Highland Vampire by Deborah Raleigh & Adrienne Basso & Hannah Howell

Author:Deborah Raleigh & Adrienne Basso & Hannah Howell
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Romance, General, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9781420115017
Publisher: Zebra Books
Published: 2006-09-01T07:00:00+00:00

When she awoke the next morning, Maev found herself lying on the pallet next to her mother, tucked snugly beneath her blanket. As usual. The burning embers from last night's fire still glowed, the aroma of simmering meat permeating the small area where she and Brenda lay.

Venison stew. Maev could identify that delicious smell anywhere. There really had been a haunch of venison left for them by an unknown benefactor. That much was true. As for the ghost of Callum McGinnis—Maev was uncertain. It had all seemed very real, and had felt very real, but how could it have happened? And why had it happened now, after all these years? Most likely it was a trick of her weary mind, yet though she tried, it was impossible to forget the vision of Callum's sorrowful eyes.

Maev longed to discuss the incident with Brenda, but she feared her mother would think she had lost her wits if she told her she had seen and spoken with and even dared to kiss Callum's ghost last night.

Needing to clear her mind with some fresh air, Maev left the tower in the late morning on the guise of foraging for food. As she walked the familiar woods, she found herself looking over her shoulder one minute, then gazing off into the shadows of the dense forest the next. Did spirits materialize in daylight hours, or did they roam the earth only at night?

Shaking her head at her foolish notions, Maev concentrated on her chores. She gathered firewood, picked a few mushrooms, then returned home to do the wash. By midday she had convinced herself that the appearance of Callum's ghost had been a dream, yet even as she tried to dismiss it all as an interlude that provided her with an escape from the dreariness of her existence, the incident was never far from her thoughts.

The foul weather returned, and the occasional burst of rain throughout the afternoon gave way to a deluge as night fell. Maev listened to the steady pummeling of raindrops and tried to tell herself it was foolish to feel so disappointed. In her heart she knew if it were not raining so hard, she would be outside on the tower wall, waiting to see if Callum's ghost reappeared.

She slept fitfully through the night, feeling a sense of renewed disappointment each time she awoke and heard the rain. The next day Maev began her chores in a lethargic state. After adding more kindling to the fire to chase away the morning chill, she started preparing food for her mother. Yet when she glanced over at the older woman, a feeling of dread swept over her. Something was wrong.

She approached her mother with some trepidations, fearing what she would discover. Brenda's eyes were opened, but they appeared sightless, gazing off into the distance with a glassy sheen.

Maev knelt beside her and rested her hand on her mother's shoulder. "Mother?"

Brenda's unfocused gaze settled on her face. Slowly, gradually, recognition dawned across her pale features and she moved her thin, white lips.

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