19
Sarah couldn't believe that there was a chance Rosemary was here. It seemed almost too good to be true, and although she did not want to raise her hopes too much for fear they would be dashed it made sense. The bandits had said that Rosemary had been with a Highlander. What if it was Blair?
Now she did not care that all the Highlanders were looking at her. She ran through the camp, shouting Rosemary's name at the top of her voice. The thought of seeing Rosemary again lightened her heart and made her feel as though this place wasn't so alien and harsh after all.
What Drew said had wounded her, but he'd made up for it and she hoped that she could trust him with her heart, for it was too late to rescind her feelings. Being with him was one thing, but being with the Highlanders was something else entirely. She'd known that it would be difficult, but experiencing it for herself was eye-opening.
“Rosemary! Rosemary!” she cried, looking this way and that, twisting through the camp. People looked at her strangely, wondering why an English girl was loose among the camp. There was no sign of her yet, and for a moment Sarah was afraid that Rosemary was somewhere else, or even worse, that she had been killed by a stray arrow. It would be just like her to run into battle. Her steps faltered, and her voice grew softer, and then, behind her, she heard movement. Turning, she saw Rosemary emerge from a tent.
“Rosemary,” she gasped.
“Sarah?” Rosemary said. The two women looked as astonished as each other. For a moment they were still, processing the thought of being in the presence of each other again, and then they ran forward, wrapping each other up in a warm and tender embrace.
“I never thought I'd see you again,” Rosemary said.
“I thought you had been killed,” Sarah said. The two of them hugged for a long time, and their cheeks were wet with tears. Rosemary showed Sarah into her tent and sat down.
“What are you doing here? Have you come to find me?” Rosemary asked.
Sarah didn't know where to begin. “No, I'm here with Drew actually.”
Rosemary's eyebrow arched. “Drew? As in Blair's brother?” Sarah nodded, and couldn't stop herself from smiling.
“Well this is surprising! Tell me everything,” she said, leaning forward eagerly. Sarah proceeded to tell her about the lie George had told, and how Sarah had pretended to be Rosemary to save herself from being punished. Rosemary listened intently, gasping, a sad expression on her face, especially when Sarah told her of the cruelty of Lord Flynn.
“I'm so sorry you had to endure that hardship. I never wanted that for you,” Rosemary said.
“I know, but before I knew it I was caught in the lie and there was no way out.”
“But then how did you come to be here?” Rosemary asked. Sarah proceeded to tell her about her daring escape and how she was running through the woods when Drew had appeared on horseback. She shyly told Rosemary all about their encounter together, and how the feelings inside her heart had bloomed.
“It is a wonderful thing!” Rosemary said, clapping her hands.
“It is?” Sarah asked. “So far I have been met with suspicious glares and I do not feel welcome here at all.”
“The Highlanders are a proud people and they do not like the thought of their powerful warriors making English girls their women. It is not an easy thing, but it will be much better now that you are here!”
“Rosemary, please tell me of how you arrived here. I have been dreadfully worried about you ever since that night we made camp. You should never have skulked off like you did. I thought you were dead. If the bandits had not come to Lord Flynn I would have had no idea what happened to you.”
“Those bandits,” Rosemary scowled. “They stole my locket.”
Sarah gasped. “The locket. It is still in Lord Flynn's estate! I am so sorry, Rosemary. We left in such a rush that I did not think to retrieve it from my chambers.”
“Do not trouble yourself too much. It was a memento. I have learned much in my time here, and one thing is that the memories we hold dear are more important than objects. As for how I came to be here, that is quite the story,” Rosemary said, and proceeded to tell Sarah about how she had witnessed the execution performed under the cloak of darkness by Lord Flynn's men, and how she had been chased through the forest with the threat of death snapping at her heels. She talked with great fondness of how she had been rescued by Blair.
“It has not always been easy, especially since Blair's father died shortly after my arrival and he became laird of the clan, but I belong by his side. No matter what the others say. And now you are here as well. I am so sorry for abandoning you, Sarah. When I saw what Lord Flynn's men were doing to those prisoners, and that they were doing so on his orders I knew that I could not marry him. I never would have wanted you to have that fate either.”
“Neither one of us has to now,” Sarah said with great relief. “And it was tiring to pretend to be you.”
“I am sure that it was not that difficult.”
“It was in the sense that I looked at life from a different perspective. Instead of being a handmaiden I was a lady, and I had to get used to people treating me differently.”
“There is none of that here. We are all just people,” Rosemary said. “It is quite refreshing really.”
“But surely you cannot mean to stay here indefinitely? You have a place in English society. Given what has happened I do not think you will have to marry Lord Flynn, but there are other eligible lords who would be honored to have your hand.”
Rosemary offered a small smile. “I can never return, and I have made my peace with that. I sealed my fate when I ran, as did you.”
“But I am just a lowly handmaiden.”
“We are both merely girls, Sarah, girls who followed their hearts. It is not an easy thing to do, especially not with Highlanders. You will come to know that they are stubborn, passionate, and arrogant, but they are pure of spirit and noble of mind.”
“I think I have come to learn that already,” Sarah said, thinking back to her time spent with Drew. Even though he was a difficult man in some respects, it filled her with pride to know that he chose her, when a man like him could have had any woman he desired.
“Then you also know that there is no shame in following your heart. We are here for a reason, Sarah. It may seem strange at first, but this is where our happiness lies.”
“Then you do not intend to go back at all? Not even to see your father?”
Rosemary looked pensive. She hung her head, and when she spoke her words were laced with sorrow.
“If I return to England I know that I will never be allowed to leave again. I would have to leave Blair behind, and I am not prepared to do that. I love my father, but he would never understand my heart's desire, and he would do all he can to keep me with him. Did you see him before you left?”
“I did not, but I did send him a letter. I hoped that he would be an ally to me in my quest to escape Lord Flynn. But war broke out before I could receive a reply. I mentioned in my letter what had happened to you. The last I heard from Lord Flynn was that your father was going to join the battle.”
“My father is out there?” Rosemary said, the color draining from her face. “He should not be in war! He should be at home. This is all my fault. He probably thinks that I need rescuing. After losing my mother he could not bear to lose me either.”
“I am sorry too. Perhaps if I had not sent the letter and told him you were in danger he would not have heeded Lord Flynn's call to war.”
“It is a sorry thing in life that in order to be happy we often have to hurt the people closest to us,” Rosemary said.
At that point Drew burst in. He looked surprised to see the two of them together. Sarah and Rosemary shared a smile.
“Ye two know each other?” he asked incredulously.
“We are like sisters,” Rosemary replied. “Now then, Drew, I must warn you that if you ever hurt Sarah you will have to endure my wrath.”
Drew looked a little stunned, and was rendered speechless.
Rosemary leaned into Sarah. “You just have to know how to handle them,” she whispered. Sarah giggled.
“Ye should nae run off like that,” he said to Sarah.
“I'm sorry, but I couldn't wait. When I found out she was here… Oh Drew, you have no idea what this means to me. Rosemary is my best friend in the whole world.”
“It seems like us English lasses aren't so bad after all,” Rosemary said with a cheeky smile.
“Ye are a load of trouble though,” Drew said. He walked over to Sarah and gave her a kiss. Sarah blushed, still not used to these displays of affection in front of other people. Rosemary gave her an encouraging smile. Sarah felt a hundred times better for being in the company of her friend again, although she did spare a thought for Catherine, who was alone out there, most likely feeling abandoned by Sarah.
At that point another warrior burst in, and from one glance Sarah could easily tell that it was Blair, for the two brothers looked very similar. She was daunted by his presence though, and a little afraid even though she had no reason to be. But her fear of the Highlanders ran deep, and it would take a long time for her to be entirely rid of it.
The two men embraced each other tightly. Sarah was happy that all of them could enjoy a reunion.