Page 53 of To Charm a Highlander

Donella should not have hadas much whisky as she had.The first few sips had settled her, but now halfway through the mug she was only feeling tired and weepy.

And wanting Callum in the worst way.She needed him.To hold her.To tell her everything would be all right.

As if my magic, he appeared at the door, walking directly to her.He got down on his knees and took her hands.“How are ye, sweetheart?”

Her eyes filled with tears and she nodded.“I am well.I am just so glad to see ye.”

He stood and pulled her up, holding her to his chest.Why couldn’t life be good to her for once?She’d found the most wonderful mon in the world and now her past was coming back to torture her again.

Almost as if he read her mind, he said, “Doona let this trouble ye.I will stand with ye and we will fight this together.Ye are no’ alone, Donella.Ye have many people who love ye, but no’ like I do.”

She nodded, wiping her eyes with her palms.“What happens now?”

Callum took a deep breath, and she kenned the news coming was no’ good.“Haydon wants to speak with ye.He is angry that I ne’er told him ye had regained yer memory about what happened to ye.”

She wrapped her arms around Callum’s waist.“‘Tis glad I am that ye ne’er told him.”She looked up.“I guess we should go speak with him and get this o’er with.”

Haydon was sitting at his desk, his fingers linked and resting on his stomach.He smiled when she entered, but since she kenned what he wanted, she found it difficult to smile back.

“Doona worry, little one.I only want to ask a few questions.Callum can stay here with ye.”

She nodded, suddenly feeling like a young lass facing her brother over some miscreant she was guilty of instead of a grown married woman.

“Callum says ye remembered what happened to ye.”

She nodded.

“What makes ye for certes that the mon who came today, Laird Gunn was the mon who kidnapped ye and held ye for a few days?”

She leaned forward, anger taking some of her fear away.“Think ye that he would be someone I’d forget?”

Callum took her hand in his.

“Aye, I understand, but ye keep insisting ye killed the mon.”

“I did.He’d fallen asleep after too much drink.I stole his knife from him and stabbed him in the chest.There was a great deal of blood.”

“Did ye stay long enough to ken if he was still alive?”

“Nay.I ran for my life.Then I got lost and wandered around until ye found me and brought me home.”

‘Twas obvious Haydon was trying to get as much information out of her without upsetting her too much.She, on the other hand was no’ getting upset, but angry.Somewhere deep inside she kenned she was a strong woman.Dead, or no’ Laird Gunn was the mon who took her, abused and beat her and she then killed while he slept.She sighed, e’en to herself that sounded wrong.

“Donella, ye will need to face The Gunn and make yer accusations.In the meantime, we need to treat the mon and his men as guests until we have some proof that he was the mon who kidnapped ye.We also have the problem of addressing him about taking the lairdship from his brother.It must be assumed that unless we have proof, he dinna ken his father was not The Gunn who fathered Callum, making yer husband the rightful Laird of Gunn.”

She lifted her chin.“I can face him whene’er I need to.”

Both Callum and Haydon smiled at her.

“I think she’s had enough for today, Laird.I want to bring her upstairs and have her rest for the afternoon.”

Donella shook her head, becoming more and more annoyed at how they treated her, like she was a bairn.Aye, she had fallen apart when she’d first seen Laird Gunn, but all those years of hiding and suffering were o’er.She would face the mon and look him in the eye and have him deny what he’d done to her.

“I doona need to rest for the day.However, I would appreciate some food to dry up the whisky Ainslee fed me.”She smiled at Callum.“Will ye join me?”

He returned her smile with one that turned her insides to mush.“I would love to, lass, but I have duties this afternoon.I will see ye this evening.”He took her hands in his.“Ye are a strong woman, Donella.Ye will be just fine.”

“Aye, I ken.I’m no’ longer going to hide behind ye, husband, but stand alongside ye.”