The Highlander’s Kilted Affair – Bonus Prologue
Her mother’s murder had changed everything, and as Evelyn Sinclair gazed out of her bedroom window and looked up at the stars, she could not help but wonder if her mother might be gazing back.
Where dae souls go when they die?
The pastor had said her mother was in heaven, but then why did Evelyn feel her close by on occasion? Did she come down from heaven just to be with her, or had her spirit never left?
She wished she knew, but everyone she asked gave her a different answer. Some told her she was with the gods, others told her heaven, still others told her that she was with Evelyn right now, and had never left her. It was all very confusing. Wherever she was, Evelyn hoped she was now at peace. Her greatest wish, of course, would have been for her mother to still be alive, never having left her, but it was only that, a wish. A wish that could never come true.
“I miss ye, Maither,” Evelyn whispered while gazing out into the night sky. “I miss ye so much.”
It had been nine months since her passing, and though the ache in Evelyn’s heart had eased a little, there were days when the grief nearly overwhelmed her. Her mother had been snatched too soon – with them one day, and gone the next. What Evelyn would give for one last warm hug or one last tender kiss. She hadn’t even had a chance to say goodbye.
Her father, Laird Donald Sinclair, had been inconsolable ever since. Cocooned in his study when he was not leading a battle against Laird Keith’s men, his mood had affected everyone across Sinclair Castle and beyond. Once an affectionate man who welcomed his daughters with open arms, he had barely spoken to them, and both Evelyn, and her younger sister, Yvaine, had been forced to come to terms with their mother’s death on their own.
At least they had each other, for now.
Talk had travelled through the castle that her father had been considering an alliance to protect them from the heinous machinations of Laird Keith. The man who had murdered her mother.
Of course, along with the alliance, there was bound to be a union, an arranged marriage. Evelyn was the oldest, and thus, it was obvious it would be she who was sent away and married off. Upon hearing the gossip, Evelyn had been distraught. In a conversation with her sister only that morning, she had worriedly expressed her fears.
“He will marry me off tae some old man,” Evelyn had said, pacing the floor of the drawing room the sisters were in.
“Evelyn, they are only rumors,” Yvaine had soothed.
“Ye ken as well as I, that there is nae smoke without fire, Yvaine,” Evelyn had retorted. “Besides, it makes perfect sense. I’ve overheard the soldiers talking in the stables. They fear our army isnae strong enough tae take any more assaults. We’ve already lost so many men. Faither needs help. There will be an alliance, and I bet all o’ me possessions that it will be agreed by marriage.”
“I think ye’re jumping tae conclusions,” Yvaine had replied. “Besides, if Faither was tae dae such a thing, dae ye nae think he would have come and spoken tae ye about it by now?”
“Och, aye,” Evelyn had replied with sarcasm. “Because he’s been so forthcoming with conversation these last few months, hasnae he?”
Yvaine had sighed and shrugged. “All right, maybe he wouldnae come and tell ye. I still think ye’re running ahead o’ yersel’. What’s the point o’ getting so flustered when ye dinnae even ken it’s true?”
Evelyn had looked Yvaine straight in the eye, and pressing a hand to her stomach, she had said, “Because I feel it in me gut, sister. I dinnae need tae guess. I just ken it.”
Now, as she continued to gaze up at the bejeweled sky, wondering where her mother’s spirit was, Evelyn suddenly gasped at the sight of a shooting star. Closing her eyes tight, she made a wish.
“I wish tae find true love,” she whispered. “If I am tae marry, let it be tae a man I can fall in love with.”
When she opened her eyes again, the star was gone, but Evelyn continued to search the sky in case of another.
Was her wish too much to ask for?
Her mother and father had been completely in love, and Evelyn had spent her entire life watching the way they treated each other. Mary, her mother, always soft spoken and elegant, had gazed adoringly at her husband on many occasions, and her father had worshipped the very ground her mother walked upon.
Evelyn was certain they had their disagreements but if they did, they were never in public, for she could not recall one time where her parents had been at odds with each other.
She wanted that kind of love. The kind of love where her husband looked upon her like she was the only woman on earth. That’s how her father had looked at her mother, and that was what she wanted for herself.
Evelyn sighed and pushed herself from the window. Padding across the room, she climbed into bed and slipped beneath the coverlets. From what she had seen, her mother and father’s love was one of a kind. In fact, at all the gatherings and parties her family had attended, she could not recall one time when she had seen other couples acting in such a manner.
“Perhaps it is a one o’ a kind sort of love,” she sighed, snuggling her head into her pillow and sleepily closing her eyes. “Perhaps it only happens once over many lifetimes. And perhaps, I will never be as lucky as Maither and Faither.”
The following morning, Evelyn was surprised to see her father sitting at the breakfast table. As she entered, Yvaine gave her a cursory glance before returning to buttering her bread.
The atmosphere was heavy when Evelyn settled herself, and wanting to break the tension, she turned to the head of the table.
“Good morning, Faither.”
He had been staring at the plate in front of him, and at her words, he looked up as though surprised to see her. Clearly, he had been in such a fixed state, he had not even noticed her entrance.
“Aye. Good morning,” he grunted.
Silence resumed as he poured his tea, and then ate the scone in front of him, all the while with his eyes lowered. Yvaine looked across the table at Evelyn, and jerked her head toward him, silently asking her to speak to him again, but Evelyn frowned, for in truth, she had no idea what to say. However, the tension was, once again, unbearable, and taking a deep breath in, she looked back to her father.
“Are ye well this morning, Faither?”
He raised his eyes slowly to look at her, and for the longest moment, he didn’t speak, as though he had not heard her question. Stranger though, was the way he looked at Evelyn. He looked pained, troubled, as though a great weight sat upon his shoulders.
“Nae,” he said eventually. “I am nae well at all. In fact, I have news tae tell ye that pains me greatly.”
Evelyn’s pulse quickened, and flashing a glance at Yvaine, who now looked worried, she took her gaze back to the tired and weary man who sat beside her. Too scared to ask what news he had, Evelyn could only sit there in trepidation, waiting for the words she knew were to come.
“We are struggling, Evelyn. With Keith’s attacks, our losses are great. In fact, the army now holds half the men it did six months ago. We cannae sustain this onslaught for much longer, and the only way tae avoid further attacks is if I make an alliance with another clan.”
Every part of her stiffened at his words, for just as she had predicted, the rumors were true.
“But this alliance brings with it stipulations.” The older man heaved a sigh, and did not speak for another moment.
Evelyn wanted to grab him and shake the stipulations from him, but instead, she sat there, as still as death, waiting for the inevitable.
“Ye are tae be married, Evelyn,” her father said plainly. “I ken these are nae the words ye want tae hear. I dinnae particularly want tae be speaking them. But the fact o’ the matter is this. Without this alliance, the clan will soon be whittled down tae naething. Without an army, we cannae defend ourselves. And once we cannae defend ourselves, Laird Keith will break through our walls and take whatever he desires.” He looked at her intently. “Including ye.” He then looked at Yvaine. “And ye.”
He sighed heavily and shook his head. Then he stood abruptly and stormed away from the table. Just as he was about to leave the room, he stopped and said, “Ye cannae ken how much this breaks me heart, Evelyn, but I must protect the clan.”
Then he left the room, leaving Evelyn and Yvaine to deal with whatever thoughts were passing through their minds.
“Ye were right,” Yvaine whispered, looking utterly devastated. “Och, Evelyn. I’m so sorry.”
But Evelyn lifted her chin. “Ye heard Faither. I have tae dae it. It’s fer the survival o’ the clan. Laird Keith has already taken too much from us. I refuse tae let him take anymore.”
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