Further down the steps, Megan heard the shifting of boots on stone. She met Alaina’s eye and lifted her eyebrows.
“I think perhaps that yer useless guards are getting’ antsy,” she commented. “They’ll come up and join us in a moment. So, unless ye fancy havin’ an audience to our conversation, ye might want to invite us into yer room.”
Alaina scowled. “Or ye could just go away, and I could entertain meself.”
“Very sharp. Ye have a fine wit, I’ll say that for ye. But I ken from experience that spendin’ yer days and nights in the same room is a tiresome thing. Ye must be bored. And,” she added, almost off-handedly, “it’s nae as though I’ll be goin’ away anytime soon.”
Alaina stared at her for a long moment, her expression suddenly closed and unreadable. Megan stared back, fighting to keep her face smooth.
Abruptly, Sophie stiffened beside her sister, sniffing the air like a hunting dog.
“Do ye smell that?” she breathed.
Megan blinked down at her, frowning. “What?”
“Bannocks,” Sophie gasped, her face lighting up. “Fried bannocks. The kitchen is just beneath this tower, and sometimes the smell crawls right up here. Can ye smell the bannocks? Should we get some bannocks, Alaina? Should we…”
“Why daenae ye fetch us some bannocks, dear?” Megan suggested hastily. “I am a wee bit peckish.”
“Ye are right,” Sophie agreed, beaming. “Wait here. I’ll fetch some. And some jam tarts. And some cheese. And there was some chicken…”
She hurried down the stairs at a quick pace, listing foods under her breath. She let out a yelp of annoyance as she presumably pushed past the guards lingering on the stairs. As Megan watched, one of the guards peeked around the corner of the stairs, only to back away quickly when she caught his eye.
She stifled a sigh.
I estimate that we’ll have five or ten more minutes before those guards come struttin’ pompously back up here, full of newfound confidence. Alaina will retreat to her room, and I’ll be obliged either to humiliate meself by knockin’ again and tryin’ to get her to talk to me, or I’ll have to go downstairs, havin’ failed.
She glanced back at Alaina and found the girl watching her with narrowed eyes, presumably thinking the same thing.
“I suppose ye can just come into me room at any time ye want, anyway,” Alaina remarked suddenly. “Ryder does.”
Megan crossed her arms. “Well, he should nae. I’ll talk to him. Ye are a growin’ girl, and ye need yer privacy. I certainly did at yer age.”
Alaina tilted her head. “And ye think he’ll listen to ye?”
She shrugged. “I’ll try, at the very least.”
There was another long moment of silence, then Alaina heaved a sigh, jerking her head.
“Very well. In ye come, then. We might as well talk inside.”
She retreated into her bedroom, and Megan followed her, trying to bite back a smile of triumph.
Part one of our plan is completed. I’m already half in her confidence.
CHAPTER 7
Ryder gingerly climbedthe stairs to the East Tower, straining his ears. He could hear the distant muffle of voices, but the echoes ruined everything in the Keep, and he couldn’t make out much more.
The stone steps grew steeper the higher they went. The steps grew uneven, chipped with age, and sometimes even slick with rain or frost. The windows had no glass, and the weather came flooding in as much as it liked.
Ryder didn’t mind the cold. He would just stoke up the fire in his room, pile more blankets on his bed, and sleep soundly. He always slept better when his room was cold.
Megan hadn’t returned to his study, so he assumed that Sophie had indeed taken her to meet Alaina. That assumed that things had gone at least moderately well. As far as he could tell, the lassiesdidlike Megan, which of course was a crucial part of the plan. Naturally, anything could go wrong at any moment.
It was surprising to realize just how anxious he was about the whole thing. If Alaina and Sophie turned their backs on Megan, or if she was exposed, the entire game was up. She might as well leave. She would probablywantto leave, since she disliked him so intensely.
That gave him a niggle of worry, too. Whydidshe hate him so much? What had he done, really?
