“Alexander—I mean, the Laird,” Felicia whispered, wiping the tears from her cheek with her sleeve as she brushed her hair from her face. “He and his men came to the village to fight off the raiders. Me parents were already dead, me sister gone. I was hidin’ in a root vegetable cabinet, and he stumbled upon it.”
She sniffled, her expression hardened as she refused to look at Helena again.
“He wrapped me in a blanket and took me to the keep,” she continued. “Had Lorna find me a place there, ensured I learned to read and write and gave me a home. It was all so perfect until ye arrived.”
“Nothin’ has changed, Felicia,” Alice whispered, offering Sophia a slice of cake.
“That’s right, lass. This is still yer home. Nothin’ has changed,” Alexander affirmed.
Helena did not appreciate his stiff tone.
“Nothin’ has changed? How can ye say that?! Ye went and welcomed the enemy into our home and married her!” Felicia yelled at him, gesturing to Helena and Sophia. “For all ye ken, she’s a spy! Worse now, there are two of them!”
“Lass, ye are out of line!” Alexander warned sternly, pointing a finger at her, much like a father scolding his daughter. “Holdyer tongue before ye say somethin’ ye cannae take back. Ye will respect the lady of the clan and her kin.”
Felicia stood up and cried out angrily, before storming off to the keep in a huff. He made to go after her, but Alice reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him.
“Let her go. She just needs time to adjust, Braither.”
“She’s right,” Helena said. “I’m nae upset with her. I dinnae want ye to be either. She’s just a lass, and I have a feelin’ that I may have burst her bubble, for I am certain she has a wee crush on ye, her savior.”
Alexander seemed bewildered, looking to Sophia for her opinion, but she just smiled with a hand over her mouth and nodded in agreement.
“Ah, to be young,” she murmured, smiling, her eyes saying that she had seen this sort of thing before. “Adolescent innocence is both a blessing and a curse, I’m afraid.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The candlelight flickered against the stone walls as Helena sat at her vanity, brushing her hair in slow, methodical strokes. The day had been long, and though exhaustion pulled at her, her mind was restless. A soft knock at the door drew her out of her thoughts.
“Come in,” she called, setting the brush down.
Sophia stepped inside, her expression unreadable. She closed the door behind her, folding her hands in front of her. “I’ve made me decision, lass. I leave in the mornin’.”
Helena’s chest tightened. “Ye… ye dinnae have to go so soon.”
Sophia gave her a small smile, though it did not reach her eyes. “Aye, I do. Ye may be happy here, but I can never stay.”
Helena knew what her aunt meant without her saying it. This castle, these people—they were part of the same clan that hadtaken her son from her. The loss of Ian had left a wound that would never heal.
Still, she could not let her go without a fight. “I want ye to stay. At least a little longer.”
Sophia shook her head. “Ye have yer place here now, Helena, and I have mine back home. Yer faither needs me at his side. Our people need me.”
Helena exhaled sharply. “He isnae happy with me choice, is he?”
Sophia’s lips pressed together. “Nay, he isnae. Ye ken that well enough.”
Helena clenched her jaw, but she did not argue. Her father’s displeasure was a storm she had braced herself for.
Sophia stepped closer, reaching out to cup Helena’s cheek. “All that matters to me is that ye are safe. And I can see that ye are.”
Helena swallowed hard. “I will miss ye.”
“Aye, and I ye.”
They embraced, holding on to each other for a long moment before Sophia pulled away with a sigh. “Come now, lass. Let us enjoy supper with Alexander’s family before I take me leave.”
Helena nodded, forcing a small smile. “Aye, let’s.”
