Chapter 18

Apologies

Ragnall stormed through the castle. He knew he should not be as angry as he was, but he could not help it. He did not know where to go and found himself entering the lower hall. He almost turned on his heels and left when he saw Eric inside with Craig Stewart, another of his trusted advisors.

He could not retreat after being seen, so he plowed forward after being spotted.

“What’s gotten into ye?” Eric asked.

“Aye, ye look like ye have a bee in yer bonnet,” Craig agreed. “Has Fraser attacked again?”

“Nay, it’s nae Fraser.” Ragnall felt the anger bubbling inside and could not keep it in any longer. “If ye must ken, it’s Holly.”

“What did she do?” Eric asked. “If she wants to leave the castle, she cannae. We all ken that.”

“Nay, it’s nae that,” Ragnall uttered. When he thought about his anger and what she had said, he only felt foolish. Still, he needed to think it through. “She wants to make some changes around here.”

“Some changes?” Eric frowned.

“Aye. The decor and artwork and stuff. I dinnae ken.”

“And that angers ye?” Eric asked.

“Aye, it does.” Ragnall shook his head. “But it angers me more that I dinnae ken why it angers me so much. She asked about it, and I snapped at her immediately, and I dinnae ken why.”

“I ken why,” Craig stated.

“Well, out with it, man,” the Laird gritted out.

“Ye have never liked change, Me Laird,” Craig told him. “When ye retook the castle, ye made it look just like yer maither had decorated it afore they set it on fire. Ye are angry about Lady MacPherson wantin’ to change it because ye want to cling to the memory of yer family.”

“Och, it makes perfect sense. How can ye see inside me head when I cannae,” the Laird complained. “I shouldnae have snapped at her like that when she didnae suggest anythin’ untoward. I got meself angry, and I took it out on her.”

“The castle could do with some redecoratin’,” Eric admitted as he looked down at the table.

“Aye, and what would ye recommend?” Ragnall asked, interested in his answer.

“Well, I dinnae ken,” Eric replied. “I’m sure Lady MacPherson will do a fine job with whatever changes she makes.”

“Aye, very helpful,” Ragnall scoffed. “I need to apologize to her now.”

“I offered flowers whenever I needed to apologize in the past,” Eric added.

“It’s nae surprisin’ that ye had to apologize,” Ragnall retorted. “And I assume it’s been many times, too.”

“Och, I preferred ye when ye were all dour,” Eric groused.

Craig laughed at the comment.

“Now, ye have these witty retorts. Ye really are the Sweet Laird,” Eric said with a smile.

“The Sweet Laird?” Ragnall echoed.

“That’s what they are callin’ ye,” Eric told him, looking very amused at the nickname. “I have nay idea why.”

“It’s a mystery,” Ragnall agreed, knowing full well where the moniker came from. “Have ye discovered who nailed the note to the tree or who delivered the box of rats to the castle?”

“We willnae find who delivered the note, but we are sure it is one of Fraser’s men,” Craig said. “As for the rats, we found the lad who delivered them. He had nay idea what he was deliverin’ to the castle, and I am inclined to believe him. He lives on the outskirts of yer land and was able to give us a description of the man who gave him some coin to deliver the box by hand. It wasnae Fraser, but it should be one of his men. It doesnae help us at all. How is Lady MacPherson doin’?”

“She was shaken by it,” Ragnall replied. “I suppose I didnae help with me behavior this mornin’. She will be fine, but it’s all the more reason to get to Fraser afore he gets to us. Eric, I’ve thought about the matter, and ye are right. If he crosses the border, I dinnae want to waste time on him. Still, put a price on his head, payable to anyone who catches him tryin’ to cross into the south.”

“Done,” Eric said.

“Craig, if he is plannin’ an attack—we believe he is—I want ye to put yerself in his shoes. I want to ken where he will come from and what this attack will be. This isnae about him disruptin’ us or a skirmish. He will use whatever men he has left at his disposal to mount a final attack.”

“I’ll see to it, Me Laird,” Craig said.

“Good.” The Laird nodded. “I’ll leave the two of ye to it.”

He left the room, knowing his castle was in good hands with Eric and Craig. He needed to apologize to Holly, but after how he had spoken to her, he wanted to do more than just say sorry. Eric was right about flowers. They were a good way to soften a woman’s heart, but giving her a bunch of flowers didn’t seem right after how they had connected in such a short period of time.

With an idea in mind, he went to speak with the gardener.

“Just come with me,” Ragnall said.

“Where are ye takin’ me?” Holly asked. She had a piece of fabric tied around her eyes, so she couldn’t see where she was going.

“It’s a surprise,” the Laird replied. “We are almost there.”

He led her outside to where the gardener had finished his work. The air had a slight chill in it, but not so much that the day was cold. A solitary bird sang in one of the trees.

“I wanted to apologize to ye, but this isnae me apology. That will come. Afore that, I need to explain to ye why I got so angry this mornin’.”

“Ye dinnae need to,” Holly assured him.

“I do,” he insisted. “Ye were threatened by Fraser, and ye still came down to breakfast to be with me, and we were havin’ a pleasant conversation, and I ruined it. That is a fact.”

Maybe the ‘Sweet Laird’ nickname was a wee bit premature.

“When we retook the castle, it was ruined inside. Everythin’ was gone, destroyed. The walls were black with soot, and ash covered the floor. It was a disaster, but I had me home back, and that was all that mattered. What I was missin’ was me family, and I kenned I would never have them back. That’s why I returned the castle to the exact state it was in afore the Sutherlands took it.

“I grew up in the castle, and I kenned every inch of it. As I walked the blackened halls and hallways, I could see it all me mind. So, I put people to work. The walls were scrubbed, art was created, furniture was built, and tapestries were woven. I had the local artisans return the castle to exactly how it looked afore. Exactly like me maither had left it.”

Holly bowed her head. “Ye dinnae have to say any more. I understand completely. I willnae change a thing.”

“Ye will,” Ragnall stated.

“What?”

“It’s time for me to let go of the past.” He sighed. “I dinnae expect ye to change every single thing, but ye should add yer touch. I’m clingin’ to them by livin’ in the past, when I should be lookin’ toward the future with ye. I guess it scared me to change things because I thought it would somehow make me forget them, but I ken me maither and faither would want this. Me sister too. They would be happy ye’ve come to the castle, and they would want ye to make changes.”

“I dinnae ken what to say,” Holly admitted. “I will only change what ye are comfortable with.”

“And the events,” Ragnall continued. “There was a time when MacPherson Castle was bustlin’ with feasts, music, and games. Twelve years is a long time. I dinnae ken what I want yet, but there will be a reason to celebrate when Fraser is caught, and I’d like ye to plan some festivities when that happens. Could ye do that?”

“Aye, with pleasure,” Holly agreed. “Ye blindfolded me and brought me out here just to tell me all of that?”

Ragnall chuckled. “I ken I can get goin’ when I start to talk, so I’ll shut me mouth in a moment. I wanted to give ye some context to me anger, but it doesnae excuse it. This is me apology to ye.”

Ragnall took the blindfold off her. She blinked under the sunlight and then looked at the large bed of flowers before her.

“White roses, peonies, daisies, orchids, and forget-me-nots,” he said. “All flowers to express me regret about how I treated ye. This will be the Lady of the Castle’s special garden, and we will change the flowers every year to yer likin’.”

Holly put her hands over her mouth, unable to speak at first. Then she dropped them and asked, “Ye did this all for me?”

“Aye,” the Laird replied.

Holly shook her head but remained agonizingly quiet.

“Well?” Ragnall prompted.

“I cannae believe ye did this just for me,” she said.

Before Ragnall could say another word, Holly had grabbed him, and she pressed her lips to his like a woman possessed.