Her heart skipped a beat.
No, that couldn’t be it. If he was going to ask her to his bed, he would need to do it more politely. Jack wasn’t the kind of man who liked to hide behind what he wanted.
Ava moved to Emma’s side, her eyebrows already raised. “What was that about?”
Emma folded her arms. There was no point in hiding anything from her sister now. “I think I might need a new dress.”
CHAPTER 19
Dusk settled over the castle,and the torches along the walls glowed brighter with each passing second. Jack led his men toward the study and shut the door quietly. The fire there had dimmed into coals at this point, but the air was still warm enough.
As Duncan followed him inside, Jack made a mental note to stoke the fire when he finished speaking with the men. Troy stood straight by the wall, his sword tucked under his arm, and Duncan stepped forward, his hands tucked behind his back.
“So, tell me. What do I need to ken?” Jack asked, folding his arms and staring at them.
Troy spoke first. “The body is gone, me Laird. Burned beyond the walls. The ashes scattered where nay scavenger will find them.”
“Good,” Jack said.
Silence followed for a minute too long, and he could tell the men were debating who should speak next.
“I will check the watch again,” Troy added. “The north and the east first.”
Jack nodded. “See to it.”
Troy bowed his head and left.
Duncan did not move, broad and tall, his arms now folded across his chest. He watched Jack expectantly as he rounded his desk. The silence stretched on for a few more minutes before he decided to break it.
“What do ye hope to gain by all of this?” he asked. “What if the man was nothing but a thief after some gold or even food?”
Jack kept his eyes on the coals. “I have fought too many wars to mistake desperation for design. This was deliberate.”
“Or ye are seeing ghosts again?” Duncan prodded.
“Nay. Daenae bring her into this,” Jack muttered, pushing away the memory of his late wife.
“Ye must forgive me if I daenae ken what to think, Jack. One might even say ye are trying to guard a woman who hasnae even agreed to be yer wife.”
Jack looked up. “I will protect everyone in this castle. It is me duty as the Laird.”
Duncan’s lips thinned. “And what if ye are wrong?”
“Then I will answer for it,” Jack said. “But nae tonight.”
He crossed over to the map table. His finger traced the outer wall and the bend where the slope fell toward the mountains they usually saw on the horizon from the tower. A part of him wondered if there were extra security measures he had not put in place yet.
“Check the fences,” he ordered without turning. “Watch the areas that the invaders may think are worth exploiting. If the prisoner was afraid of ratting out whoever had sent him, it means we cannae leave anything to chance.”
“So I am to walk the line,” Duncan said dryly. “While ye sit with yer doubt.”
Jack looked over his shoulder at him. “While I sit with me work.”
Duncan dropped his arms to his sides and stepped closer to the table. “Ye burn a body at dawn and call it work by night. That is nae doubt, Jack. That is just fear with a clean shirt.”
“Call it what ye like.” Jack shrugged. “It keeps the hall quiet.”
“For now,” Duncan said. “But I hope it willnae backfire.”
