The Highlander's Vow (Loch Moigh #4) by Barbara Longley Read Free Book Online

aching temples. “I must search this fair for Madame Giselle, and I need to find a way to Minnesota to seek out the McGladreys. How am I to manage?”
    Marjorie set about cleaning up from the meal they’d just shared. Sky guessed the woman to be in her fifties, though she still moved like a much younger woman. She wore a long skirt of linen and a loose chemise-type blouse with short sleeves. Sky envied her. The garments looked soft and light. Much cooler and more comfortable than the heavy velvet she wore.
    “Nothing has to be done today,” Marjorie said. “Once I’m finished here, we’ll get you settled for a nap. In the meantime, tell me a little about yourself, Sky.”
    She’d been far more forthcoming with the Gordons than she’d ever been with strangers before, but her truth was all she had to offer in exchange for their hospitality and help. For certes, at her ma’s insistence, she had a few gold coins sewn into hiding places in her gown, but she’d need them once she returned to her own time. She didn’t ken whether or not such coins would do her any good in this century anyway. She’d seen the paper currency Robley had taken with him to the future. “’Twould be my pleasure. Ask any question you wish, and I shall answer as best I can.”
    The older woman smiled warmly. “For starters, tell me more about your family. How many brothers and sisters do you have, and how old are you?”
    “I’ll be one and twenty this coming autumn. I have one older foster brother and three younger brothers. Two of them are twins.” Her voice broke. “I also have two younger sisters, many cousins, and . . .” She swallowed against the lump forming in her throat.
    “We live on an island in the middle of Loch Moigh. ’Tis quite lovely, my home.” When had the tears started? Her chest ached. She longed for the gently rolling hills of home, with her clan’s kine and sheep dotting the fields. How sorely she already missed the loch, sparkling like the rarest sapphire under a blue sky.
    “I must get back to my time. I need to prevent a war between the Erskines and my clan. At the very least, I must prevent Oliver from stealing my dowry. With my disappearance, the Erskines will surely claim my kin took me away, thus breaking yet another marriage contract.” Her hands curled into fists. “Those deceitful, ruthless curs.”
    “Of course you must return, and if such a thing is possible, we’ll help you find the way.” Marjorie folded the cloth she’d used to wipe the counters and placed it over a small rack. “Let’s get you out of that gown and into bed.”
    “You are most kind to offer such hospitality.” Sky swiped at her cheeks and sniffed. Marjorie handed her a soft piece of something she assumed was meant to wipe her nose.
    “If I suddenly appeared in your time and in your country, what would you do?” Marjorie asked.
    Sky let out a strangled laugh. “You ken from the tales of my family we’ve oft dealt with that very thing. We would take you in, of course. You would be safe and well protected.”
    “Exactly. Things happen as they should, as they are meant to.” Marjorie canted her head and peered into Sky’s eyes. “You’ve come to us because we are the kind of people who will take you in and make sure you’re safe as well.”
    “I . . . I hope I can repay you somehow. I’m no’ able to tell fortunes, but I sew, embroider, bead and I can spin, weave and felt wool. Mayhap we will find a way for such skills to contribute to your family’s coffers. I’m also a healer like my mother, and my cousin has been teaching me midwifery.”
    She stood up and began to unlace her gown. “This velvet is very heavy, and ’tis so warm here. I fear I’m no’ used to such heat.”
    “As far as adding to our coffers goes, I’m certain you’ll find your way. Struan certainly has. He’s a blacksmith, and he makes Renaissance home decor, armor, weapons and jewelry, which he sells online and at the fairs