But Halvard would never do such a thing. If there was one thing he knew, it was how important her sister was to Elsie.
“I understand,” said Halvard, because he did. He could imagine how he would feel if he was the one who had no news of Elsie, if he was the one kept away from her because of something out of his control. He would have torn the world apart to get back to her, and so he understood how Selene must be feeling.
But her sister could do little other than pray and hope. It was up to him to do the right thing.
“What if ye bring Selene here?” He said. “Then ye can be with yer sister … an’ I promise ye, I’ll keep ye both safe.”
Elsie froze, her eyes widening for a moment. “You would do that?”
“Aye,” said Halvard. “Fer ye? O’ course. As soon as the situation in the borderlands is resolved.”
It was the wrong thing to say. Halvard immediately saw it in the way Elsie’s shoulders stiffened, the way her lips thinned into a line when she pursed them tightly.
“And when will that be?” she snapped. “Halvard, you don’t know when this ordeal with Harcourt will come to an end. You can’t promise me you’ll bring my sister here and then tell me it will happen when and if all your troubles are resolved. How long will that take? No one knows! No one knows how long before Harcourt leaves!”
Halvard reached up, pinching the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. As much as he wanted to make Elsie happy, and bring her sister there for her, he was reluctant to risk it now, when he didn’t know what it was that Harcourt would do.
“All I’m askin’ is fer some patience,” he said. “That’s all.”
“I ran out of patience a long time ago,” said Elsie. “I want my sister.”
For a few moments, the two of them stared at each other again, silence stretching between them. Elsie didn’t seem willing to back down, but Halvard was reluctant to give in. What if something happened to her?
“I cannae promise yer safety or hers if ye go find her,” Halvard said. “Dae ye want tae put yerself in this much danger? Tae put yer sister in danger?”
“There’s no safer place than with you,” Elsie said. “I trust you, Halvard. I trust you to keep us both safe. You said you would. You promised you would protect us both.”
“I didnae think I’d have tae protect ye from this! Ye are makin’ things impossible fer me!” Halvard said, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
“But you can,” Elsie said. “And I’m asking you to.”
Halvard felt the weight of every burden pressing on him—his clan, his land, his people, and now her.
Especially her.
Elsie took a step closer, voice lowering, trembling. “My sister is alone. She must think me dead. She must be frantic.” Her eyes glistened, but no tears fell—she held them with stubborn pride. Halvard exhaled slowly, letting his hand fall to his sword belt. His decision settled like stone.
“Then we ride, but we face great risk,” he said quietly.
Elsie’s lips parted with shock and relief, and for a moment there was only the quiet between them, pulsing with warmth and understanding. But Halvard wasn’t blind. He saw the danger in this choice, the risk; the trap Harcourt might be setting.
He would walk into it anyway.
“We ride at dawn,” he said, his voice firm. “I’ll take a few men, Sten, an’ provisions fer a few weeks. An’ if English steel waits fer us, they’ll regret it.”
Halvard reached for Elsie’s hand again, and this time, she didn’t pull away. She smiled at him, color returning to her cheeks and light to her eyes.
“Truly?” she asked.
“Aye,” said Halvard. “Ye have me word.”
A Highland oath was not a thing to be taken lightly. Now that he had given her this promise, there was no taking it back.
The sea had always answered Halvard. It was as much his blood as the iron that flowed in his veins, as old and ruthless as the Norsemen who had carved their names into those shores centuries before him.
That night, it refused him.
Halvard reined his horse at the edge of the shingle, his boots sinking into wet stones as he dismounted. The wind tore at his cloak like a living thing, snapping hard enough that the fabric cracked like a whip. Before him, the sea rose and fell in heaving black swells, white foam exploding against the rocks as though the water itself were at war.
