Unfortunately, her father had an idea.“But…ye can ride a horse, aye?”
“Not well, with this hand, but serviceably enough, I suppose.”
Her father decided, “Ye’ll ride Carenza’s palfrey then.”
Carenza blinked.She wanted to scream.But laird’s daughters didn’t scream.They didn’t even frown.And they definitely didn’t complain when their father wanted to loan their palfrey to a distinguished guest.
Still, she almost choked on the smug look Hew gave her.She seized the cup from a passing servant’s tray and buried her rage in a swig of ale.
The trek to the graveyard was delayed by a violent thunderstorm.Hew couldn’t help but wonder if Carenza had summoned it to foil his plans.Lightning crackled overhead.Rumbling followed soon after.Fat drops of rain bounced off the courtyard grass.The clanfolk huddled in the great hall.
Meanwhile, Carenza’s duty appeared to be comforting the young children frightened by the roar of the storm.She hugged them.Told them stories.And let them sit on her lap.But Hew could see tension in her mouth.She too seemed anxious.Who was there to reassureher?
It was a calling Hew couldn’t resist.When she took a break in her storytelling, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Are you all right, my lady?”
For an instant, he glimpsed raw fear in her eyes.In the next, it was gone.
“I’m fine.”
“You need not fear the lightning,” he murmured.“You’re safe in here.”
“I am.Aye.”Her chin quivered once before she stilled it.“But what about the animals?”
Was that what she was worried about?The animals?
His shoulders softened.What a selfless and tenderhearted woman she was.What a rare and precious quality.He supposed he should have known.After all, who would go to such lengths to save a coo from slaughter?
“Don’t worry about them,” he said.“They seem to know how to stay out of harm’s way.”Then he tipped his head to whisper, “Otherwise, you’d see dozens of charred sheep by the side of the road after a storm.”
One side of her mouth quirked up at that.
“Blackened ducks by the roadside,” he added.
The other side curved up.
“And roast pigs ready for the table,” he said.
She gave him a full smile then.A smile so brilliant and warm that he almost couldn’t resist bending near and capturing her lips with his own.
But he had to resist.He had to bank the burning coals of his affection.Take his time.Temper his passion.He couldn’t afford to make mistakes.The last thing he wanted was to drive her away by scorching her in the fiery blaze of his feelings.
So he mumbled, “I’m sure Hamish is fine.”He gave her a nod of farewell before going to douse the flames of his desire with a second cup of ale.
Eventually, the weather cleared.The clouds shredded apart like wool, leaving patches of clear blue.The earth smelled ripe and mossy and fertile.And a few brave birds chirped defiantly from the woods.
The afternoon ride to the graveyard wasn’t so bad.The church was to the west, an hour’s walk away.Carenza’s palfrey was mild and easy to handle, even with one hand.Hew maintained a slow pace, riding behind most of the clanfolk, who traveled on foot.They carried offerings of bread, as well as candles, which they would light in the churchyard to help guide any lost souls and use later to guide themselves home.
Carenza and her father led the procession.The physician positioned himself in the middle, far from them and far from him.He clearly wasn’t interested in any interrogation today.Which made it even more critical that Hew keep Carenza from prying.
He expected, like a child with a clam, she would poke and prod and annoy Peris rather than gleaning any useful information.And her prodding would make him close his shell even tighter.
So Hew determined to stay close to her.He could draw her attention away if she became too inquisitive.Divert her probing questions with lighthearted commentary.Distract her when she began to cross the line of safety.
Most of the day, she prayed with her father.Not only as an example to the rest of the clan.But because he seemed grief-stricken, as if he’d lost his wife, not years ago, but yesterday.Between prayers, she patted his hand and leaned her head against his shoulder, murmuring words of comfort to him.
But Hew wondered, who comfortedher?Carenza had lost her mother.Hew couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to grow up without the love of his mother.Lady Helena was a fierce fighter, but her love was just as fierce.And the things Hew had learned about women—about their vulnerability, their strength, their hearts, their minds—he could never have learned without his mother.
