“I followed ye to make sure ye were safe. And what are ye doing here?” He looked around. Crimson arrows of light were beginning to pierce the shadows between the branches of the trees, as the blood-red sun began its ascent into the morning sky. Birds erupted in song, the mist from the waterfall rising into the air around them and giving the place a mystical quality. “I just wanted to be alone for a while,” Isobel said, her face turned to the sun. Rory could sense her misery. Back at Kilmaron, he saw a lonely girl who needed protection and love. At Castle Grant, he saw a different Isobel who was mischievous and full of life. He saw her laughing and whispering with Margaret, mercilessly teasing her brother, and basking in the warmth of her parents’ love. She didn’t want to leave and she came to this place to say goodbye, not knowing when she would be back again. Without realizing what she was doing, Isobel laid her head on Rory’s shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her, drawing her close. They sat in silence for a few minutes lost in thought. “I dinnae want to go, Rory.”
