THE GIFT: A Highland Novella by MALLORY MARGARET

Author:MALLORY, MARGARET [MALLORY, MARGARET]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: SCOTTISH HISTORICAL ROMANCE NOVELLA
Publisher: Margaret Mallory
Published: 2014-12-16T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

Where was his grandmother? As clan seer, she held a revered position and would be seated at the high table if she were in the hall. Most likely she had simply retired early, but Roderick was anxious about her. Fortunately, his twin cousins, Angus and Ian, who were tasked with bringing her to Islay, were seated next to him.

“Who’s the bonny Sassenach?” Angus asked as he leaned forward and tried to catch Lily’s eye.

“Ach, I like a fiery redhead,” Ian said. “Aren’t ye going to introduce us?”

The twins were nineteen, an age when they were full of themselves, and they received far too much encouragement from the lasses.

“Nay, I’ll not introduce ye. And you’re not to go near her.” Roderick glared at them until they nodded. “Now tell me, is Seanmhair well?”

“She looked same as always last we saw her,” Angus said as he stabbed a hunk of roasted pork from a platter.

“Have neither of ye seen fit to look in on her since ye brought her here?” Roderick wanted to grab the pair and knock their heads together.

“We couldn’t,” Ian said, and took a long drink of his ale, irritating Roderick further.

“Which guest chamber is she in?” He intended to find her as soon as the meal was finished.

“She’s not,” Angus said.

“Not what?”

“Not here.”

“She wouldn’t come with us,” Ian put in. “Ye know how she is.”

“So ye left her on Skye?”

“She claimed The Sight told her not to come,” Angus said, rolling his eyes. “Ye know verra well, Roderick, that if Seanmhair doesn’t want to do a thing, she doesn’t.”

That was true enough. And she was not above claiming The Sight told her not to come when it was just her own stubbornness. What was he going to do with Lily now? He’d told her she could stay with his grandmother, and he’d counted on them looking after each other after he left Islay.

He turned his attention back to Lily and saw that the slippery Spaniard in the ostentatious tunic was attempting to charm her. And the man appeared to be succeeding.

Before he could do more than glare at the Spaniard, one of Alexander’s elite personal guards appeared behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“The lord wishes to speak with ye in private late tonight,” the guard said next to Roderick’s ear. “I’ll find ye at the bonfire when he wants ye.”

Roderick nodded. Since Alexander did not want to see him for a few hours, he could make good on at least one of the promises he’d made to Lily.

Alexander had just left the table, signaling the Yule bonfire would be lit soon.

“Tonight is the first night of Yuletide,” Roderick said to Lily, interrupting the too-quiet conversation she was having with the Spaniard, and held out his hand. “Come, I’ll show ye how we MacDonalds celebrate.”

He swept Lily away and headed for the doors. As everyone else was doing the same, he had to work his way through throngs of his clansmen, every last one of whom was burning to ask him about the red-haired Sassenach.

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