Page 75 of Highlander’s Haunted Past

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It was midday when Kenna finally rose from her bed, stretching out and sighing in relief at having achieved a bit of rest after everything from the night before. She took her time as she washed and then went through all of her trunks before finally settling on a heavy cotton dress dyed a deep shade of green and embroidered with the outlines of roses in full bloom.

When she was fully dressed, with nothing else left to do, Kenna lay back in her bed and let out one, foolish sequel of delight, letting her arms and legs flail as she released the vigor that had built up inside of her.

Happiness, she understood, is a strange concept. How many times in her life had she been convinced that she was truly, completely happy? How many times had she laughed and smiled and told herself that it could never be better than this? None of those moments could even compare to what she was feeling now. Nothing compared to the happiness born of love.

Kenna traced the subtle curve of her belly, a figure that would soon be changing. Florence would be thrilled, for Kenna would likely need some different clothes.

Perhaps I should do the ordering this time, Kenna thought as she understood that a responsible Lady of Lovat would not allow for such lavish spending.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door, followed by the muffled voice of Ellen.

“Kenna? Are ye awake?”

“Aye!” Kenna called back, sitting up and trying to force down the vigor that was still coursing through her veins before Ellen stepped inside.

“I wanted to see if ye would care to take a morning stroll with me? I heard that ye are feeling better, so a bit of exercise may be fer the best.”

“Oh, aye, I suppose a walk would be good,” Kenna replied, her hand absently falling to her stomach and her secret source of illness. Ellen’s offer was kind, but it would be months before she could be truly cured. “Hold on, let me find my cloak.”

Kenna went to one of her trunks, the one where she had packed away all of her cloaks and began to rifle through the pieces.

“Well, that is odd,” she mumbled to herself.

“Is something wrong?” Ellen asked.

“One of my cloaks is missing. The red one.”

“Maybe ye left it in Florence’s room, or in the alcove where ye all like to sit and sew.”

“I must have…” Kenna pulled another of her cloaks from the trunk instead. It was lighter, but the sun was out so it would hopefully be warm enough.

As she tied the cloak around her shoulders, she watched as Ellen wandered along the hearth, running her hands along the mantle and taking in all of the trinkets and treasures that Kenna had intermixed with Rob’s, not that he had had many to be mixed in with.

“Ready?” Kenna asked when Ellen seemed to go into a daze.

Ellen turned to her, her forced smile not as strong as it usually was. Today, it looked a bit sad. “Aye, let’s go.”

The pair of women left the room and made their way out to the castle’s yard, stopping now and then to exchange greetings and pleasantries with those they passed.

“Lady Fraser, Mrs. Fraser,” one of the older servants, Alec, called. He was a hearty old man, always full of smiles and laughs. “Out fer a morning stroll?”

“Aye, just down to the river and back,” Ellen replied.

Her words, Kenna noticed, were stiff and angry. Alec seemed to notice, too, for he just bowed his head like a kicked dog, and went back to his work.

Ellen led Kenna out of the yard and around the castle, following a path that had been beaten into the soil by hundreds of feet passing along this same way over the years.

“This is one of my favorite walks. During the summer, all of the children flock down to the river to swim and play, but ‘tis quiet this time of year.”

“‘Tis very lovely, thank ye for bringing me, Ellen.”

“Of course. We are both strangers to the castle, after all; I feel that I must be the one to show ye some of its hidden secrets. So, have ye heard the rumors that are floating about us?”

“Ach, no. What are people saying?”

“They think we are secretly sisters—that yer Gordon history is all an elaborate ruse fer my father to still wed one of his daughters to the next Laird of Lovat.”