She sat down upon the stone staircase and rested her hands on her knees. "I'll be fine. I'm just feeling uncertain about the future."
He sat beside her. "I'm not sorry you're here." It bothered him to see her so troubled, and he wondered how he could set her at ease.
Honora leaned her head against his shoulder, and stared out at the castle. Torches flamed against the stone walls while dozens of soldiers kept watch. "I suppose I do feel safe from John within these castle walls."
"Patrick believes in a strong defense."
She frowned a moment later and she pointed toward a segment of the inner bailey wall where a medium-sized hole remained. "What happened there? Shouldn't you repair that breach?"
His mouth tightened. "It's nothing. Just a hole." And one he'd wanted Patrick to mend for the past nine years.
"Why is it there?"
"Because my damned older brother thinks it's funny."
She turned to face him, her face curious. He didn't want to explain it to her, but she asked anyway. "What happened?"
When he didn't answer, a smile perked at her lips, "It bothers you. Should I ask King Patrick about it?"
His brother would enjoy telling her, Ewan knew. The entire tribe knew about it, and now the soldiers touched it the hole for luck, before going into battle. How that tradition had begun, he'd never know.
Expelling a sigh, he confessed, "Patrick was converting the old walls into stone. I was thirteen, I think. One of the stones fell out. Not enough mortar to hold it together, I suppose, but the rest of the structure stayed intact. Connor dared me to crawl through the hole."
Honora's lips twitched. By God, she'd better not laugh about this.
"Did you make it through?" Though she posed the question with complete seriousness, he sensed she was trying to hold back mirth.
"I didn't. My head and shoulders made it through, but I couldn't get past my ribs."
The humiliation was one he'd never lived down. He'd never forgotten how his brothers had laughed at him, while he'd struggled to free himself.
"Were you stuck within the wall?"
He glared at her. Of course he'd been stuck. "One of the top stones slipped down on top of me. I nearly dislocated my shoulder trying to get out."
"What did your brothers do?" Honora covered her mouth with a hand, color rising in her cheeks.
"What any older brothers would do . . . they left me there for the rest of the day. Laughed at me every time they passed. Connor set a crown of daisies on my head that I couldn't get off because I couldn't move my arms. Bastard."
"Who set you free?"
"One of the kitchen maids took pity on me. But Patrick left the hole there in memory."
She did start laughing then, and put her arms around him. "Oh, Ewan. I wish I could have seen that."
"I'm glad you didn't." He cut off her laughter the best way he knew how—with a kiss. Honora kissed him back, letting herself fall into the embrace. Ewan slipped his hands inside the sleeves of her overdress, touching her back before moving his hands forward, caressing the curve of her breasts.
She gasped against his mouth, as Ewan continued his devastating onslaught. The softest flick of his thumb against her nipple sent an unexpected rush of wetness between her thighs. She caught herself before she moaned, but then he removed his hands and broke the kiss. He reached down to touched her bare ankle, sliding up her leg beneath her skirts, she couldn't stop herself. The rough texture of his palm against her thighs made her shudder. Higher still, he stroked her legs, lingering against her flesh.
"I want to be with you again."
She was glad her burning cheeks were hidden by the shadows of the night sky. Though she wanted him desperately, she was even more afraid of sleeping in his arms. "I don't know if that would be wise."
"Not here," he corrected, his lips gentle against her cheek. "I'd take you to my hut. No one will bother us."
She struggled to calm the breath rising and falling. Her head and her heart were at war, her sense of reason battering against her body's desires. "Your tribesmen thought I was going to be your bride, didn't they?"
Ewan's hands framed her face as he leaned in. "Don't worry about them. All that matters is what's between us."
