“Name,” he demanded, looking at the young man before him.
“Calum, me Laird.”
“Who gave ye this post, Calum?”
“Yer man-at-arms, me Laird.”
Jack looked at the boy’s feet. There was mud on the heels, but it had dried up. There was only one part of the castle that had mud.
“Ye were on the east wall at dusk.”
“Aye,” Calum confirmed. “I was swapped at the bell.”
“Good.” Jack nodded once. “Keep yer eyes on the walk above the kitchens. I want the path to the back watched as well.”
Calum swallowed. “Aye, me Laird.”
Jack walked away, crossing the courtyard and climbing the short stairs to the outer walk. From there, he could see the dark line of the woods ahead and the faint cut of the lined path. It looked empty and harmless enough. But then, so did the courtyard the night the intruder broke in.
The wind tugged at his coat, and he heard the sound of a dog’s huff. One of the castle’s attack dogs, maybe. He was glad that Troy was putting every resource to use.
Nothing could be risked at this point. Not Stella, and most definitely not Emma.
He pressed both palms against the stone and let the cold further cool the heat in his skin. It helped, but once again, it was not enough.Hervoice stayed close, and the sight of her in that dress, and the steadiness of her when she should have run. He could still taste her on his lips, feel her beneath his fingers.
The thought made his member stiffen.
Good God.
This was what he had been trying to avoid.
He closed his eyes, opened them, and set off along the walk to the north corner.
A second guard stepped out of the slight opening along the wall. “Me Laird.”
Jack gave him a brief nod. “Do ye have anything to report?”
“Nothing here except the sound of the wind and the birds, me Laird,” the guard replied, his voice almost as calm as the eveningwind itself. “We heard a cart on the road an hour ago, but it didnae turn in.”
“Good,” Jack uttered. “If it does, I want to ken about it as soon as possible. ‘Tis better to be careful over nothing than to be careless over something.”
“Aye.”
Jack gave him another nod as if to say,Carry on,before walking away. He eventually reached the eastern corner of the castle and looked down the wall. He couldn’t see any lanterns or hear anything from the trees.
Good.
He eventually took the inner stairs down and came out into the passage that led to the guest quarters. There was a guard at the far end, near the corner, a veteran with a scar across his upper lip.
The guard looked at Jack and pushed off the wall. Jack didn’t bother asking for his name; he was too tired to do it.
“Watch this hall,” Jack instructed. “Ye arenae to leave this line of doors.”
“Aye, me Laird.”
Jack glanced toward a door he knew all too well. A sliver of light spilled from beneath the edge, thin and steady. He stopped far enough away that the guard would not think he was aimlessly wandering, then moved again. He walked on and made a full turn of the floor until he came back to where he had started.
The guard stared at him as if he were a judge about to ask him to plead his case. “Me Laird.”
