Page 54 of A Highlander's Vow

He jumped up and kissed the woman on the cheek. “Thank ye so much. Ye have no idea how happy this makes me.” He paused for a moment. “Was she well?”

“Aye. But no’ happy. One of the men with her tried to tell me she was his wife and requested they share a bedchamber.”

Gregory growled.

The woman nodded. “She stood right there and said, ‘Nay, I am no’ his wife.’ I came out from the kitchen just as she said that. I toldmy husband she was to have her own bedchamber.” She shook her head. “I dinna like the looks of the mon, or the other one who was with him.”

Ethan tapped him on the arm. “What is it?”

Gregory smiled and looked down at his palm. “Megan and I went to the village one day and she saw this necklace. When she wasn’t looking, I bought it and gave it to her that night.” He slipped it into his pouch.

“And ye got a good reward for it, aye?”

Gregory slapped him on the back of his head. “Doona talk about my wife.”

They all threw some money on the table and left. Gregory’s spirits lifted because he had proof that they were going in the right direction.

Stay strong, Megan. I am coming for ye.

*

Megan immediately dislikedEdinburgh. It was smelly, crowded and hot, even though ’twas Fall. It must have been all the people packed into the city.

They passed through the gate at the wall after being questioned by one of the guards stationed there. She was very surprised that neither Anthony nor Gunn told the guard they were off to see the king.

That was very strange. She rode her horse up next to The Gunn. “Why did ye no’ tell the guard ye were here to see the king?”

He stared straight ahead and she wasn’t sure he heard her until he said, “’Twas none of his business.” Then he turned to her. “And none of yer business, either, wife.”

“Doona call me ‘wife’.”

He threw his head back and laughed. She dropped back to her prior place and covered her mouth and nose with her arisaid trying to keep the smell from her.

It appeared that Anthony had been in Edinburgh before since he seemed to navigate the streets quite well.

After what seemed like hours of smells and noise they arrived at Holyroodhouse, the king’s home and headquarters. Megan was exhausted and all she wanted was to have Gregory find her and bring her home.

Home.

She almost cried with the pictures in her mind of her home. Where Gregory lived and took care of her. Where she was accepted by the other clan members. Where Gregory bought her that beautiful necklace that she left with the woman at the inn.

She noticed that Gunn and Anthony were arguing with the guards in front of the king’s home. She wondered why they did not pull out the king’s order that she should marry The Gunn.

There was something wrong about this whole thing. She was beginning to believe there was no king’s order for her to marry him. Before she was able to think too long and hard on this, a woman walked up to her. “Come with me, lass.”

“Where are we going?”

The woman didn’t answer her, but practically dragged her down the corridor.

“Who are ye?”

Still no answer, but continued on their way.

They eventually stopped in front of an old, battered door. The woman fished a key off the piece of leather hanging around her neck. She opened the door and pointed at the room. “Yer bath is ready. Someone will be here to help ye dress.”

“I have no other clothing,” Megan said as the door closed in her face. She rubbed her palms up and down her arms, looking around. The room was damp, but mostly from its age, but there was a slight amount of warmth coming from a fireplace against one wall.

She walked toward the fireplace. A bathtub sat in front of it, filledwith scented water. She put her hand in the water. It was warm. Despite not wanting to do anything that Anthony and Gunn had to do with it, she loved the idea of getting out of her dirty clothes and cleaning her body.

As she began to undress, she noticed a woman’s kirtle and léine laying on the bed. She had no idea how he had arranged it, but Robert’s uncle had someone here at the king’s residence working with him.

Most likely the rude woman.