“Sorcha,” she replied, then left the chamber.
He sat awake on the bed for a long time trying his best to control his worrisome thoughts.
I must get back home.Isla must have returned to her time now, and that was another ache that Jack couldn’t let himself dwell on now because it might consume him. He would have the time to miss her once he was sure his Clan was not in chaos.
At dawn, he got out of bed and slid into the fresher clothes Sorcha brought him.
“Ye must drink this during the journey to keep yer strength,” she advised. “It is nay right that ye journey far in yer condition though.”
“I will return, Sorcha,” he said, making a solemn promise in his heart to come reward the healer for saving his life.
She curtsied to him, and he snuck out of the tiny cottage where she lived in the faraway fields belonging to the Calloways. Jack resumed his journey with high speed on the horse she handed him too.
The ride to Humphreys should be a three day one, but Jack’s relentless gallop made him arrive in half the time.
His head hurt more than ever when he rode in through his Castle’s gates. He had noticed the village was half empty while he rode past it, and now he saw locals streaming into the Castle and heading into the main building.
Jack dismounted and re-adjusted the cloak on his head before marching toward the entrance. Two guards noticed him as he approached, and they instantly hurried in his direction.
He took off the cloak he wore once they drew close, and their shock was evident in the wide-eyed stare he received.
“My Laird,” one of them stammered as his face paled further than its already ashen-white shade.
They both bowed, and Jack asked, “What is happenin’?”
“There’s a coronation, My Laird,” one of them replied. “The council man are appointin’ the next laird after the news of yer death in Birlet Shallows… there’s been grievin’ in the Clan, My Laird.”
The guard’s voice shook as he spoke, and Jack understood his shock and confusion.
“Announce my return,” he told them as he removed the cloak he wore completely and tossed it to the ground. “I will speak to the councilmen myself. Bring me Jamie too, and my brother.”
Neither of the guards moved after his last order, and Jack’s brows squeezed together as he waited for them to speak. Knots formed deep inside him even before they said anything. It twisted at his guts until it led him to hold his breath.
“There’s sad news, My Laird… neither of us expected that he willnae return when he went out ridin’ on the mornin’ ye left for Birlet Shallows.
* * *
Isla arrived at Humphreys on the third day after she left the gypsy. She was exhausted from her ride, and every muscle in her body ached.
All she craved was a hot bath and good sleep in her own bed this time, and not the Scottish bedding she had grown accustomed too.
Her stomach grumbled as she made it past the lifeless village.
Where is everyone?She thought as she rode her horse past the vast fields and headed toward the Castle.
Isla was hoping she wouldn’t run into Jack until she made it to the dungeons tonight to find her way home. If she saw him one more time, then she might not be able to follow through with the plan.
That last night they shared was forever etched into her memory. His gentle touch when he took her, and his hot murmurs of pleasure.
She wished she could tell him what she felt, and how much she loved him. It wouldn’t matter even if she did.
Isla knew she had to leave this time, so Jack could carry on with his life, and wed the lady proposed to him.
Does his fate change though?She hoped it would. If he wed the lady, then the war would be avoided, and he wouldn’t die.
When she reached a small crowd gathered and she saw the Humphreys Clan color’s being carried by some guards, she stopped and dismounted her horse.
Isla’s heart thundered in her chest as she covered her head with the cloak and walked slowly toward the gathered villagers.