Highlander’s False Identity by Shona Thompson

Author:Shona Thompson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Highland
Published: 2020-06-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

T he birds were singing very loudly indeed by the time they awoke the next morning. Edme was the first one to wake, cold, and startled on the hard-stone floor.

It took a moment or two for her to remember where she was; the stark March sunlight surprising her. Then, Edme looked down – she was naked! No wonder she was cold! Immediately, she looked for her clothes, strewn around the floor.

With Beathan still sleeping, Edme hastened to pull on her stays and lace them as quickly as she could. It was freezing in the room, and she desperately wanted to find her shawl, but where was it? Furiously, Edme’s eyes darted about looking for it.

Then, she spied it halfway across the room. It was hanging off something, which, on closer inspection, turned out to be a bed.

In disbelief, Edme rushed over to retrieve her clothing, snatching it hastily from the box-bed.

It seemed inconceivable that neither of them had noticed the bed, tucked away at the side of the small room. But it had been dark when they came in and had other things on their mind!

Edme sat down on the bed, testing its comfort. To her surprise, it seemed reasonably clean and new looking, adding to her suspicion that this cottage was not as abandoned as they had both first thought.

Anxiously, she looked about to see whether there were any other signs of occupation, but it was hard to tell.

Now that the sun was up, she could survey the room better. As far as she could see, there were no cooking pots or pans, nor were there any cups or plates. Scanning her eyes over the room revealed no clothing, nor any personal possessions.

But the house was not as derelict as it first appeared. Possibly, it had been inhabited in the not too distant past.

Edme shivered, expecting to see someone – maybe an angry farmer – burst through the door at any minute. So, when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder, she nearly jumped a mile.

“I’ve got a knife!” she cried, her heart pumping rapidly and her breath coming in waves.

“An’ a good morning to ye too!” a voice said.

Edme turned around quickly. There was Beathan, laughing at her.

“I was going to ask if ye wanted a bite to eat, but I’m nae sure now!” he said, grinning.

Relief rushed through Edme, followed shortly by indignation.

“Och! Ye gave me a shock!” she said, beginning to feel embarrassed. “I thought ye were the crofter or someone!”

“Nae, lass, there’s been no one here for years,” he said, placing his hand on her shoulder. Beneath her léine, Edme could feel the warmth of his hand seep into her. Deep inside, something stirred.

“I’m sorry, I didnae mean to scare ye!” he added, nuzzling her cheek and kissing her, before pulling away to find his clothes.

“Och, would ye look at this,” Edme said, gesturing towards the bed. “An’ we slept on the hard floor all that time.” More than anything, she was just

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