Page 18 of To Charm a Highlander

She sat with her hands folded in her lap and looked at them.

“Donella?”he said softly.

She smiled and looked up at him.“I am well, brother.I doona ken what happened those four days.Do ye recall what condition I was in when I was found?”

Did he remember?He would never forget it as long as he lived.The poor lass was filthy, her clothes torn.Upon examination she also had bruises on her body, obviously from a beating.Based on Dorathia’s examination his sister had also been violated as well as everything else.

With her refusing to acknowledge what happened, it left Haydon and Conall with no way to find whoever had been responsible for Donella’s condition.

They’d spent days going through the woods surrounding the castle, but found nothing and no one.

It was only after Mam’s death that they realized she wasn’t keeping silent because she dinna want to make the situation worse by Conall and Haydon going after the culprits.She did no’ remember what happened.

He’d spoken with Dorathia many times and had even asked Father Samuels, the traveling priest who had come for a visit, if he had any ideas about what his sister seemed to be suffering.

No one had an answer.Many suggestions and ideas, but no’thing helpful, except give her time and she will return to normal.

Who kenned a bump on her head would restore her sense.

“To answer your question, you were not in the best of shape.Dirty, torn clothes.”

“And ye ne’er found out what happened to me and who was responsible?”

He shook his head sadly.“Nay.With you refusing to speak of it, we had no idea who to find and offer him a painful death.”

For the first time since the conversation had begun, Donella smiled.“I am assuming whatever happened I’ve blocked from my mind, but for some reason when I knocked myself out and my memory returned, ‘twas only from before I was found wandering in the woods.”She shook her head.“’Tis verra strange.”

“I wish I could tell ye more, sister, but I am happy that ye have returned to us.”

Donella offered a slight smile.“Until mayhap my memory of that incident returns and I am no longer myself.Or myself who I used to be.Or who I am now.”She shook her head and grinned.

* * *

She leftHaydon’s solar and carefully wandered down the stairs to the great hall.“Can I get ye something, my lady?”One of the serving lasses, a new one, most likely the daughter of another servant in the house, approached her.

Remembering she ne’er had a nooning since the fight had broken out at the ale house, she said, “Aye.Can I have a mug of ale and whatever the cook has handy that will fill me until the evening meal.”

She gazed around the room while she waited and thought of how she’d forgotten to ask Haydon about the remark the mon from the alehouse had made about thinking her family had locked her away.

Was she really so verra different?She nodded at the lass as she placed a bowl of soup, with bread and butter and a mug of ale.

Her thoughts turned to Callum.The mon in the alehouse had insulted him, as well.Said his brother threw him out of the Gunn clan because he was a coward.If she was trying to solve her own problems and answer her own questions, mayhap she could help with Callum’s situation as well.

Ainslee had told her Callum had come to them requesting permission to join their clan since he’d been banned from his own by his verra own brother, the new laird.Whatever the reason was he gave him, ‘twasna good enough, so being a verra suspicious mon, Haydon had denied him, and it was when Callum was leaving that she fell down the stairs and he saved her from a certain death.Whether it was through guilt or gratitude, Haydon allowed him to stay temporarily and sent a missive to the mon’s brother to hear what he had to say.

Whether he’d received a reply or no’, she’d ne’er heard any more about it from Ainslee.Since the Gunn clan bordered the Sutherland lands, it would no’ have taken long to get a reply to Haydon’s message, so apparently whatever Callum’s issue was with his brother, it wasna enough to make Haydon order him to pack up and leave.

After finishing her meal, she wandered over to Dorathia’s small cottage on the inside of the castle walls.The healer was there, mixing up potions for her patients.

“Can ye do with some help?I seem to be lost.I ken there is always work in the gardens, but I doona feel like pulling weeds.”

“Aye, I can always use the help.I expect my niece Helena to return in the next few weeks.If yer wanting to help, I could use young, strong arms to crush the flowers so I can make healing drinks from them.”

Once they began to work together, Donella said, “Do ye remember me when I was a child?”

The healer smiled and nodded.“Aye, indeed.Ye were a sweet little lass, always getting yerself into trouble.I think ‘twas because as the only girl and the youngest, yer mam and da didn’t do as much fussing with ye as they had with Conall and the laird.”

“From what I learned today from Haydon, it might have been better for me if they had ‘fussed’ at me more.”