Page 77 of A Flawed Scotsman

He shrugged. “Very well.” Then turning to Ewan, he said, “Tell him I am thankful to have been left to live here with my family.”

With a curious look, Ewan finally nodded.

After the man left, Malcolm studied him. “Tis for the best, Ruari. He is no longer part of our clan.”

“What if he had a good reason for leaving? We do not know everything. He could have had a disagreement with…”

“We should go break our fast,” Malcolm interrupted, obviously doing his best to change the subject. “I am famished. There is much to do today. I require yer help.”

It wasn’t much later that Ewan returned and Ruari braced himself for whatever message came back for him. His cousin seemed nonplussed. His manner was relaxed when he motioned to Ruari to come away from the people who sat about the room. Esme had yet to appear as he’d kept her up most of the night. They’d talked and made love again. The second time had been gentler.

“He wishes ye well. He has a family on the western shore near Dornie. A wife, two daughters and a son.”

The news made him feel better. “I am glad for him.”

Ewan slid a look to the front of the room. “Are ye going to tell them?”

That Conor had shared the truth with Ewan wasn’t surprising. His cousin had a way that made people comfortable.

“No. It is better they do not know about the betrayal. What good will come of it?”

“Ye are their brother. Do ye not think they deserve to know?”

Ruari shook his head. “I have always been treated as such. The knowledge would not change anything. Even the land left to me by Robert Ross is the best on our lands, near water and forest. He may have supposed, of the four of us, I’d be the one not to live here and would need a place where I could sustain a family. My father did his best to ensure I never lacked for anything.”

Finally, after thinking, Ewan nodded. “I will keep the secret. But I remain steadfast in the thought that if I were them, I would like to know that I have a brother like ye.”

Ruari chuckled. “Are ye jealous, Cousin? Jealous that I am not yer brother?”

“Ha,” Ewan replied with a look of annoyance. “It is good enough that we are cousins. I do not care for any more brothers.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

“How long did it take before yer husband said he loved ye?” Esme asked Elspeth. Weeks had passed since moving to Ross lands and she’d begun to feel comfortable in her new home.

Joined by Elspeth’s friend and companion, Ceilidh, they walked through the flower field just outside the gates.

“I feel as if he does. But he has never said it,” Esme continued.

“Men are not vocal about such things as feelings,” Elspeth replied.

“Ye should ask him,” Ceilidh interjected. “Tis best to be direct.”

Esme frowned. “Ruari and I talk about everything. Perhaps ye are right. I should ask him.”

“Is it not strange how we require them to tell us how they feel about us?” Elspeth asked with a chuckle. “Have ye told him how ye feel?”

At the question, Esme tried to figure out if she’d actually spoken the words. “I remember telling him he was more important to me than life.”

Ceilidh clasped her hands in front of her chest. “In that moment, he should have responded with a greater declaration.”

“True,” Elspeth added. “He should have.”

“He said he cared for me deeply, as well.”

The women’s expressions told her they found the response lacking.

After collecting flowers, Esme felt better. She missed her parents and Catriona terribly but could see that living with the Ross Clan meant a life of peace.