He lowered his head. “Rest if ye can, me Lady.”
He stepped past her, feet soundless for a man his size, and disappeared toward the nearest stairs.
She stood a moment longer in the thin light, listening to the small sounds the castle made when it settled for the night.
Calum’s words echoed in her head, simple as they were.
He never wished her harm.
She was volatile.
He endured it because she was the maither of his children.
He wouldnae break the house to break her.
Erica had thought pain was the whole of Alex’s past. Tonight, she couldn’t help but wonder if that was not the case.
Alex’s past was not merely painful.It was dangerous.And she understood now that she did not yet know the cost of loving him.
Or what wrath it might incur.
CHAPTER 25
The next morning,Erica arrived before the maids had finished setting the table. The pale morning light slid across the stone floors, thin and cold.
She chose a chair near the window and kept her eyes on the dew that rimmed the glass. She counted her breaths as the hall filled, slow and steady, the way she had learned when fear ran hot.
She heard him before she saw him. The even tread of his footsteps. The brief stop at the threshold.
Alex entered and crossed to the far end. He did not glance her way. He pulled out a chair, sat, and reached for a loaf of bread. His posture was exact and his movements neat.
For some reason, the day felt tense. Even the servants moved more quietly than usual, their trays landing softly on the tables.
Bettie and Katie slid onto the bench between Grandmamma and their nurse. They peered down the long table, first at Erica, then at Alex, then back again with matching frowns.
Bettie leaned close to her sister, her voice not as low as she had thought.“They’re nae talking,” she whispered.
Katie nodded solemnly. “Nae even a wee bit.”
Erica broke a crust in half and did not taste it. She kept her gaze on the window instead. The morning dew had no pattern she could follow, only a thin white edge and a film of cold. She tried to convince herself to eat, but her stomach closed anyway.
Grandmamma watched the hall with the patience of a woman who had seen many mornings like this and won most of them. She buttered her bread and spoke as if nothing at all pressed on anyone’s chest.
“If we are going to do this properly, we should check the fabric stores,” she said. “A fresh bale of cloth was brought in town just two days ago, and the weaver’s wife has a keen eye for a bargain.”
The word did not land by chance. Everyone turned to her with a look that said,What in God’s name are ye talking about?
The older woman seemed to read the faces for what they were and smiled.
“For the wedding,” she added, mild as milk.
“Oh,” Erica whispered.
That was still happening.
Lady Bryden arrived minutes later with a quiet greeting and a steady smile. She sat beside Erica and set a cup in front of her, then looked toward Grandmamma.
“I was just talking about the wedding preparations,” Erica muttered to her.
