Roderick's Purpose - Ellie St. Clair Page 0,12

kinds of desires to rise up within him. But he couldn’t let Callum leave, not when it would tear him apart to be separated from his family for so long.

“You?” McLaren said, his eyebrows raised.

“Why not?” he asked with some indignance. “I have the same family as Callum and no one to keep me here. In fact, I should like to see my family again.”

“Aye, but…” McLaren trailed off, clearly not sure how to put into words what Roderick already knew.

“You do not trust me, I know,” Roderick said, and McLaren started pacing once more, his frustration apparent.

“McDougall, you never listen to any command you are given, you go around the law, always trying to mete out justice your own way. You disregard orders, you are late, you make a jest of serious matters—”

“So then, take this as your opportunity to be rid of me,” he said, raising his hands up to the man. McLaren sighed and rubbed at his temple, and Callum finally interceded.

“Angus, I know Roderick is not the officer you favor,” he said. “But I think this is a task he would do well at. There is not much question as to what the job is, and I believe he should be able to escort a girl and a dying man. They will be on a train and then a ship so they should be closely contained. If there are any problems along the way, he can summon the police wherever he is for assistance.” He looked at Roderick. “And, brother, if you get home and decide you want to stay, you have that option as well — and an excuse as to why you went back.”

Roderick felt his jaw drop. “Why would I want to stay? You know how hard I fought to come here.”

“I know,” said Callum with a nod. “I am also equally aware of how desperately you would like to return home.” He held up a hand as Roderick began to protest. “I know you better than ye know yourself. You don’t have to explain anything. I know you are too proud to admit you were wrong. But you know what, Roderick, you had to come here, or else you would have spent your entire life wondering about what might have been. But now, you can return home and determine if you have chosen the right path — or not.”

“I… I’m not sure what to do with myself should I return,” he said, and Callum — steady, sure Callum, always the brother who could be counted on for reason and reassurance — gave him his easy grin and put an arm on his shoulder. “You’ll find where you belong, Roderick,” he said. “We McDougalls always do.”

Gwen tapped her foot impatiently. Where were they? It seemed like they had left this cold, dreary room hours ago, though it likely had only been minutes — she had never been the most patient of women. Still, however, it had been some time and they had not returned. Was her request really that difficult?

The three officers finally entered, and she could practically feel the tension simmering in the air between them. Whatever had happened outside this room, they clearly had not been in agreement, and at least one of them was displeased with the outcome.

It didn’t take long to determine who that was.

Roderick sat across from her, arms folded over his chest, staring at her in silence, his eyes narrowed and his strong jaw set tight.

“Well?” she asked, unable to keep silent any longer. “Do we have an agreement?”

“We do,” said McLaren, coming round with a piece of paper in front of him. “Sign this and tell us who we are looking for and where they might be. One of the officers will also be in shortly to help sketch their faces.”

“Very well,” she said with a wave of her hand.

“We are allowing you to return home,” McLaren continued, “on one condition.”

“And that is?”

“McDougall here will be going with you.”

“What!” she cried out, coming to her feet. “No — no, he can’t.”

McLaren looked at her, his expression unchanged. “I don’t believe have the power to make decisions one way or another, Miss Malone. You will do as we say, and you are lucky we are releasing you at all. McDougall will accompany you to Scotland, to make sure you return home as ye promised. And if you ever — ever — return here, we will arrest you and you will hang. Is that clear?”

She sat there, silently