“Are ye comfortable doing all of this on yer own? These quarters seem a bit too vast for only one man to manage.”
The guard cleared his throat. “Ye want a second guard, me Laird?”
“A second and perhaps a runner,” Jack replied. “If ye hear anything, ye can deal with it in pairs.”
“Aye.” The guard gripped the shaft of his spear harder. “The lady is safe, me Laird.”
Jack let the words sink in for a moment. “See to it,” he said, then went back outside.
Troy was waiting for him near the arch where he had begun his midnight exploration. “I doubled the guards at the south tower. I checked the gate with me own hands. The lock is sound, and there is nay sign at the field. All is good.”
“Good.” Jack looked at the overcast sky. “Ye understand why I am doing this, do ye nae?”
Troy lowered his voice. “Aye, me Laird. Very well.”
“The safety of the people in this castle is very important to me. As it should be to ye as well.”
“I am well aware, me Laird,” Troy said. “And that is what I intend to achieve with the guards.”
Jack swept his eyes across the courtyard. “Then keep the guards steady. Nay talk.”
“Nay talk,” Troy echoed. “Aye.”
Jack turned around and walked back into the castle. The long hall echoed behind him, almost as if the air was throwing his footsteps back at him. Sleep still refused to come. He hated it.
Was it the incessant need to make sure that the castle was secure, or was it the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about Emma? Was it both?
He took the side door to his study and lit a single candle. Then, he set the ledgers down on his desk and opened one at random.
Here he was again. Perhaps the numbers would help him get the sleep he needed. He grabbed a quill and sat back in his chair, exhaling as loudly as he could.
Then he got to work.
He had only been writing for thirty minutes when the door creaked open and Duncan stepped in without knocking. He leaned his shoulder against the wood.
“Ye are still awake,” he noted.
“Aye,” Jack grunted.
“Ye could try to sleep,” Duncan said.
“Ye think the idea never crossed me mind?”
Duncan watched him write two numbers that meant nothing. “Troy told me about yer patrol. That was why I came to check in on ye.”
“Aye,” Jack muttered, lowering his voice as he wrote another number.
“Ye think another intruder will come tonight?”
“I thinkthey, whoever they are, are watching,” Jack replied. “And I willnae give them even an hour to take advantage.”
“And yer bride?”
Jack looked up. “Ye want a report on Emma, too?”
“I want to ken that ye havenae lost yer mind,” Duncan huffed.
Jack set down his quill. “I havenae.”
