The Highlander's Secret(40)
Jain groaned. She rolled her neck to relieve the ache and asked, “Do ye need me to go and fetch him?”
“Nae, he’ll be fine.”
Jain stood up and walked over to the stove where her mother was fussing with cooking and kissed her on the cheek. A few moments later, Eamon returned with a basket of eggs and set them on the table. Nora and Aileen woke up and helped with breaking the fast. Aileen’s cough was barely noticeable, thanks to the day of rest, and fresh color has risen to her cheeks.
As they sat down at the table, there was a knock at the door and Jain turned to it reflexively. “Who could that be?”
She went to answer it and found Rodrick standing there with a bouquet of wild flowers in his hand. Her eyes widened at the unexpected visit and said, “Oh, good morrow—”
“Rodrick!” Aileen called out behind her. “What are ye doing here?”
Jain held the door open for him to come and visit her cousin. “I heard ye weren’t feeling well,” he muttered. “I thought some flowers would brighten the room a bit.”
Nora stood up and took the flowers from him while Aileen blushed behind her with a giant grin spread across her face. “Thank ye, lad. I’m sure they will.”
“Forgive me, Nora. I dinnae realize ye were back already. Please forgive my rudeness in interrupting yer time with yer daughter. I’ll leave these with ye and go.”
Rodrick turned to leave when Nora stopped him suddenly. “Rodrick…”
“Aye, Lady Nora?”
“Thank ye. I’ll send word as soon as we’ve got her back in our home and well. Ye can stop by any time.”
Jain tried to hide her smile as Rodrick beamed at her with gratitude. He bowed his head and walked out the door, disappearing into the grass outside. Jain shut the door behind him and watched her aunt sniff appreciatively at the fragrant blossoms. “Well, I best be getting these in some water before they wilt,” she said.
Aileen let out a dreamy sigh, watching her mother find a vase as she poked at the remnants of her breakfast.
With their unexpected visitor gone, Jain came back to the table and sat down beside her in an empty chair. A few minutes later Nora came back with the flowers and vase in hand and set them on the table.
The meal was pleasant and lively with conversation before Aileen got up and gathered her few belongings. Now that her mam was back she could go home and rest up properly. It was sad in a way because Jain truly enjoyed her company and would miss seeing her every day.
They hugged on the grass while Eamon hitched Pepper to the wagon again. After they climbed onto the cart, Aileen waved goodbye to them, still bundled in her winter blanket and cloak.
Jain sighed with a heavy heart, watching them leave. Eamon patted her on the shoulder and went back inside.
It was a long morning after that, and Jain had a lot on her mind. With Aileen gone, and nothing else to distract her from her troubles, she felt even more compelled to go see Alan –especially with the revelations from the night before. Things had changed between them once again now that he understood her heritage. Jain could only assume he was confused and had a lot of questions.
After the noon meal was finished she set off toward the village to seek him out. On the way she thought over what she would say to him when they met. She held up her skirts while wandering down the dirt path that lead into the village. A cool mist had settled across the hills like an autumn blanket and covered everything in a milky fog. All around her the trees had changed their color into various hues of orange, brown and yellow.
She continued on the path and her eyes caught sight of a figure on the road ahead. When she approached the winding hill, Jain suddenly realized it was Alan headed in her direction. She bit into her smile as he stopped in front of her and they stood there face to face.
“Good morrow, Jain.”
“Good morrow. I was just on my way to see ye,” she responded. “I wanted to thank ye fer the other day, handling Conrad like that. I never expected him to come by yer shop…I’m so sorry.”
Alan chuckled, looking back at her with a crooked smile. “Fer ye, Jain, it was a pleasure. It’s just a shame Conrad showed up when we were having such a lovely conversation.”
Jain’s cheeks went red at the memory of their almost kiss and how Conrad had burst into the shop at the most inopportune time. Her eyes drifted over to Alan’s mouth, and the perfect shape they made when he was speaking. Alan took a step towards her and placed his hand against her cheek.
When she felt the warmth of his palm on the side of her face, Jain closed her eyes and sighed. He was so close to her Jain could feel his breath against her skin. For a long time neither of them spoke, just savoring the touch for as long as possible until someone else discovered them.
Jain opened her eyes when she felt his thumb brush across her lips and they parted slightly.
“Should we talk about what happened?” he asked her quietly.
She chuckled. “Which part? There was a lot that happened. Should we discuss how ye told him we’re engaged even though we aren’t?”
She felt her stomach drop, remembering her confession about the brooch. Alan knew the truth – there were no more secrets between them. Jain cleared her throat uncomfortably and her eyes misted. “Alan, I’m so sorry. I should have told ye about my past, but I was scared ye wouldn’t understand.”