Wild Highland Magic (The Celtic Legends Series Book 3)(68)
“Yet you spent years hoping to leave that island.”
“Only because I yearned to find you. Now that I have you, I want nothing more than to live with you among my people.”
He grunted. “Your father may greet me on shore with a swinging sword.”
“My mother will assure him that all is well,” she said, laughing. “And he’ll be overwhelmed that one of his daughters, at least, has come back to Inishmaan for good.”
In that suspended moment, she thought of her mother and father standing on the height. She thought of Niall strumming a sleep-song. She thought of her brothers and sisters, racing like puppies toward her. She thought of Seamus and his bright, joyous mind. She thought of a stretch of pasture where Lachlan would build their house from the surrounding stones, rigging rain-traps and pulley-systems and new ways to haul the bounty of the sea to the height.
She’d never wanted, so dearly, to go home to the people she loved, with the man she loved.
“I never really asked you to marry me,” he said. “Not properly, as a man should.”
Her heart brightened as she shared his thoughts. Soon they would be touching each other every night, kissing each other every day, lying naked against one another as their hearts beat as one.
“Oh, I heard you ask,” she said, lifting her face toward his, “and the answer is yes.”
THE END
I hope you enjoyed WILD HIGHLAND MAGIC! With every novel, I try to deliver to you what I crave in every book I read: A sense of being swept away on a magical, passionate adventure with a strong and wonderful man. Thanks so much for letting me share my story.
In the mood for another passionate, historical romantic adventure? Check out an exclusive excerpt from the first book in the Romantic Journeys Collection, HEAVEN IN HIS ARMS, just ahead!
Don’t miss Lisa's other passionate romances—including more novels in The Celtic Legends Series
TWICE UPON A TIME Amazon USA or Amazon International
THE FAERY BRIDE Amazon USA or Amazon International
WILD HIGHLAND MAGIC Amazon USA or Amazon International
THE CELTIC LEGENDS SERIES: Boxed Set Amazon USA or Amazon International
THE O'MADDEN: A NOVELLA Amazon USA or Amazon International
ROMANTIC JOURNEYS COLLECTION: Three Sweeping Historical Romances for Lovers of Passion And Adventure Amazon USA or Amazon Int'l
HEAVEN IN HIS ARMS Amazon USA or International
SING ME HOME Amazon USA or Amazon International
HER PIRATE HEART Amazon USA or Amazon International
Also available—the Novels of Lisa Verge Higgins
THE PROPER CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF FRIENDSHIP Amazon USA or Amazon International
ONE GOOD FRIEND DESERVES ANOTHER Amazon USA or Amazon International
FRIENDSHIP MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER Amazon USA or Amazon International
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS Amazon USA or Amazon International
SENSELESS ACTS OF BEAUTY Amazon USA or Amazon International
Enjoy this excerpt from HEAVEN IN HIS ARMS, Book One in the Romantic Journeys Collection
Paris, July 1670
This was her only chance.
Genevieve pressed against the stone wall. The dampness seeped through her woolen dress and chilled her skin, already clammy with fear. She dug her fingers into the bundle clutched to her chest. She had come this far. All that was left was to pass the guard at the end of the hallway, and she would be free.
The distraction had already begun. A slip of a girl emerged from one of the doorways. That girl raced toward the dozing female guard and startled the woman from her nap. The guard blinked at the wild-haired creature while the young girl—a deaf-mute—gestured frantically toward the gaping door of her cell. Sighing, the stocky guard hefted out of her seat, grasped a sputtering candle, and followed her down the hall.
As soon as the guard disappeared into the chamber, Genevieve leapt out of the shadows. She raced on bare feet toward the oak doors. She would only have a few moments before the guard realized that the young woman's unspoken fears were imaginary—the crazed ravings of a simpleton, the guard would think, and then the old laywoman would shrug it off and return to her station.
But Genevieve Lalande would have already escaped.
The brass handle chilled her hand. She eased the door open to prevent the hinges from squeaking. When it was cracked enough, she slipped through and edged it closed behind her. She leaned against the door for a moment, sucking in the night air as she waited for her blood to stop pounding. But she was already late. If she didn't hurry, her second accomplice would lose courage and destroy all their plans.
She scanned the enormous courtyard of the Salpêtrière, her prison for the last three years. The night was clear but moonless. Bits of gravel scattered the starlight, making the courtyard glitter as if it were covered with frost. There was no sign of her accomplice, but she’d hoped that the girl would have more sense than to stand like a lost child in the middle of the open courtyard. She glanced at the debris scattered at the opposite end, where the church of Saint Louis was being built. There was no better place to hide than among the hewn stones, the piled earth, and the skeletal wooden scaffolding.
She clung to the walls as she worked her way over. Chips of gravel bit into her feet. A breeze swept through the open courtyard, heavy with the stench of the Seine River. The rows of windows in the opposite building winked at her like a thousand eyes and she was so distracted that she stubbed her toe against a pick abandoned by some day worker. She squeezed her eyes shut until the pain passed. Then she limped on until she reached the shadows of the scaffolding.