Instead, he merely nodded.
It hurt in a way she hadn’t expected. Her spirits sank further, but she hid her disappointment.
“Can you leave the fires now?” he asked.
She nodded. “Ramsay will return soon—they should be all right until he arrives.”
“Good.” Alex held out his hand to her, and started to lead her from the cavern. It was still dark outside, with only the torches of Glen Arrin in the distance to guide their way.
“Where are we going?” she asked Alex.
“I’ll show you.”
They returned home, and he continued walking past each of the houses, to the foundation of the new fortress. Surrounding it was a wall that rose up to her knees. But what surprised her was how wide the diameter of the wall was. They had changed the structure, bringing the walls much further out. The men had been working on it all day, and they would have the remaining stones in place within a sennight if they continued at this pace.
Although there was a new gate area already formed, Alex put his hands around her waist and lifted her over the wall. It was dark within the space, but in the distance, the sky had lightened, transforming night into dawn.
“It’s larger than the previous keep,” she commented. “But why is the wall so vast?’
“We’re putting it up in stages,” he said. “And it won’t be a wooden keep. It will be a castle.”
She didn’t know what to say. A castle would be a visible threat to the English, inviting an attack. And with all the unrest and the raids, she sometimes wished they could go and hide in the forest, invisible to everyone.
“It will take years to build this,” he said, “but it will be worth it in the end.”
She sat down on the low stone wall, drawing up her knees. “You want this, don’t you?”
“My father dreamed of it. It’s something I can build in his memory.” He sat with his back to hers, letting her lean against him.
Though the morning light was the barest shade of lavender, as the sun slowly rose, she saw the vast work spread before her. These were his dreams, his desires.
She turned slightly, lowering her feet and resting her cheek against his back. Alex faced her, his hand upon the wall. “The glass was beautiful,” he said quietly. “I could see the fire and the dreams you captured within it.”
She never expected the compliment. And yet, the heaviness in his voice made her wonder if there was more to what he was saying.
“Finish the commission, if that’s what you truly want,” he continued. His gaze returned to the framework of the castle. “I have work enough to occupy myself here.”
And although he’d just given her the freedom she wanted, Laren sensed the distance stretching further between them.
“She’sreturned,”Bramsaid,his face twisted into a frown. “May God help us.”
“Who?’ Alex saw the unrest in his brother’s face and knew the answer before he spoke.
“Our mother.”
Alex resisted the urge to cross himself. They had enjoyed a peaceful few weeks while their mother had taken sanctuary with Kameron MacKinnon, Lord of Locharr. As their ally, Lord Locharr had come to their aid on more than one occasion. The older man had more patience and understanding than any other person he’d met…and since he’d welcomed Grizel into his home, Alex rather thought the man deserved sainthood.
But if Grizel MacKinloch was returning home, it meant trouble.
“Where is she?”
“Waiting near the gates with her wagons. She’s already given Ross an earful about the keep. I thought I’d warn you.”
Alex expected no less from his mother. No doubt she would have opinions about how they should have put out the fires and saved the keep. He crossed through the fortress and stopped to gather his two daughters. With Adaira and Mairin holding each hand, he went to greet her.
Possibly the distraction of the girls would keep Grizel from lashing out at the others. He didn’t need his mother stirring up unrest with her harsh criticisms.
The older woman had already dismounted, and Nairna was walking at her side. From the sulking expression on Grizel’s face, Alex could tell that she was working herself into a mood.
