One Knight's Stand by Crosby Tanya Anne

Author:Crosby, Tanya Anne [Crosby, Tanya Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 3415387992
Amazon: B08LJPCXKM
Goodreads: 57322823
Publisher: Oliver Heber Books
Published: 2020-10-04T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

As it were, the only true angel at work this holiday was James.

It was, indeed, Callum MacKinnon he owed the debt to and evidently, after leaving Westerham, he’d tracked Callum to some blackhouse in Alyth, offering him a horse and enough money to travel with, along with papers to carry, all signed and sealed by her Uncle Edward.

The proof was all there; Callum showed her all the documents—all quite official.

And then, with an undeniably heavy heart, he told Elizabeth the rest of his tale—all of it, sparing nothing, not even the manner of his father’s death.

They were both ordered to be executed under General Hawley’s custody. His father was shot with hands bound, and neither man was armed. Her cousin James had pulled the trigger, but then, after Hawley left, he let Callum go.

Elizabeth could have relayed the rest of the story herself…

James had returned home in a terrible state. She had never seen him so downcast, and, in truth, she had suspected something of this magnitude, because, along with those bits and pieces she’d overheard, she knew her cousin well enough that, if he had kept the truth from her, he was likely ashamed. But she didn’t wish to interrupt Callum, so she let him purge his grief, taking his hand when it seemed he might weep. It was a very humbling experience to watch a grown man grieve. And yet, he did not cry; although his bottom lip quivered ever so slightly, he remained strong, and all the while Elizabeth listened patiently until their conversation was interrupted by the innkeeper, who finally arrived bearing a wooden tub.

As Callum stood to converse with Mr. Pitagowan, Elizabeth laid his papers down on the bed, studying the man…

She could do worse.

He was a fine, fine specimen—no boy in him at all.

His thick, broad shoulders bespoke a lifetime of hard labor, and his skin, though pale in the midst of winter, and after an epoch of healing, was still a shade of bronze.

Evidently, he was a friend to Pitagowan family. They spoke with an ease borne of familiarity, and the elder man gave Callum his regrets, telling him of Carrie’s mission to recover her Uncle’s belongings, which were lost or stolen after he fell. The room, so Elizabeth discerned, was her “Chamber of Sorrows,” filled with items belonging to the brave men who fell at Culloden. Every now and again, against his and her mother’s wishes, the plucky young lady took a horse and cart north. That was the only reason that her room was empty.

As promised, Mr. Pitagowan left Little Joe to fill the bath, and he went to retrieve not one, but two bowls of Scotch broth with bannocks.

Immediately on the heels of Little Joe’s departure arrived yet another stack of firewood for the hearth, along with soap, towels, a pitcher of ale and two cups.

But that wasn’t all; Bess arrived with a dessert that consisted of oats, raspberries, cream and whisky—made especially for Callum.

“It’s time to celebrate!” she announced as she laid her whisky drenched cranachan down upon a small table.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.