Page 10 of Forever My Lass

With a cry, Madeline shot upright in bed. Her arms outstretched in a disoriented fashion, she coughed violently, trying to breathe something other than sea water. Gasping for air, she pressed her hands into her chest and waited for her terror to recede as it always did. She wasn’t in the water. She was in her own bed.

Relief made Madeline curl into a ball, pulling her legs up into her chest as she wrapped her arms around them. The soft sheet covering the lower half of her body was soft against her skin as she rested her forehead on her knees. Inside her chest, her heart continued to pound wildly out of control.

“Christ,” she mumbled, and blew out a harsh breath of relief.

That had to be the worst nightmare she’d ever had about the stranger. It had been terrifyingly real and tangible. The thought made Madeline’s stomach lurch violently, and she forced herself to take deep breaths. The fresh scent of the sheets filled her nose, and it had a soothing effect on her.

They smelled of sunshine and clean air, just like when her grandmother had allowed sheets to dry in the open air and sunshine. As she drank in the scent, the nightmare slowly faded. Her heartbeat returning to normal, she lifted her head. In front of her, a stream of sunlight fell through the window onto the foot of the bed where a dark green coverlet lay twisted in a wild heap.

The memory of thrashing about in the water as she tried to keep her head above the waves made her close her eyes for a brief moment. The thought vanished as she looked around the room with a frown. This wasn’t her room. Panic streaked through her for a moment before she groaned and her head flopped back into the mattress.

“Oh, for God’s sake, Madeline. Of course it’s not your room, you idiot. You’re in Scotland. Remember?”

How could she have forgotten that? One arm flung over her eyes, she fought back tears as the image of her grandmother’s attorney pushing an envelope across the desk at her filled her head. Inside had been a note from her grandmother. It had been short, and she remembered every word.

Dear Maddie,

Bill is going to give you instructions I know you won’t like. But I want you to remember you promised me you would follow my last wishes to the letter. You’re not to protest or argue. All you’re allowed to do is remember your promise to obey my instructions.

All my love,

Grandma

P.S. Don’t be afraid to let go, Maddie, he’ll be there.

With a wry twist of her lips, Madeline stared up at the ceiling. Her grandmother had been right. She’d not been happy with the instructions Bill Simmons had given her. In fact, she had objected by bursting into tears in the attorney’s office. Mr. Simmons had quietly pushed a box of tissues within reach, then patiently waited for her to collect herself.

Scotland.

Her grandmother had been planning and saving for the trip for a long time, Bill Simmons had said. It was supposed to have been a birthday surprise for Madeline, but her grandmother had become sick. She’d seen to it that her attorney made all the arrangements so Madeline wouldn’t be able to find an excuse not to make the trip. He’d even done the preliminary work of acquiring a passport for her.

Madeline closed her eyes again. At least her grandmother had missed the sailboat cruise from hell. Immediately, every muscle in her body stiffened. With a jerk, she sat upright in bed. The sailboat had to have reached Aberdeen if she was in her hotel room. Madeline frowned. Why didn’t she remember the sailboat returning to the harbor?

She drew in a deep breath of amazement as she remembered the captain heading toward the inlet…toward him. The man. She’d seen him on the cliff just before the last wave had hit. Had he rescued her? But how? Is that what her grandmother had meant in her dream? Deep down, a voice tried to tell her something unpleasant, but she ignored it—refused to listen to it.

“Think, Maddie. How in the hell did you get back to the hotel?” she muttered. She glanced down at the linen nightgown she was wearing with annoyance. “And why in God’s name would you think wearing this thing to bed would be comfortable?”

Fingers pressing into her temples, she closed her eyes and tried to remember. Had she actually taken the sailboat cruise, or had it been a nightmare? Had it been nothing more than a terrible dream like all the others, where she’d stood on the edge of a cliff watching the man standing alone on the cliffs with her?

A quiet knock on her door made her jump, and before she could say anything, a young woman entered the room. Stunned that someone had simply entered her room without permission, Madeline stared in silent amazement at the girl. The young woman, carrying a tray of food and what looked like a dress over her arm, walked quickly past the bed toward a table near a large chifforobe.

With dark auburn hair and dressed in a period costume, the girl was the stereotype of a Scottish woman from another century. The hotel’s advertised promise of an authentic historical ambiance was one it had delivered on from the time she’d checked-in the day before yesterday. All the staff wore period costumes, something her grandmother would have loved as there were men in kilts with brogues everywhere. As the young woman turned toward Madeline, the girl smiled politely.

“Good morning, miss. How are you feeling?”

“I’m sorry?” Madeline shook her head, confused by the question.

“You were pale as death last night when his lordship carried you into the house.” The girl set her tray down, then laid a dress on the foot of the bed. “They say he risked his life to save you.”

“Saved me?” What had someone saved her from? A chill swept through her.

“Aye, that he did, miss. Dinnae ye remember?”

When Madeline didn’t answer, the girl frowned then hurried to the side of the bed. Without warning, she leaned forward and pressed the back of her hand to Madeline’s forehead. Relief replaced the maid’s look of concern.

“Goodness, ye gave me a fright. I thought ye might have taken a fever.”

“I’m sorry, but who are you?”