And now it seemed Seraphina’s sisters had decided a talk was in order before their departure.
He gave a small bow. “Lady Millicent. Lady Elspeth.”
Their eyes widened, and they glanced at one another before returning their attention to him. “You remember us?” one of them said—truly, he would never be able to guess which one it was; they looked so alike one would think they were twins. Her voice was tight with tension, her fingers showing white and stark against the bruised purple of her cape.
How could he have forgotten them?They were intertwined with the happiest days of his life—or what had been the happiest. Now those were some of the most painful memories he had.
“Yes,” he said low. “I remember you.”
She nodded, looking to her sister before quickly returning her wide gaze back to him. Even at this distance hecould see her throat work as she swallowed hard. “We were… surprised to see you on Synne.”
“Yes, well,” he mumbled. “I would nae have come if it had nae been necessary.”
They nodded again, in sync, yet remained silent. He raised an eyebrow. What the blazes was going on here? Did they intend to keep him standing in the middle of the blasted road?
“My ladies?” he prompted.
“Oh, there is no need for honorifics,” the slightly taller of the two said—he still didn’t have a clue who was who. “We gave them up years ago.”
“Yes,” he murmured. “So I have heard. Though I havenae heard the particulars ofwhyyou gave them up.”
They tensed, and in that moment he could see the difference between them. The one who had spoken seemed flooded with anxiety, while the other appeared ready to go to battle.
Despite himself, his lips kicked up in one corner. That would be the youngest then, Elspeth. She had always had a bit more fire than the middle sister.
And then she spoke. “I remember you being kind. But perhaps time has changed you.”
“Ah, lass,” he drawled, “you have nae idea. But what brings you out here in the middle of a forest before dawn? Shall I assume your sister doesnae know you aim to speak with me?”
She scowled, and he had the feeling that she was about to say something not at all complimentary, when Millicent laid a staying hand on her arm and stepped forward.
“Yes, and we would appreciate it if you did not divulge this talk with Seraphina during your trip north. She hasenough on her shoulders; she does not need to worry even more about us and our reactions to this venture you are making together.”
“Verra well,” he said, nodding once. Was it just him, or did both women sag a bit in relief?
“However,” he added severely, casting a look at a sky that was quickly growing lighter, “I would have you make it quick. I’m to meet your sister before dawn, and she’ll have my head if I’m late.”
Elspeth nodded, drawing herself up and leveling a stern glare on him that did not conceal the worry or confusion in her eyes. “Very well. We do not pretend to know why Seraphina has agreed to return to Scotland with you. But if she returns to us in anything but her usual spirit, or damaged in any way, you shall have us to answer to.”
He was tempted to laugh. These wee women were threatening him?
But the laughter died before it could take purchase as the first portion of that little speech reached his brain. He frowned. “She dinnae tell you why we are leaving?”
Twin pain flashed in their eyes. But while Millicent’s gaze dropped to the ground, Elspeth raised her chin. “No, she has not,” the younger woman replied. “But that does not mean we are asking you to tell us. I’m certain she must have her reasons.”
No doubt. More than anything it was shame that she had married someone like him.
Suddenly Elspeth stepped forward. The horses shied to the side, already spooked, but she paid them no heed as she advanced on him. And then she was before him, staring up at him, her eyes glittering like sapphires.
“Just please protect Seraphina,” she whispered hoarsely.“She has given up everything for us and has done all she can to give us good lives, to the detriment of her own. Please, I beg of you, keep her safe for us.”
He could do naught but stare open-mouthed at the earnestness and anxiety that stamped her delicate features. What the devil had occurred in the past thirteen years? It was not the first time he had asked himself that, and no doubt it would not be the last.
But now there was a different flavor to the question, as some of Elspeth’s anxiety seeped into his chest.
Get ahold of yourself, man, he told himself brutally. No good could come of commiserating with such a woman. Things had been difficult for her? Well, they had not exactly been roses for him either. It was certainly not his fault that her gamble on her father’s generosity had not panned out.
But the two women were still looking at him in that earnest way, and he was suddenly transported to a simpler time, when the future had seemed bright.
