She inhaled slowly. She didn’t want to cry in front of the sisters. They would discover too much. Not that she wanted to share, but the matter was just so ridiculous.
“Daenae worry,” she said, forcing a small smile. “It’s nothing.”
She turned and mounted her horse smoothly, as if that ended the conversation.
Rhea snorted as she climbed onto her own. “A greater liar than ye doesnae exist.”
Sorcha huffed out a breath but didn’t argue.
Soon, the three of them take off. They left Dunrath Castle behind, the morning air cool enough to wake the senses.
Nature was in its prettiest state that morning. Sunlight filtered through the trees, and the castle walls could be seen from a great distance.
Rhea rode ahead, looking out for the designated paths. “There’s a hill nae far from here where ye can see the river stretch for miles,” she said. “And a meadow beyond that. One that’s full of wildflowers this time of year.”
Avery nodded eagerly. “We should visit the old stones, too. Faither used to take us there.”
Sorcha merely listened. She did not care where they went. All she wanted was distance.
Distance from the castle. From its walls. From the man who occupied far too much of her thoughts.
She hated how her chest tightened whenever she remembered his voice. Hated how her body reacted when she remembered the way his hand had once held her, as if she mattered more than anything in the world.
Freedom was all she wanted at the moment, even if it was borrowed.
After riding for an hour, the path eventually led them to a meadow. A narrow stream cut through it, the water clear like polished glass. Flowers bloomed in abundance against the green.
With a huff, Sorcha slid down from her horse, her boots touching the grass.
“This place…” she breathed. “It’s beautiful.”
Avery smiled, her eyes warm. “We wanted to show it to ye because ye belong in Dunrath now.”
“Our faither used to say that this place was planted by an ancestor,” Rhea added softly.
The sisters walked together, holding hands. They wandered closer to the stream, kneeling before touching the water.
Sorcha couldn’t deny how tranquil the place was. Still, Avery’s words echoed in her mind.
An ancestor…
Could it be one of the sisters’ grandparents?
Sorcha sighed. As much as William had angered her last night, she still hadn’t forgotten the delicate history he had shared with her.
He had said his parents had been murdered. But what had truly happened to them?
Her thoughts drifted to the former Laird, a man she had married out of duty. What had he known? Had he been part of whatever darkness lingered here?
Too many questions.
She scolded herself inwardly, shaking her head.
“Sorcha?”
She looked up to find both Avery and Rhea watching her, concern written plainly all over their faces. Their eyes were soft, but filled with questions they were holding back.
Avery sighed, then rose to her feet and crossed toward Sorcha. She sat beside her and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
