Page 28 of To Charm a Highlander

As he made his way through the great hall, Donella walked up to him.“Did ye meet with my brother?”

“Aye.”He took her hand.“He has given me permission to court ye.”

Donella’s smile would light up the entire room.“That is wonderful news.”

He decided ‘twas not his place to tell her about the betrothal Haydon had received.That was up to her brother.“He also assigned me to work with the newer lads until my arm heals.”

“Thank goodness.”She reached up on her toes and kissed him on the lips, then flushed a bright red.

Startled, he just looked at her, then smiled.“When I kiss ye properly, sweetheart, it won’t be where everyone can see us.”

* * *

“What do ye make of this?”Conall pointed to the betrothal request sitting on Haydon’s desk.

“I have no idea.I’ve never met the Gunn, and ken no’thing about him.After having Callum here for the last few weeks, I doona believe he would fumble in battle.Ye and Malcolm have had yer best men go at him in training and he is not a mon who fumbles.The question is, why would his brother have men lie to make it look so, and then ban his only brother from the clan.‘Tis a huge step to take for any clan member, especially yer own brother.”

Conall nodded.“I agree.There is more to this.What will ye do about the mon’s request?”

“Since I’ve given Callum permission to court Donella, I would no’ feel comfortable if I dinna find out more about the mon.”

“Callum or The Gunn?”

“The Gunn.I’ve seen enough of Callum to trust him.And for the first time in many years, our sister is not only comfortable with a mon, but seems to not object to being courted.”

“Have ye told her what ye ken about what happened to her all those years ago?”

“Aye.I told her as much as I kenned, which you ken isna much.Apparently, after speaking with me, Donella went to Dorathia, and she gave her more information.Things that I would not be comfortable sharing with her.”

Conall nodded his agreement.

“According to the healer, none of what she told her brought back any memories.”

“What sort of dowry does Donella have?”Conall asked, changing the conversation.

“Some coin, and a little bit of land.I think if this courtship works out for her and Callum, ‘twould be better to let him use the funds to build them a house.He doesna appear to be the type who would be comfortable living off his wife’s family.”

“The land you granted to Malcolm and his labor here has worked out quite well for him and Christine.”

“Aye.”Haydon tapped on the parchment sitting on his desk.“I’ll hold off answering this for a while.See how things progress.”

“’Tis a fine thing to see our sister happy for the first time in years.”

“Indeed.During that dark time, I would have given anything to see Donella return to the way she used to be before her disappearance.If this mon can make her happy, then I owe him a great deal.No’ only did he save her life, but he also saved her life in another way.”

“Aye,” Conall said.“However, I do worry about how Callum would handle her if those memories all come back.”

“If the mon cares for her the way he said, I doona think it would be a problem.He’s a strong mon and deep inside Donella, she is strong as well.”

“All of this talk raises questions in me again about what happened to her.Who did it, and why he was never found.We scoured the area for weeks after we found Donella.”Conall stood, ready to leave.“’Tis my guess it was someone passing through and seeing her alone in the woods grabbed her and kept her with him.What we ne’er learned was how long she was in his hands and how long she wandered around after she escaped.Or, did she escape?We e’er learned anything from the lass..”

* * *

“Care to go for a walk,Lady Donella?”Callum reached his hand out.

They had just finished the evening meal and Callum had taken the time to clean himself up and change his clothes before he’d entered the great hall to eat.

The other warriors at the tables where they ate were busy getting great laughs at his expense, trying their best to embarrass him, but he had too great a prize to work hard for to let that bother him.