Wild Highland Rose (Time Travel Trilogy, Book 2) (39 page)

*****

Marjory sat up in bed.  The last echoes of Cameron's cry resounded through the room.  She fumbled with the bedcovers, and finally freeing herself, ran to the connecting door.  Whatever was happening, there was no mistaking the anguish in Cameron's voice.

"Are you all right?"  She held a breath, waiting for an answer.  Hearing none, she ran to the side of the bed.  The bed curtains were open and he was sitting up, his head buried in his hands.  She climbed up beside him, placing a tentative hand on his shoulder.

"What is it?  Tell me?"  She waited impatiently for his answer, but there was no sound except the harsh hissing of his breathing.  She reached for his hand and pulled it away from his face.  "Cameron, 'tis Marjory.  Talk to me.  Let me help you."

He stared at her as if seeing someone else, then gradually relaxed, his eyes losing their haunted look.  His hand tightened around hers as if it were a lifeline of some kind.

"
'
Twas only a dream.
"
  She tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear, smoothing it away from his face with her free hand.

He shook his head. 
"
It's not a dream.  It's a memory, or a premonition, or… God, I don
'
t know.
"

His anguish tore at her.  If she could take it from him and carry it herself she would, but that was impossible. 
"
Do you want to tell me about it?
"
  There was more to the question than just the dream.  She held her breath, waiting.

Cameron sighed, and stood up, walking over to the fire, the embers banked and glowing. 
"
My name is Cameron Even.  I live in a place called Atlanta.  I
'
m a surgeon, Marjory.  I operate on people, save their lives.
"

"
Like with Fingal.
"
  She thought again of the magic he
'
d done.

He nodded, his gaze intense. 
"
I have a fiancée.
"

She shot him a puzzled look.  "I dinna know this word."

He frowned and then, after a moment, tried again.  "I
'
m betrothed."

Her heart plummeted into her stomach and she thought, for a moment, she might be sick.  Sucking in a breath, she strove for normalcy.  "I see.
"

"
Well, I
'
m glad you do.  Because I don
'
t.  I don
'
t see anything at all.  I
'
ve betrayed Lindsey, I
'
ve betrayed you, and maybe worst of all I
'
ve betrayed myself.
"

"
Lindsey.
"
  She said the name, hating the sound of it. 
"
Is that her name?
"

"
Yes.
"

"
And you love her?
"
  She didn
'
t want to ask the question, but the words came anyway.

"
I do, Marjory.  I asked her to marry me.
"

"
Is she who you were dreamin
'
of, then?
"
  She felt tears prick her eyes.  Hadn
'
t Grania warned her?

Cameron nodded. 
"
I don
'
t understand it.  I can
'
t even remember it properly.  Maybe it
'
s a prophecy of some kind.  Or maybe it
'
s already happened.  Either way, I
'
m certain that Lindsey is in trouble.  Serious trouble.  And I
'
ve got to help her.  Don
'
t you see, Marjory, I
'
ve got to go back.
"
  His eyes pleaded with her, his heart laid bare.

He didn
'
t want to leave.  It was there on his face.  But he had to.  He had obligations.  And she knew better than anyone about obligations.  A part of her wanted to scream, to beg, to plead with him to stay, but she knew it wouldn
'
t change things.
 
"
Aye.  You have to follow your heart.
"

"
My heart is here with you.
"
  He said the words, then flinched as if they
'
d hurt him. 
"
At least a part of it is.
"

"
And part of it is there, with Lindsey.  And she
'
s the one who needs you.
"

He nodded, the pain on his face a reflection of the turmoil in her heart. 
"
I
'
ve made such a mess of everything.
"

"
Nay.
"
  She crossed over to him, her only thought to erase some of his pain. 
"
You didna remember her, Cameron, which means that you were no
'
betraying her, at least no
'
in the way you
'
re thinking.  What happened here happened because you didn
'
t know who you were.  Now that you do, everything is clearer.
"

He shook his head. 
"
But
t
hat
'
s just it
—
it isn
'
t clearer.
"

"
What I see,
"
she said, surprised at the calm she felt,
"
is a man tormented by a situation that is no
'
of his making.  Cameron, you couldn
'
t have known.  You just couldn
'
t.
"

He reached out to trace the line of her cheek, his touch sending shivers racing through her. 
"
You
'
re
a magnificent
woman, Marjory Macpherson.
"

She leaned forward and curled a hand around his neck, bringing his mouth to hers.  Their breath mingled as their lips brushed together.  With a groan, he pulled her to him, and the kiss ignited.  She opened her mouth to him, her tongue reaching for his, desperate for the contact.

Her hands ran down the smooth contours of his shoulders, her body tightening with longing.  He tangled his hands in her hair and tilted her head.  His tongue plunged into her mouth again and again, as if he, too, were desperate for the taste of her.  She felt her nipples bead into hard balls of desire and arched against him, a low moan escaping from her throat.

Suddenly, he pushed away, setting her free.  "We can't do this."  He sat back, his breath coming in gasps. 
"
I told you, everything is different now.  I have another life, a fiancée…"  He trailed off, his face reflecting his guilt.

"
You
'
re a man o
'
honor.  I canna fault that. 
'
Tis one of the things I love best about you.
"
  She tried to smile, but knew the gesture fell short.

"
You humble me with your faith, Marjory.  I
'
m just a man and I
'
ve made my share of mistakes.
"

"
Perhaps, but you
'
r
e
still no
'
like the men o
'
my world.
"
  Her thoughts turned to Torcall, and the real Ewen, and she shuddered, wondering if Cameron
'
s return would mean Ewen
'
s as well.

"
I honestly believe he
'
s dead.
"
  Cameron reached for her, reading her mind, pulling her close, his words whispered against her ear.

"
I pray that it
'
s true.  But even so, there
'
s still Torcall to be reckoned with.
"
  Just speaking his name aloud sent anger coursing through her.  It was his fault in part that she was losing Cameron.  Had she never been forced to marry Ewen then Cameron could never have come.  Twisted logic perhaps, but it was something to hold onto.

"
Marjory, you can
'
t keep holding onto this anger.  The hatred is eating you alive.  You have so much to give.  So much to offer.
 
And you
'
r
e
wasting it all on bitter recriminations against a man who has lost as much as you.
"

"
What has he lost?
"
she spat.

"
His son.  Whatever his faults are, Marjory, he loved Ewen.  And now he
'
ll have to lose him all over again.
"

"
To my way o
'
thinking,
'
tis no
'
much o
'
a loss.
"

"
You don
'
t mean that.
"
  He grabbed her shoulders, turning her to face him. 
"
His loss is as real as yours.  And Ewen
'
s death on top of Cait
'
s will no doubt fuel his hatred as well.
"

"
Who is Cait?
"
  She frowned, trying to remember the name.

"
His wife.
"
  Cameron blew out a slow breath, as if he weren
'
t certain if he should speak.

"
And how is it I
'
ve never heard of her?
"

"
She died when you were quite small.  Your father supposedly killed her.
"

In the stillness that followed his words, Marjory could hear the fire pop, and the wind whistling through a crack in the window.  Everything seemed to slow down, as if frozen in time.

"
That canna be.  My father wouldna kill a woman.
"

"
I don
'
t think he meant to.  But it happened just the same.  The Macphersons were stealing cattle, and Torcall and Cait stumbled upon them.  In the chase, your father cornered them, and spooked Cait
'
s horse.  She was thrown and died.
"

"
And Torcall never forgave him.
"

Cameron nodded. 
"
And her death set off a never-ending circle of hatred and revenge.  And one of you is going to have to stop it.  Before it destroys you both.
"

Marjory pulled away from him, her thoughts tumbling through her mind like sparrows in the wind. 
"
I dinna understand why my father never told me.
"

"
Maybe because he wanted to spare you.  To protect you.  To keep you from the ugliness of reality.  He loved you, Marjory.  Just as Torcall loves Ewen.
"

"
It
'
s all too much.
"
  She waved a hand through the air as if she could simply brush it all away.  Cameron, Lindsey, Torcall, Ewen.  Everything that had been real suddenly flipped on its side, the world as she knew it changed forever.

He was beside her again, this time with his arms around her. 
"
Let me hold you.  Make it right for at least one more night.
"

She leaned against him, letting the warmth of his body soothe her.  His smell now familiar, comforting. 
"
We shouldna be together.
"

"
I know,
"
he whispered,
"
but if things go as planned, I
'
ll be gone tomorrow.  And I want to hold you one last time.  Just hold you, Marjory.
"

She allowed him to pull her down beside him, her cheek resting warm against his chest, the rhythm of his breathing a final link to a life she
'
d never know
—
happiness that had once more alluded her.