Emma let the words land but refused to pick them up. “Is it just me, or does it look like the garden needs some cutting?” she asked after a breath. “Someone needs to properly collect these herbs.”
“Daenae change the topic,” Ava huffed. “Ye and I both heard what the Laird’s braither said.”
“Aye, we did,” Emma acknowledged. “So what if he is trying to keep the castle safer? Why does it matter? He didnae get to where he is by being lenient with his guards now, did he?”
“So, that is what ye think this is? Just some regular work for the guards?”
“Yes. For all we ken, a warthog may have breached the castle last night, and they are just trying to be more careful. Safety is important, at the end of the day.”
Ava sighed and reached out to stroke Stella’s hair. “Ye are hard work, Emma.”
“Only because ye push,” Emma retorted, her heart beating fast.
She didn’t believe any of the words she had said, but it was the best way to keep Ava off her back for now. Later, she would meet Jack in private and ask what was going on.
They walked further down the path until they got to the corner of the castle towers. From where they stood, Emma could see miles away to the edge of the castle gates and beyond toward the mountains that lined the horizon.
Her eyes caught the thin thread of smoke that rose beyond the gates and into the bright blue sky. She was fairly certain that Ava saw it as well.
She turned to give her sister a knowing look, and Ava did the same thing. The baby fussed against her neck, and Emma swayed a little, patting her gently on the back until she relaxed again.
“So what do ye think is burning there?” Ava asked.
Emma said nothing, only watched the rising smoke. It was evident that it was not coming from a kitchen, and it did not sit like a kiln. It climbed and pulled and tried to be the sky, but the sky would not have it.
“Ye think yer future husband is doing something ye willnae approve of?” Ava asked.
“He is protecting something,” Emma murmured, the words heavy on her tongue. “I ken it.”
“Aye,” Ava uttered. “And at what cost?”
Emma shifted Stella and pressed her cheek to the child’s warm curls. Stella stirred and snuggled closer, a small weight that asked for nothing more than a steady arm.
“At least he is protecting her,” she said. “That is a cost I can accept.”
“Is it?” Ava asked.
“Aye.” Emma nodded.
They watched the smoke rise into the sky for a while longer. The question of what could possibly be burning bounced around her skull like a headache that wouldn’t leave. The questions were growing now, and she realized that she would have to ask him about it all eventually.
“Come. Let us keep walking,” Ava’s voice brought her back to the present.
They moved further down the path. The gentle afternoon breeze provided the perfect temperature for Emma and the baby, even as her thoughts continued to churn. Her eyes flicked to the training yard. The lanterns that had been fastened to the treeslast night had been removed, and the field had been ploughed to remove all signs of a scuffle.
Did that also have something to do with the fire as well?
A wave of dark gray appeared on the horizon, confirming Emma’s suspicion.
“It looks like rain,” Ava remarked, gesturing toward that part of the sky.
“Good,” Emma uttered, her voice calm.
Perhaps the rain was precisely what she needed. It could wash away all the doubts that had been growing in her head since the first time she saw Jack this morning and noticed the red stain on his cuff. It might even help Stella have a good night’s sleep.
She opened her mouth when the sound of footsteps came from behind them, firm and unhurried.
She turned and watched Jack approach from the far end of the courtyard. Duncan and two guards hung back as he walked toward her, a look of determination resting on his face.
