“Oh… Astrid… Ye… I see.” She looked down at the stone step she was standing on, feeling like a small child who had forgotten her lessons. “Never mind.”
“Aye, lass. Me and Astrid.” Michael chortled as her face grew redder with embarrassment.
Clapping his brother on the shoulder again, he turned to leave.
“Perhaps she was raised under a rock and nae in a castle, after all,” he called back as he bounded down the stairs.
“Lass, ye really are innocent,” Alexander said in exasperation, shaking his head.
CHAPTER TEN
The chamber was bright, the light filtering through the tall windows illuminating the small easel where Alice sat, her brow furrowed in concentration. Helena stood beside her with a brush in hand, guiding her strokes on the canvas.
“Gently now, dinnae press so hard,” she instructed, her tone patient and warm. “Ye’re paintin’ a flower, nae diggin’ a ditch.”
Alice huffed, though a smile tugged at her lips. “It’s harder than ye make it look. Ye have a steady hand, Helena, but mine’s like a nervous, wee bird.”
Helena chuckled, stepping back to inspect Alice’s work. “It’s nae bad for yer first try. When I was a lass, Broderic used to tease me somethin’ awful about me first attempts. Said me flowers looked like squashed cabbages.”
Alice laughed, glancing up from her uneven strokes. “Yer braither? What was he like as a child?”
Helena’s expression softened, her gaze drifting to the window. “He was kind. Strong, too. Always protectin’ me, even when I didnae want it. He had this way of teasin’ me to the brink of madness, but his heart was always in the right place. And Ian, me cousin—oh, he was the real troublemaker. The two of them together? A terror to anyone with patience.”
Alice’s grin widened. “Sounds like Alexander and Michael. They were forever fightin’ or causin’ trouble, but ye’re right—there’s nay better bond than the one between siblings. Michael was always draggin’ me into the middle of it. He’d dare me to climb trees or race him down the hills. And Alexander? He was the one scoldin’ us after.” She paused, then added with a smirk, “When he wasnae the one causin’ the trouble in the first place.”
Helena tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. “Alexander? Trouble? I cannae picture it.”
“Oh aye,” Alice said with a laugh. “When we were bairns, he was full of mischief. Once, he tied Michael’s boots together while he was wearin’ them, just to see if he could. Got a whack from Ma for it, but he thought it was worth it.”
Helena smiled, imagining Alexander as a young boy. “It’s strange, hearin’ ye speak about him like that. I’ve only kenned him as the stoic, gruff Laird.”
Alice nodded, her tone softening. “Aye, he’s changed a lot. But the lad I grew up with? He’s still in there somewhere.”
Helena sighed wistfully. “I think about Broderic and Ian every day. Sometimes, I wish I could go back to those carefree days. Dinnae ye?”
“Aye,” Alice said quietly. “But we can still keep them alive, even now—through stories, through moments like this.”
Helena smiled, her heart lighter. “Aye, ye’re right. Now, back to paintin’. Let’s see if we can turn that squashed cabbage into a rose.”
Alice burst into laughter, dipping her brush into the paint. “I’ll give it me best, but dinnae expect miracles!”
The next three days flew by in a flurry of preparations for Sophia’s arrival. Helena found that with each stolen moment she spent with her husband, he was not at all who she had been led to believe.
They spent the morning in the stables with the new filly, watching her run laps around her dam, laughing together when the mare proceeded to neigh at her daughter for being too spunky.
“She truly loves to drive ye crazy, does she nae?” Helena’s voice was soft as she scratched the mare’s head affectionately. “I dinnae envy ye for havin’ to keep up with this one.”
“As do most bairns, I suppose,” Alexander commented, leaning on the railing beside her with a chuckle.
They didn’t notice the two stable hands in the corner, who turned their heads toward them and then excitedly mumbled to each other as they resumed cleaning the stalls.
“She is quite the filly, is she nae?”
“Such a strong, young foal,” Helena sighed, happy to be amongst the horses.
Alexander cleared his throat, glancing at her. “Do ye ride much?”
Helena nodded. “When I can. It was one of the few times I felt free, growin’ up.”
