"I find that hard tae believe," Nessa replied dryly. "It was probably about spitin' the prince, nae about me."
Darren shook his head. "Cailean seems tae think ye'll change the longer ye're here. He thinks that bein' here will save ye, so long as yer sisters stick by ye."
"Does he?" Nessa asked. "He seems tae ken a lot about me considerin' we've never really spoken."
Grinning, Darren acknowledged the point. "He does that. He's been speakin' with authority since he was a bairn, ourCailean. But he's usually right. Never tell him I said that, though."
Nessa wasn't sure how she felt about that. Rather than thinking about it, she said, "What did Maeve say next?"
Darren made a face. "Not much. What followed was kissin'.Lotsof kissin'. I ran as fast as me legs could take me."
Despite herself, Nessa laughed again. "Ye are ridiculous." Then she shook her head. "He thinks bein' here will save me. Who says I need tae be saved?"
She expected Darren to argue, but he seemed to ponder her words seriously for a few moments before he nodded.
"Ye're right," he told her. "Ye dinnae need savin'. Ye need tae learn tae save yerself."
Nessa sighed. Darren walked closer to her and reached down, taking her hand in his. His calloused skin felt warm and secure around hers, and she did not pull away.
"But Nessa? Ye dinnae need tae do it alone. We're all here tae help ye if ye need us."
Her eyes snapped up to meet his, trying to understand the hidden meaning in his words. She could not believe that this was how he felt. He must have some hidden agenda. Everyone did. "Oh, really?" she asked, guarded. "And how would ye help me?"
Darren lifted her hand and bent to lightly kiss the back of it. Nessa's skin tingled as he straightened back up and squeezed her hand. "However ye'll let me," he replied.
The door opened, and both of them turned their heads to see a maid standing there, staring, looking absolutely horrified. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" the maid exclaimed. "I knocked and ye didnae answer. I–I thought?—"
Nessa watched as the maid's eyes rested on her and Darren's joined hands. She quickly jerked her hand away. "Darren was just leavin'," she said. "Are ye here tae prepare me bath?"
"Aye," the maid said uncertainly. "Aye, I am."
Darren smiled. "Dinnae worry. I'm on me way out," he said cheerfully. Then he leaned over and whispered in Nessa's ear. "Unless ye want me tae stay?"
She scoffed, pushing him away. "Get goin'," she ordered.
He winked. "Aye, me lady," he replied. With one final grin, he hurried out of the room.
When Nessa and the maid were alone, they made awkward eye contact for just a moment. Then Nessa said, "Please… nae a word. Nae tae anyone."
"Of course, mistress," the maid replied. "I'll start yer bath."
Nessa thought she heard the hint of a smile in the woman's voice, but she couldn't get too angry about it. Because, despite everything, there was a smile on her own face, too.
Chapter Thirteen
Two days after her arrival,Darren and Breana managed to convince Nessa to at last set foot outside of her rooms. She had steadfastly refused to explore the keep, not wanting to get to know any of the rebels too well and not ready to face Maeve yet. But Breana had come that morning and told her that the nearby village was hosting a small harvest festival, and Darren had explained how spectacular it would be as the first celebration of the newly liberated village, and Nessa's curiosity had gotten the better of her.
She felt exposed as she walked through the castle with Breana and Darren, though her new dress was well-fitting and nobody gave her more than a cursory look. Nevertheless, Nessa was sure that each one of the rebels must be talking about her, whispering about her, and making judgments. She knew that this was how things went in a castle—it always had been.
"Dinnae look so nervous," Darren told her cheerfully. "If anyone tries anythin', I'll make an example of them."
"Darren," Breana said disapprovingly. "Dinnae make her worry about such things. Nessa, naebody is gonnae do a thing. Ye're fine. Just keep breathin'."
"All I'm sayin' is that if ye'renae, I'm here tae be the hero," Darren teased.
Nessa allowed their good-natured back and forth be her comfort and shield as they walked through the corridors and out into the grounds. She didn't speak much herself, instead allowing her eyes to dart all around and take in everything around her. It was… strange. McNair Castle was not like any castle she had ever been in, and the people seemed to interact very strangely.
She spied Cailean himself at one point, talking and laughing with a man who by his state of dress and accent was likely a kitchen porter or stablehand. She saw women and men mingling, chatting naturally with nobody raising an eyebrow. On the grounds, women trained with swords alongside men, and men tended the flowerbeds alongside the women. Though there was definitely the awareness of the ongoing war overhead, there was an aura of hope in the air that Nessa could not fully understand.
