She turned and began to walk away but Lorna suddenly caught her wrist. “But dinna come up here again,” the lady of the keep said, her voice hard and cold. “My father is not to be disturbed. Strangers upset him.”
Caitlin inclined her head in acquiescence. Then she hurried off, feeling Lorna’s eyes boring into her back as she went.
Chapter 15
Kai picked up his tankard, took a long, deep gulp then slammed it back on the table, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Several empty tankards already covered the stained table top.
What time had he come in here? He couldn’t remember. Squinting, he peered through the windows—unglazed holes in the wall that were covered with shutters at night—but the inn was packed so close to its neighbors that he could barely see the sky, let alone the sun.
It was somewhere near sunset at a guess.
He took another swig of ale, annoyed to find the tankard empty, and waved at the innkeeper to bring him more. The part of himself that still had a clear head told him sternly that this was a bad idea. But that part of himself was already drowning under the weight of alcohol and regret that was slowly seeping through his veins.
Kai breathed deeply, trying to calm the storm of emotions whirling inside him. It had been foolish of him to think he could come here and not stir up the past. It had been foolish to think he could so easily make up for his mistakes at the fair. It had been foolish to think that Caitlin wanted him—
Ah, curse it all!
And so now here he was, sitting by himself in this dingy inn, drinking himself into oblivion so that he could forget. Yet the alcohol didn’t seem to be dulling his memories, but only making the recollections of them sharper, more painful.
The innkeeper brought him another tankard of ale and Kai thanked him gruffly, not wanting to make conversation.
Kai had just taken a sip when he noticed one of the serving girls smiling at him suggestively. She was pretty, with a saucy grin and sparkling eyes that shone in the dim light of the inn. His mouth curved into a half smile but his heart wasn’t in it. He couldn’t bring himself to flirt—which was a sure sign that he was feeling sorry for himself.
Sighing heavily, Kai picked up his tankard and took another drink, hoping that this time—perhaps—the alcohol would do its job and dull his senses.
The door suddenly opened and the lithe form of Conall appeared in the doorway. His wolf-gray eyes swept the room. Spotting Kai, he took a tankard from one of the serving wenches, then crossed to Kai’s table and sat down opposite without saying a word. Conall offered a faint smile before picking up his tankard and taking a sip. They drank in silence for a while, Conall’s gaze never leaving Kai’s face.
Finally, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “What are ye doing here, Kai? I didnae think ye were one for wallowing in self-pity.”
The words stung Kai into anger. “What would ye know about it? When I want yer opinion, I will ask ye!”
Conall’s eyes narrowed at the outburst, but his tone remained even. “Ye didnae answer my question, Kai. What are ye doing here? What’s going on?”
Kai slammed his tankard down on the table, sloshing ale over the worn surface. “What’s going on? Leif Snarlsson is what’s going on. Me being an utter bloody idiot is what’s going on!”
Caitlin is what’s going on, he thought.Lorna is what’s going on. All those people hurt at the fair because of me is what’s going on.
