A Very Highland Holiday - Kathryn Le Veque Page 0,137

to find his damned sword.

He’d been such an utter fool. His grandmother had been distraught when he’d told her what he’d done. But then she’d consoled him and assured him he would find Lann Dhearg and set things right. Her faith in him meant everything. He would not let her down.

After finishing at Kerr’s cottage, Tavish had looked around the surrounding area. He’d been fortunate enough to encounter a couple of people who lived nearby. Neither had seen anything, much to his disappointment.

Now, as he stepped into the inn, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated. However, buried beneath that was an anticipation that had burned within him all night.

Elspeth.

A few tables in the common room were still occupied, and a pair of the dogs came to greet Tavish as he entered. He stroked their heads briefly before striding to the stairs. After taking them two at a time, he found himself in front of Elspeth’s door rather quickly.

He hesitated. What if her aunt was there? Or perhaps Elspeth was in her aunt’s room? There was one way to find out.

Tavish went to the next room and listened. A soft snore reached his ears, followed by a loud one that made him twitch. Smiling, he went back to Elspeth’s room and rapped softly.

He’d barely lowered his hand before the door came open. She pulled him inside so swiftly that he nearly toppled into her. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one eager for their reunion.

Elspeth cupped his face, her green eyes glossy with relief. “You’re safe.”

“You were worried?”

She gave him a look that said she was. “You saw Dougal Kerr, did you not?”

“You saw him too?” It was no wonder she’d been concerned.

“Carrie asked me to check on him while she was busy in the common room. He was still sleeping, but I could see the injury to his face.” A shiver ran through her.

Tavish put his hands on her hips and pulled her to him. “I’m fine. I didn’t encounter any trouble at all.”

She smiled. “I’m so glad.”

While he was thoroughly enjoying this moment with Elspeth, he couldn’t ignore the dark sense of failure needling him. “I’m disappointed I wasn’t able to find any clues regarding these men. Or the sword.”

Her entire face lit like fireworks illuminating the night sky. “I found it.”

He stared at her. “You…found it? I don’t understand.”

She lowered her hands from his face and turned from him. As she moved toward the bed, he grew even more perplexed. Then she knelt next to a blanket on the floor. She unwrapped the wool plaid, and there, lying in the middle of it, was Lann Dhearg.

She gave him a beatific smile. “I’d hand it to you, but I can barely lift it.”

“My God. Elspeth, however did you…” He didn’t finish the question as he quickly lowered to his knees on the other side of the sword from her.

“You will never believe it, but it was here the entire time. Well, not the entire time—not since Culloden. Carrie said Neil left it with her a few weeks ago.”

Tavish ran his fingers over the familiar ancient runic symbols on upper and lower guards of the hilt. The weapon hummed beneath his touch, as it always did for him or others in his family. He looked over at her. “Will you start at the beginning, please?”

“Yes, of course.” She blushed and let out a soft laugh. “I’m afraid I was quite thrilled to find it. I was excited to tell you.”

He wrapped his palm around the grip. “I still can’t believe it.”

“When I went to check on Mr. Kerr, he was asleep, so I thought I would investigate Carrie’s room for clues about Neil.” She shrugged. “I honestly didn’t expect to find anything.”

“Yet you did.”

“There was a door, so I opened it. She has a room filled with items collected from Culloden field. Weapons, jewelry, shields. She calls it her Chamber of Sorrow.”

Tavish let go of the sword and sat back on his heels. “That’s…incredible.”

“It was somewhat unsettling, to tell you the truth. It’s a small room, and it was filled with these objects.”

“That’s where you found Lann Dhearg?” At her nod, he asked, “How did you know what it was?”

“It just looked…different from any sword I’ve ever seen. Because of the herringbone pattern and the markings. Are those runes?”

He glanced down at the markings. “Yes. We aren’t exactly sure what they mean, but the upper guard is something like ‘burn bright’ while the lower is akin to ‘flame eternal.’ And the