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He swallowed and nodded. That was worse than her being an English enemy.
“Show it to me then. I want to see for myself. I dinna want any doubt left.”
She looked at him. “If you try to stop me—”
“Ye’re part of my very soul, Jenny. And if ye really belong to another time, I will let ye go. I want to be certain first.”
She looked at him for a long time. “Okay.”
He nodded, picked her up, and carried her up the hill to the rock.
CHAPTER 28
Jenny was in agony—and not just from her ankle. The feel of Aulay’s hard body against her, his arms holding her like she was a treasure, made her heart ache. Because he was taking her to her way out. To a future where he did not exist.
“How’s yer ankle?” he murmured.
His eyes left hers only for a few moments, to find his way up the hill. Otherwise, she felt the weight of them, the warmth that spread through her body like intoxication.
When they reached the top of the hill, she could see the English ships almost at the horizon, heading north.
“They’re going to Islay,” Aulay said through clenched teeth. She felt his heart beating faster. His jaw was set, and he was clearly worried. So was she. Somehow, in only eight days, she’d started thinking of Islay as her second home.
“Oh, my goodness,” she whispered. “Mhairi and Sìomon…and Artur…and all the other orphan kids! Una…”
“Colum will ken what to do.”
But she knew he was still worried.
“It’s out of your hands now, Aulay,” she whispered. “You can’t do anything to help. You have to trust Colum and the preparations you’ve made.”
He nodded, though his jaw muscles tensed. “Aye. Ye’re right, lass.”
He looked at her and then somewhere behind her, his dark eyes filling with sadness. Then, without saying another word, he walked to the rock.
When he gently placed her onto the ground next to the rock, Jenny could feel the strength of the magic. The carvings started glowing, and she had a sudden urge to pull away, to grab on to Aulay, and never let go of him. When she met his eyes, they were as round as she’d ever seen them.
“’Tis true…” he murmured.
“Yes, it’s true. If I touch it, I’ll be gone.”
Aulay’s face was ashen. His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I believe ye.”
She stared at the rock. There, just a touch away, was her world. She could make it to the appointment. She could return to her patients. She could live in a world of convenience with light just a flick of the finger away, food perfectly packed and sold at a nearby grocery store, her warm and clean apartment. A world where she wouldn’t be told not to treat a patient because she was a woman and didn’t know anything.
A world where medical technology could help her have a baby of her own, to hold and love.
“Ye can leave,” Aulay said. “And I will never see ye again. And my heart will be gone with ye forever.”
She imagined her life without him. Same as before. Long hours working at the clinic. Empty apartment. Hopefully, she’d have a baby, but that may not happen even with medical intervention. And in that scenario, the emptiness right in the middle of her soul would still be there.
And with Aulay, it wasn’t. Sìneag was right. He was the love of her life.
“You didn’t believe me,” she said. “You thought I betrayed you. How can I ever trust you again?”
“I am sorry I didna trust ye, lass. I love ye. Whatever years I have left, I want to spend with ye. I shouldna have mistrusted ye. Part of me kent ye couldna be an enemy. But it was easier to push ye away because I didna want to be hurt again by losing ye. Like I am in danger of losing ye now.”
She realized she was shaking. It could be because she was sitting on the cold ground, and her skirt was still soaked, and the wind was cold. Or maybe it was because he’d said he loved her. As much as he was afraid she’d hurt him, she was afraid he’d hurt her. He already had when he’d turned against her and suddenly decided she was an enemy. But she knew her rejection had hurt him, too.
