“
That means she
’
ll leave,
”
he said, his heart sinking to his feet.
“
What am I to do, Seanmhair?
”

“
Ye must persuade her to stay.
”
She patted his arm and recited the old expression,
“
Chan ann leis a
’
chiad bhuille thuiteas a
’
chraobh.
”
Tis not with the first stroke that the tree falls.

***

Lily hummed to herself as she and Seanmhair hung greenery over the door. The smells of the delicious venison stew they had made earlier filled the cottage. Odd, how this was so much like her mad ramblings about that healer who lived on the border before Roderick found her.

Seanmhair gave her a smug smile and pointed to herself. Apparently, the old woman believed she had put that dream in Lily
’
s head and it was her in it. Seanmhair practiced ancient magic, so perhaps she had done it.

“’
Tis lucky ye live here,
”
Lily told her.
“
If people in London saw you tossing herbs on the fire and mumbling chants, they
’
d burn you, for certain.
”

She sighed when Seanmhair spoke what Lily assumed were the same words in Gaelic and motioned impatiently for Lily to repeat them. The woman did this to her all day long.

“
I
’
ll be leaving in a few weeks,
”
Lily reminded her, as she did every day, then she repeated it in Gaelic without prompting since she knew the words well by now.

Seanmhair rocked from side to side as she mumbled another chant. The old woman was strange, but she was good company, and Lily had grown fond of her in the week since her arrival.

“
Will you teach me some of those spells?
”
Lily asked with a laugh.

She understood enough of Seanmhair
’
s reply to gather that the answer was an emphatic no, but Lily intended to wheedle a few spells out of her eventually.

“
Roderick,
”
the old woman said, with a nod toward the door.

Lily
’
s pulse jumped. She swiped uselessly at her ungovernable hair and brushed her palms on the skirt of her gown. Though he came nearly every day, she always felt unprepared to see him.

The door opened with a rush of cold air, and Roderick filled the doorway looking so handsome she had to stifle a sigh.

Seanmhair poked Lily
’
s shoulder and handed her the cloak she had stolen from the baker
’
s son a lifetime ago.

“
All right, we
’
re going.
”
Lily spoke the simple words in Gaelic without thinking.

As if to reward her, Seanmhair broke off a piece of greenery from the pile on the table that they had gathered earlier and stuck it in Lily
’
s hair.

“
Thank you,
”
Lily said in Gaelic.

Roderick winked at his grandmother and took Lily
’
s arm. Lily was well aware that the two were working together to persuade her not to return to London in the spring. She did not quite know what to make of it, for surely his grandmother at least knew Lily did not have the makings of a great seer.

Lily and Roderick walked the path along the cliff, as they usually did. Each time he came to the cottage, she felt her defenses weaken.

“
Aren
’
t you needed at the castle?
”

“
We
’
ve no enemies likely to attack while Alexander is at peace with the Crown, and we
’
ve plenty of well-trained warriors at the castle.
”
He paused.
“
What we will need soon is a healer, as my grandmother fears she
’
ll no longer be able to make the trip across the inlet come spring.
”

The sail across the inlet was short, and the old woman seemed well enough to Lily.

As they walked side by side, she felt his desire as if it were something physical pulling their bodies together. To break the spell, she stepped off the path. The view from the cliff usually soothed her.

“’
Tis so beautiful here,
”
she said, as she took in the wide vista of the sea dotted with islands and the dreamlike layers of gray-blue mountains on the mainland beyond.

“
I didn
’
t expect ye to like Skye,
”
he said as he came to stand beside her.
“
I feared you
’
d suffer from loneliness in such a quiet place.
”

Lily liked the quiet, and she was accustomed to keeping her own company. At least here, she had his grandmother and Roderick
’
s visits. In truth, she had not realized how lonely her life in London had become since her sister married and the old healer died. She was not about to confess that, however.

“
Anyone would appreciate how lovely it is here,
”
she said.

“
Maigrid hated it,
”
Roderick said, staring at the horizon.

“
I can tell that her leaving still pains you.
”

“
She hurt my pride, that
’
s all.
”
He shrugged.
“
We weren
’
t suited. Ach, she even hated my grandmother.
”

“
Hated Seanmhair?
”
Lily was appalled.
“
I regret not slapping that woman when I had the chance.
”

“
Seanmhair feels much the same,
”
he said.
“
I had to talk her out of casting a spell to cover Maigrid in boils.
”

Lily was laughing when Roderick turned her to face him and plucked the sprig from her hair. When she saw that it was mistletoe, she swallowed hard. She liked his grandmother, but the old woman was a sly dog.

“
Seanmhair says
’
tis verra, verra bad luck to refuse a kiss under mistletoe,
”
he said with a devilish grin.
“
And she knows such things.
”

Lily told herself that a brief, lighthearted kiss would be harmless, but she knew it was a lie. She was playing with fire
—
and she didn
’
t care.

As he leaned toward her, her heart raced and she rose up on her toes. His lips barely brushed hers at first, and yet the kiss set off a burst of longing like the torch that exploded the bonfire into flame at the Yuletide celebration.

She held on to Roderick as if her life depended upon it as they devoured each other with hot, hungry kisses. When he backed her against the lone tree of the cliff and lifted her off her feet, she wrapped her legs around him.

Waves crashed below them, the surf echoing the storm of passion between them.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
His hands seemed to be everywhere at once, massaging her breasts, running along her thighs, squeezing her backside. She had missed him so much.

Roderick got control of himself first and leaned back, panting. Why did he stop? She could feel his hard shaft against her through their clothes. Oh, how she wanted him.

“
My grandmother knew the moment she saw ye that you
’
re not the next seer,
”
he said.
“
You
’
ll be free to go, if ye still want to.
”

Lily still felt dazed with passion and struggled to understand why he was speaking of this now.

“
But ye don
’
t have to leave,
”
he said, his dark blue eyes searching her face.
“
Ye can change your mind and stay.
”

“
I have my shop and
…”
She could not think of a single other reason for returning. After a long moment, she asked,
“
Why should I stay?
”

“
Because I love ye,
”
he said.
“
I want ye to be my wife.
”

As she looked into Roderick
’
s beautiful face, he appeared so sincere. Dare she believe him? No one had ever loved her, except her sister and Linnet.

“
Ye belong here,
”
he said.
“
Ye belong with me.
”

She was so confused that she did not know what she wanted or what was true anymore.

“
But if you
’
re going to leave,
”
he said, cupping her face,
“
I don
’
t want to do this.
”

She realized she still had her back against the tree and her legs were wrapped around his hips. He was right
—
this was not something she ought to decide in the midst of passion. Until now, she had not seriously contemplated remaining here, marrying Roderick
—
or marrying at all. She needed time to think. She dropped her legs, and he set her on her feet.

“
We should go back,
”
she said, and started off without him.

CHAPTER 15

Roderick had not visited the cottage in three days.

Lily found herself looking toward the door again and again. Had he given up on her? She was glad that Seanmhair kept her busy, cleaning her cottage from top to bottom for the new year, or Hogmanay, but the old woman was in a foul mood.

Lily had become quite good at deciphering the instructions Seanmhair gave her in a mix of Gaelic and gestures. Yet Seanmhair was impatient as she handed her the broom and indicated that Lily must sweep the ashes from the hearth to sweep out the bad luck of the past year and start the new year fresh. After Lily carried the ashes outside, Seanmhair motioned for her to take a long walk and not come back soon.

Lily took Seanmhair
’
s little dog Beag with her to keep her company. As she watched him race after a squirrel, she thought a dog like Beag would be good at keeping the rats out of her shop. But would he be happy in the city, crowded with people and buildings?

Would she be happy?

She had told herself that she never wanted a husband, a man who would try to control her and steal her earnings. Yet the notion of being married to Roderick did not strike her in the same way. Though he could be heavy-handed when he believed her safety was at risk, he would not interfere with her work as a healer. He certainly respected his grandmother, and he
’
d made it clear he would be pleased to have Lily serve as the castle
’
s healer.

She had been content in London, but that was before she had come to this island. As she continued her walk, she drank in the beauty of the mountains and sea, the fresh scents in the clean air, and the freedom of scrambling over the rocky hillside. She would miss all of these pleasures, but she could survive without them.

She was less certain she could survive without Roderick.

And she did not want to.

“
Come,
”
she called to the dog as she turned around.
“
If he
’
ll still have me, I
’
m going to stay.
”

***

“
Where
’
s Lily?
”
Roderick asked as he entered the cottage.

“
I sent her out with Beag,
”
Seanmhair said, with an impatient wave of her hand.
“
The lass is learning our language so quickly that we cannot say what we must with her here.
”

“
I don
’
t know what else I can do.
”
Roderick paced the tiny cottage feeling like a caged animal.
“
She doesn
’
t want to be my wife.
”

“
Ye must keep her here.
”

“
I could use your help, Seanmhair,
”
he said.
“
Give me one of your potions.
”

“
There are potions for lust,
”
she said, shaking her head.
“
But love is a magic all its own and must find its own way.
”

“
Lust is a good start,
”
he said.
“
Give me the potion for that.
”

“
The two of ye have no need for that,
”
she said, rolling her eyes.

Most women wanted a man to protect them and give them a home. But Lily had made it plain from the start that she neither needed nor wanted a husband. He understood she was a skittish lass, like a wild horse who shied at the sight of a bridle. He wanted to take care of her, not trap her.
He must find a reason for her to marry him.