Highlander´s Angel: A Historical Scottish Romance Novel

by Matie Cole

  “It is just a shame,” Ray jumped in. “That it was not long after you finally accepted my love that you vanished into thin air, leaving me absolutely heartbroken. But now you are here. I get to have you again.”

  Maisie span the medallion around in her fingers, over and over again, wishing that she could remember her mother. Clearly this woman was very important to her, so important that her fiancé got her engraved into a medallion for her, yet she could not recall her at all. It was very frustrating. This whole memory loss thing was rather annoying. All she wanted to do was to know exactly who she was. Why was that so hard?

  “I know that this must be a lot for you,” Lauren continued, still on the mission to make Maisie understand everything. “But I believe that your memories will not return fully while you are in a strange environment. Once we get you home, everything will come back to you. Maybe then we can even unravel the mystery of what happened to you in the first place. We do not want you to go missing again.”

  Maisie nodded slightly because she knew that Lauren was right. But if she left with her and Ray then there was a massive chance that she would never see Bryson again for her whole life. Her husband was hardly going to let her come and visit the man that she nearly got hitched to with memory loss, was he? She would never get to see her friends again either, even Anice would eventually forget all about her.

  She would not just be headed back to her home, she would also be saying a final farewell to the wonderful fantasy that she had been living in. She would be losing it all.

  “Your family has always been very big on honor,” Ray reminded her with a cocked eyebrow. It was almost as a warning rather than a simple reminder. “And your father said that it would be an honor for me to take you as my wife. I do not want to let him down and I am sure that you feel the same way.”

  Maisie knew that her father loved her a lot, that was one of the true facts that she could hold on to, and she was sure that she would have done whatever he wanted of her when he was alive... including this.

  She tried to hold back the tears as she nodded, but she did not succeed. Her cheeks covered in wetness. This was the outcome that it seemed had to happen, even if it was not what she wanted.

  “I am sorry,” she said with great regret to Bryson. “If this is what I have promised my father...”

  “I understand,” he instantly snapped back. Whether that statement was true or not, he had not yet decided, but it hardly mattered. She had chosen what she wanted to do. She had picked him and there was nothing that he could do about it. As much as he wanted to, there was not a damn thing. “You have promised yourself to this man...” Bryson could not bring himself to say the man’s name aloud. “There is nothing that can be done about that. I understand that you must leave and nothing can be done.”

  Those words shattered Maisie even more. There was a part of her that wanted Bryson to fight for her, to refuse to let her go. But he was giving up, leaving her to go with these people. It was the noble thing to do, which of course was why he was doing it, being the great man that he was, but still it hurt.

  Insist that you stay, Maisie’s brain unhelpfully screamed at her. Do not go. You cannot.

  But it was too late. Lauren had already taken control of the situation. She was already insisting that it was time for the three of them to get moving so that Maisie could marry Ray. It was all moving far too fast for her liking. She was spinning around, the world was twisting and turning much too quickly, and she could not get off. Bryson was slipping through her fingers like grains of sand and she could not grasp on to him however much she wanted to. He was pulling away from her, separating, because he needed to. For his own sake. He could not be near Maisie knowing that he was losing her.

  “I need my things,” Maisie whispered. “From my bedroom here. I have things...”

  “Those things are not yours,” Lauren replied in a sickly-sweet voice. It was clear that she had started to lose patience with Maisie now. “They have been leant to you while you have been here, but they are not for you to permanently keep. You have your own things at home and we should get to them now.”

  “But this dress,” she insisted, not quite ready to give up her life here just yet. “I cannot return home in a wedding dress. The clan will not be happy to know that I was about to marry another man.”

  “You do not need to worry about so many things.” Lauren’s hand curled around Maisie’s arm hard. “If my darling brother can forgive you for what you have done while you have no memory, then everyone else will follow. Plus, if it is that much of a problem, I can lend you something of mine to wear. But we must not stay here for another second longer because we will start to become a nuisance. Is that what you wish for? For Laird Bryson MacGregor who has been so kind to you, to remember you as a nuisance?”

  Of course, that was not what Maisie wanted. She would come away from this with only good memories of Bryson and everyone else, so she wished them to have the same of her.

  “No, of course not,” she replied meekly. “Let us leave now before everything can get worse.”

  June was the only person that Maisie really got a chance to say goodbye to. Bryson could not seem to stand the idea of being close to her at all, and Anice was nowhere to be seen. Maisie could only assume that she was being kept far away from the chaos, and rightly so. The poor girl was only five years old and did not need this heartbreak. Maisie was not sure what she would have said to her anyway. There was no way to explain that although they had a wonderful bond, she needed to leave.

  “I am so sorry that you are leaving, Rosalyn,” June whispered with tears in her eyes. “I shall so miss having you around. I was looking forward to having a friend forever. We have shared some lovely times.”

  “It is Maisie now,” she replied through her own sadness. “I can feel that I am a Maisie, but none of this feels real to me. I cannot explain it, it is all so very strange. I cannot get my head around it. I suppose this is an outcome that I should have been expecting, but still it feels odd to know that I am betrothed to Ray.”

  June would not say it aloud, but she could not believe it either. Ray and Lauren instantly gave her the chills. They were the sort of people that she would personally choose to keep far away from. She did not like the idea of sending off her Rosalyn with them. But she was a lowly hand maiden who could not have a say in such matters. It did not seem to be her right to get involved with any of this.

  Of course, June also held on to the added guilt that she pushed Bryson towards the woman that he so clearly loved. He was hesitant to take action and she guided him towards her. She told him that it was the right thing to do, and clearly she was mistaken about that.

  Her heart was breaking because she had sent him in Rosalyn’s direction and now there was a large chance that he would crumble because of her.

  Chapter 14

  “I love you, my sweet Maisie,” Ray said with a whisper, almost as if he was trying to antagonize Bryson. Bryson’s fists curled around in anger. He could not stand to hear someone else telling his woman that he loved her. Bryson was the one who loved her, no one else could love her like he did, yet he was the one losing out. It was utterly infuriating. “I do love you and I cannot wait to get you home.”

  “I have to respect this,” he hissed to June. “I do not like it, but I must respect it. It is what Maisie has chosen. She wants to respect her father’s wishes, so she is headed back home. Away from me.”

  “I am so terribly sorry that you feel this way,” June replied sadly. “I do feel utterly terrible that you have had your heart broken once more. A man like you does not deserve this sort of tragedy. Again.”

  Bryson felt like he was dying inside. Every passing second was more painful than the last. June’s words only made it harder to swallow but he did not have a choice in the matter. The idea of even more tragedy falling over him and Anice as well was utterly overwhelming for him. His daughter was going to be heart broken. She was not with him right now but soon he would
have to explain everything to her.

  The carriage for Maisie was waiting outside of the castle walls. Bryson followed behind. Not because he wanted to see her leave, but because he needed to. He did not have any choice but to watch her go because he had to check that it was real. A lot of this felt like a nightmare to him that he could not escape.

  “Well, I suppose this is goodbye,” Lauren declared with a smile so wide it seemed almost sinister. “Thank you again for looking after our girl. It has been much appreciated and of course, we are sorry to come when we did. I know that this must be a bit of a disappointment to you, but you will be pleased to know that my brother will take very good care of his fiancé. Their marriage will be a good one.”

  Perhaps she meant those words to be kind, but to Bryson they felt evil, like she wanted to sicken him. Bryson just about managed to nod but he could not get out any words. He feared that if he started to speak then, all of his feelings towards Maisie would come spilling out and he would not be able to stop them. Unfortunately, they were passed that now. There was no use in saying anything.

  “Yes, we will have an amazing marriage, Maisie.” He pulled her a little too close to him. She obviously was not comfortable with it just yet but did not complain. “The absolute best. I am going to treat you like the princess that you deserve to be treated and if your memories come back... then all the better.”

  “Being at my home will help me,” Maisie muttered helplessly. “I am sure to recall everything.”

  But she did not think that all the memories in the world would erase what she had shared with Bryson. She could not picture anything feeling as strong and powerful. Saying farewell to him, silently as she had not really been given the chance to express it to him properly, was going to kill her.

  “Let us get into the carriage,” Ray insisted, now needing to speed things along even more. “There are so many people wanting to see you, Maisie, we must not keep them waiting any longer.”

  A wave of guilt washed over Maisie. Here she was, selfishly wishing that she never had to go back home and there were people there who were missing her and wanted to know what had happened to her. She could not continue thinking only of herself. This was what she needed to do. So, she allowed Ray to assist her as she climbed into the carriage, and she mentally said goodbye to the only love she had ever known.

  Ray and Lauren were keen to get going. There was no waiting around, they insisted on making the carriage go immediately, so Maisie was not given much time to twist around in her seat to wave goodbye to Bryson. But she got a moment, and that was enough to shatter her heart. The best day of her life had far too rapidly become her worst and Maisie was all cut up about it, unable to recover.

  A stray tear lurched down her cheek. Now, she would not get to marry the man that she wanted to. Instead, she was going to be stuck with a stranger who she did not feel much for at all. She supposed that she must have done before her memories vanished, she must have felt a lot for him to agree to marry him, but she could not conjure up any of that now. It was almost as if she did not like him.

  No, I must love him, she thought to herself as she tried to accept her reality. I must have felt for him as I do Bryson or I never would have agreed to be his wife. We must have kissed and... and...

  But the idea of kissing Ray, never mind anything else, was almost overwhelming for her. She certainly could not picture a world where she would want to start a family with Ray... but she had to trust what her father had put forth for her. She had to believe that he would want the best for her and that he truly believed Ray to be the best man. Who knew, maybe she would fall back in love with Ray and everything would end up perfect after all. Maybe this was just a blip in the love story that she was destined to have.

  She sighed heavily and leaned back against the seat, her eyes flickering with sadness as she did. She expected Ray to keep on with the sympathy that he had been giving her for her complex situation, but he said nothing. Maisie was not expecting anything from Lauren because she was clearly irritated by her, but she was the one who ended up speaking to Maisie, leaning forward as she did.

  “Maisie, you cannot be sad about that man. He did not care for you, I can assure you.”

  Maisie’s eyes snapped open. “What do you mean? Did he say something about me?”

  Lauren sniffed nastily. “He did not need to. I could see it. I have always been a very good judge of character. I believe that Bryson knew who you were all along. He was trying to marry you for your inheritance. The name Maisie Ferguson is a well-known one. Your father was a well-known man. Suitors from all around the country wanted to marry you, which is why your father felt the need to intervene. He chose a very good man for you. You should be happy that you have ended up with Ray.”

  Maisie did not know how to swallow this information down. So, now she was just finding out that she was wealthy? That she had a lot of family money? That people wanted to marry her? In which case, it was very unusual that no one had noticed her missing. She found that odd. Unless...

  Did Bryson lie to her? Did he only pretend to send out men to find out information because all along he wanted to marry her for money? Even if he did not seem like someone who needed anything. Maybe he was hiding a lot from her the whole time. That was why he did not wait until her memories returned...

  No, she told herself firmly. It does not matter what Lauren thinks of Bryson. You know the truth.

  She did know the truth as well. She did understand Bryson, there was no doubt about it. He loved her, she was certain of it. She knew it deep from the bottom of her heart. He loved her and wanted to marry her because of who she was, nothing more. Maisie rationalized to herself that Lauren probably had to say negative things about Bryson because he was her brother’s love rival. She was protecting family.

  And it was a family that Maisie would be a part of soon enough. As soon as the wedding vows were done, she would be included by the people that Lauren protected. That was something which probably should have made her feel better, but it did not. Unfortunately, it was not a family that she wanted to be a part of.

  “That man was an absolute buffoon!” Ray suddenly laughed, shocking Maisie to the core. “I cannot believe that she was going to marry him. What an absolute nightmare, Lauren.”

  Lauren joined in with the nasty laughter, as if Maisie was not even there. Maisie could not believe what she was hearing. She snapped around in her seat, trying to look back at the castle she was leaving behind, but it was out of sight now. A bit like the nice brother and sister duo who picked her up.

  “He was not bad,” Maisie shot back quietly. It was probably not the right thing to say but she needed to defend Bryson. “He was good to me while I was there. He took care of me well.”

  “Hmm, sure.” Lauren exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. “Because he wanted your cash. Do not be fooled. You cannot think that he actually liked you for anything else, do you?”

  “I was not fooled. I do not think that I could be fooled by anyone.” She was shocked to have the woman who was so kind to her before now being so cold to her.

  Lauren and Ray tossed their heads back and laughed louder. It seemed like Maisie had become the butt of the jokes. She was not quite sure what had turned her around from the center of their affections to the woman that they were laughing at, but it had somehow happened and she was upset about it.

  “I might not have my memories but I am not foolish,” Maisie declared, but unfortunately it came out as more of a pathetic whine than anything else. She was feeling so hurt that she had turned into a child. “I know my judgements and I still believe that Bryson only had my best interests at heart.”

  “Pfft, sure,” Lauren shot back. “If you want to believe that, then so be it.”

  She leaned across and whispered something into Ray’s ear before the chuckling started out once more. In Maisie’s eyes, they seemed a little too close for comfort. She thought as the fiancée she should have been the one sitting next to Ray, but that was not
something that she would fight for. She preferred to be alone. Instead of focusing on the pair of them because they were making her feel ill, Maisie stared out of the carriage window and tried to picture what Bryson was doing right now. Probably talking to Anice and telling her that she was not coming back.

  Anice would cry, June was going to be upset, Bryson was probably just angry. Angry that he had been sucked into a romance that was not real. He would not be annoyed that she was taken from him before he could take everything from her because Maisie refused to believe that. There was just no way. She did not care what Lauren and Ray thought of her for sticking by her memories of Bryson. They could laugh at her all they wanted. She knew the truth. The truth was he was better than both of them.

  They could be cold with her, but she would be cold right back.

  This was not the love story that she wanted to be in.

  Chapter 15

  “I do not feel well.” The sensation struck Maisie hard. She was not quite sure where it came from, but as it washed over her she knew that it would not be long until she vomited. “The motion of the carriage...” She slapped her hand over her mouth, no longer concerned about acting like a Lady in front of these people. “I cannot stand it. I feel like I am going to... to throw up. I do not think I can hold it in.”

  “Do not be so ridiculous,” Lauren snapped back. “The carriage is not even moving that quickly. We are not far enough away from the castle to be stopping. Just pull yourself together, Maisie. Stop it.”

  Maisie nodded like this was a reasonable suggestion, like she could just stop feeling ill. She barely even took on board the harshness of Lauren’s tone because the urge to be sick was so overwhelming that she could hardly breathe under the strain of it. It was causing an intense dizziness inside of her brain, a churning sensation in the pit of her stomach. There was also the issue of the small voice at the back of her head screaming at her that all of this was wrong. The further away she got, the worse it became.