Page 16 of Highlander’s Misfit Lass

It was a big decision, and he got the sense that a heated discussion was going to take place once he left. Still, he was just glad that he had managed to achieve what his uncle had said was impossible. He had managed to find the elusive woman and bring this matter to a close. Surely a hefty bonus and perhaps even a promotion would come his way.

He bid his farewell again and said that he would see himself out, but Emma was already skipping toward the door. When she was indoors, she was not wearing her shawl, so her blonde hair was set loose. It framed her face in a pleasing manner, and Trevor was saddened that he had been unable to see her like this previously.

“I’m sorry for nae telling ye the truth straight away,” Emma said.

Trevor gave her a reassuring smile. “I wouldn’t worry about it. You were only trying to protect your mother, which I think is a rather noble thing to do. I’m sorry I couldn’t be honest with you from the beginning, but the terms of my job are clear, and I did not want anyone aside from Lyndsay to learn about the matter.”

“I appreciate yer discretion. We all dae,” Emma said, and glanced back. Trevor could hear the murmur of voices too.

“You should get back in there and talk with them. This affects you as well,” Trevor said.

“It does?”

“You are a part of the family too. Who do you think is going to benefit from the estate in the future? I know it’s never a nice thing to think about parents dying, but sometimes we have to take these matters into mind when we think of the future.”

Emma had a thoughtful look on her face. Given that she was so young, he thought it likely that she had never thought about the death of her parents in pragmatic terms before. His mind flashed back to the moment when his own father had died. Unlike him, she would probably mourn the people she loved, for they loved her back. He could see it in their eyes. Trevor’s father had never loved him, only what he could do.

“I’ll see you again soon. Come and find me in the village when you’re ready,” Trevor said. Emma promised that she would.

He left, feeling quite envious of her and the life she had with her parents. They loved her in a way that he had never experienced. He almost wanted to have the same conversation with her as he had had the night before and tell her that she should stay here with her parents for as long as she could, for a parent’s love for a child could never be replicated. It was safe and loving and warm, unlike the love he had experienced from his father. That was all brittle and hard and unforgiving, and it was taken away when it suited his father.

Now that he had found Lyndsay, he knew his time in Scotland was coming to an end. Soon enough he would be back in London and would have to find something else to distract him from his melancholy. But really all he wanted was to fight again. The brawl of the previous night had awakened something inside him, something he wasn’t sure he could shake. Even the training during the morning had made him feel alive in a way he hadn’t been for the longest time.

Perhaps he had tried to be a gentleman for too long. The mask was beginning to slip. It was only a matter of time before it fell away entirely, and all the world would see him for what he truly was.