“Idid notice that.” Sweet heaven, the child is trying to seduce me, Ruarithought, and struggled to move away only to discover that he had no room leftto move. He was already backed up hard against the headboard. “I am verrathirsty, child. Could ye go and see what happened to my drink?”
Euphemiaignored his request, her wide gaze fixed upon his mouth. “Mayhap Sorcha isright when she says I am now a Hay and will soon be a woman, that when thefairies left me I ceased to be one of them. If she is right and I am soon tobecome a woman, that makes the lack of men at Dunweare verra troublesomeindeed.”
“Weel,ye cannae use me to easethatproblem,” Ruari snapped and tried to reachout, grab her, and push her away only to discover that such a movement causedhim more pain than he wished to endure.
“Whynot? Ye are a mon, and I am now more woman than child.”
“Mayhap,but I am eight-and-twenty, lass. Old enough to have fathered you. ‘Twould bebest if ye cast your eyes elsewhere.” Ruari gently raised his right arm, foughtto ignore the way the movement pulled achingly at his wounds, and tried to pushher away. He was unable to give her a push hard enough to dislodge her,however, for it caused him too much pain.
“Yeare certainly older than I would like, but as I have said, there isnae muchchoice at Dunweare.”
BeforeRuari could respond, she clasped his head between her hands and pressed hermouth against his. He did not have time to fully experience his shock over theyoung girl’s brazen attack, however. The sound of something crashing to thefloor quickly grabbed his full attention. Certain that someone had entered theroom and misinterpreted the scene, Ruari shoved the girl aside, cursing at thepain that ripped through his body. He frowned when he saw no outragedkinswoman.
“Ithought someone was here,” he muttered then cursed as the water bowl and ewerwere hurled across the room. Even as he tried to turn and shelter Euphemia, thegirl leapt to her feet on the bed.
“Enough!I grow weary of these tantrums!” she yelled, shaking her small fists toward achest as it was shoved away from the wall.
Unableto pull her down and out of the way, Ruari wriggled down to avoid the objectstossed around the room. Euphemia neatly ducked each object as she continued tocurse the air. He turned his attention to the door when he heard someonebanging against it. The door was not locked, yet whoever was on the other sidewas having great difficulty opening it.
“Curseit, let me in,” cried a voice Ruari recognized as Sorcha’s.
“Noone is keeping ye out,” he called back.
“IsEuphemia in there? I think I hear her.”
“Aye,she is here.”
Sorchacursed and fought to open the door. She could tell by the way an unseen handheld the door closed and the noises coming from within the room that thespirits were making themselves known to Ruari. What she wanted to know was whatEuphemia was doing in Ruari’s room. The girl had been specifically ordered tostay away from the prisoners. Sorcha swore that, when she got into the room,she was going to make Euphemia sorely regret her disobedience. Even as thatangry thought crossed her mind, the door flew open, and Sorcha stumbled intothe room. As she caught her balance and her breath, she looked around the room,noticed that the disturbance had ended, and turned her full attention onEuphemia.
“Whatare you doing in here?” she demanded, walking to the bed and yanking the girloff it.
“Icame to visit our prisoner,” the girl replied, fruitlessly trying to wrigglefree of Sorcha’s grip as she was dragged to the door.
“Yewere told to stay out of this room. Aye, told firmly to stay as far away aspossible.”
“Yehave no right to tell me what to do.”
“Iwill show ye how much right I have later and I am sure your mother will be gladto repeat the lesson.” Sorcha pushed her young cousin out of the room. “Anddinnae try to hide. Iwillfind you.”
“Yeare just trying to keep him all to yourself,” Euphemia complained as shestumbled into the hall.
“Dinnaebe such an idiot.”
Sorchaslammed the door behind her still-complaining cousin. She had a deep well ofsympathy for little Euphemia, but the girl sorely needed some discipline. Asshe moved to tidy the room, she thought over Euphemia’s parting words and shebegan to get very suspicious. Neil had recently complained that Effie thoughtof nothing but men, often bemoaning the lack of them at Dunweare. Sorchasuddenly knew exactly why her cousin had disobeyed everyone and crept intoRuari’s chamber. She turned to look at Ruari, only to find him staring at herin fury and confusion.
“Andjust what were ye doing with that child?” she demanded, hoping that an abruptattack would divert him from the questions she knew he wanted to ask.
“Iwas doing nothing at all. That mad girl came in here, babbled something aboutfairies and spirits, and then decided I was here for her amusement.” Ruariwinced as he tried to shift his battered body into a more comfortable position.
“Andof course it ne’er occurred to ye to try to use her silliness to devise anescape.” Despite her sharp words, she quickly moved to give him some gentleassistance.
“Nay,I had no time to be so clever. That foolish child decided I was brought here tohelp her change from a child into a woman. Then somehow she made things flyaround the room. ‘Twas then that ye arrived.” He watched her as she checked hiswounds. “I demand ye tell me what game ye are playing.”
“Game?What do ye mean?” She frowned when she noticed he had nothing to drink. “Whathappened to your tankard and the ewer?”
“Gone.And the game I speak of is those noises no one will explain and all that justoccurred here. That lass spoke of spirits, but I am not such a fool.”
“Mayhapnot, but I suspect ye are thirsty.” Sorcha went to the door, opened it, and,seeing her aunt Bethia, asked the woman to fetch some food and drink for Ruari.
