"Ye're nae safe! Someone poisoned the well. Someone set fire tae the shed. Someone is tryin' tae hurt this keep, hurt me people, and until I ken who it is, ye are nae safe anywhere if ye’re nae with me!" Magnus's voice rose. "Dae ye understand that?"
Ada stared at him. "Ye are worried."
"Of course, I am worried! Ye're me wife." Magnus stopped and took a breath.
"I ken." Ada's expression softened. "But ye cannae expect me to hide in our chamber like a scared child. I'm nae made that way."
"I ken that. But I need ye tae be careful. Tae think before ye wander off alone." Magnus moved closer. "I cannae protect ye if I dinnae ken where ye are."
"And I cannae be useful if I'm locked away." Ada lifted her chin. "We need tae find a balance."
"Aye. We dae." Magnus reached out, tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "But fer now, until we catch whoever's daein' this, can ye at least tell me when ye're leavin' the chamber? So I dinnae lose me mind thinkin' somethin's happened tae ye?"
Ada's breath caught. They were close again, too close. Magnus could see the pulse beating at the base of her throat, could feel the warmth of her body.
"Aye," she whispered. "I can dae that."
Magnus's gaze dropped to her lips. He remembered the kiss at their wedding. The way she'd responded, the heat between them.
He wanted to kiss her again. Wanted it so badly his hands trembled with the effort of holding back.
Ada swayed toward him, her eyes darkening.
"Me laird!"
They jumped apart. A guard stood at the garden entrance, his expression apologetic.
"What?" Magnus's voice came out sharper than intended.
"Torvald needs ye. Says it's urgent."
“Jesus! Cannae I get a moment in this keep?” Magnus cursed inwardly. "Tell him I'll be there shortly."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MacTavish Camp
"Ye're late."
Conall MacTavish stood at the edge of the camp, arms crossed, watching Donnan emerge from the tree line. The sun had set an hour before, and the darkness provided good cover, thick enough that even the sharpest-eyed guard on Barra's walls wouldn't spot their camp from this distance.
Still. He didn't like waiting.
"I couldnae leave any sooner without drawin' suspicion," Donnan said, slightly out of breath from the ride. "The laird's been watchin' everyone since the fire. Doubled the guards, changed the patrol routes. It's gettin' harder tae slip away."
"That's yer problem, nae mine." Conall moved toward the fire where two of his men sat warming their hands. "What news?"
"The fire worked. Lost them the whole storage shed and nearly took the stables too." Donnan accepted a cup of ale from one of the men. "But Haraldson saved some of the animals. The bastard even pulled an old man out of the flames and made himself look like a bloody hero."
Conall's jaw tightened. That wasn't what he'd wanted to hear. The fire was supposed to make Magnus look weak. Incapable of protecting his own keep. Instead, the Norse bastard had turned it into another display of his strength.
"And the poisoned well?" Conall asked. "Are they still sick?"
"Most are recoverin'. Thanks to Lady Ada." Donnan's voice changed when he said her name, softened in a way that made Conall's eyes narrow. "She and the laird figured out it was the water. She convinced Haraldson to close the well before more people got sick."
"Did she now." Conall moved closer to the fire, let the flames cast his face in shadow. "And how is me darlin' daughter adjustin' tae married life?"
"Well enough. Better than expected, actually." Donnan stared into his cup. "She's winnin' over the people. Helpin' with the sick, learnin' from the castle healer. They're startin' tae call her Lady of Barra."
