Alaina sighed discontentedly. “It’s nae afine day. It’s gray and overcast, and I amcold.”
“Ye wouldnae be cold if ye picked up yer cloak as I told ye to,” Megan responded. “Want me to go back in and fetch it?”
“Nay, I’m fine,” Alaina muttered.
Megan eyed the teenage girl, narrowing her eyes. She was pretty sure that Alaina had not seen Hamish for a couple of days. Ryder stayed close to her side, and Hamish seemed terrified of him, but he had kept his word, and the guards were dismissed.
Sophie, of course, had no idea what had happened. She knew nothing about Hamish or Alaina’s midnight excursion, but she had noticed that the guards were gone.
Fortunately, Sophie was a child and had forgotten it all quite happily.
Alaina was right about the day being gray and miserable. There was a stiff breeze, but thankfully, no sign of rain in the air just yet. The courtyard was busy, with people dashing everywhere with boxes, barrels, and bags. Carts trundled slowly toward the wide, low entrances at the back of the Keep for heavy goods.
People bowed as Megan walked back and shifted respectfully out of her way. It was a strange feeling, being deferred to in that way, and she wasn’t sure that she liked it.
They ken that I’m the Laird’s betrothed,she thought grimly.I suppose that means somethin’, for now.
They rounded a corner of the Keep, and there was the green field. It was a vast, well-maintained lawn, dotted with shrubs and flowerbeds and a few stray trees. While the warriors sometimes trained on the grass, they often preferred the cobblestones surrounding it. She could see a few of them over by the wall, practicing with wooden swords.
“Are we pickin’ flowers, Megan?” Sophie exclaimed hopefully. “We could put flowers in vases in our rooms after the cleanin’ is all done?”
“Aye, that’s a fine idea. Why daenae ye collect some for us?” Megan suggested.
Sophie seemed to like this idea. She released Megan’s hand and went scampering off. Alaina came to stand beside Sophie, pursing her lips.
“Too old to go pickin’ flowers, are we?” Megan asked, grinning.
Alaina rolled her eyes. “I’d nae take the pleasure of pickin’ flowers away from me sister. Besides, I wanted to talk to ye.”
“Oh, aye?”
“Ye and me braither are nae speakin’, are ye?”
Megan flinched and swallowed hard, surprised by this. She cast a worried glance toward Alaina.
“I… I daenae ken what ye are talkin’ about.”
Alaina shrugged. “I’m nae a fool. I’m nae blind, either. Ye havenae so much as glanced at each other since the night of the festival. It’s been days. The cèilidh is tomorrow, where ye will have to pretend to be madly in love. Do ye think ye can manage that?”
Megan felt color rush to her face. Shewantedto tell Alaina that it was notherfault that they were not speaking.
That wasn’t an option, of course.
“Yer braither and I will act exactly as we should at that festival,” Megan stated firmly. “Daenae worry about it. Just concentrate on enjoyin’ yerself, aye? Ye have had a few rough days. Ye deserve to have a good time, aye?”
“Aye,” Alaina mumbled, mercifully dropping the subject. They trudged on across the grass toward where Sophie stood half-hidden in the long grass, picking flowers.
Ever since the festival, Megan had thought of nothing buthim. She could still feel the trail of his lips on her body. Sometimes, when she thought of him too clearly, she felt that familiar, pleasurable ache low in her stomach. It was infuriating.
What made it all worse was the plain realization that he did not feel the same. He’d played their little game, then shrugged it all off as soon as it was over. It was pretty clear to Megan that he did not care whether she reciprocated.
He only did it to gain power over me,she thought, as she had over and over again since it happened.If he truly cared for me, he wouldnae have sent me unceremoniously away. He wouldnae have slammed his bedroom door in me face.
That had hurt more than she could have imagined. It was such a sharp dismissal, arejection. And it was the second one she’d gotten from him.
When I’m nae here, I imagine he has a different woman every week to warm his bed,she thought bitterly.Maybe he ties them all to his bedposts with his belt.
There was no sense in thinking this way, of course. Notnow, a day away from the cèilidh.
