Calum came from the side door as the room thinned, his steps slow and his eyes working ahead of his words. He stopped at Alex’s elbow and kept his voice low.
“Ye were going to tell us eventually, were ye nae?” he said. No bite in it. Just careful.
“I was delaying the questions,” Alex said.
“And why is that?”
“Because I am nae in the mood to answer what I daenae want to answer.”
Calum glanced toward the arch where the girls had vanished. “Are ye sure this is wise?”
Alex held his gaze. “It is necessary.”
Calum’s lips pressed together, then eased. “Aye.”
A breath later, the same maid from earlier returned, a little flushed and trying not to show it. She curtsied.
“Should I show them to the dining hall, me Laird?”
Alex stood up. “Nay, I will meet them halfway. We still need to be good hosts, do we nae?”
CHAPTER 6
The small carriagerolled under the arch and eased to a stop. Through the window, Erica saw a yard that moved with purpose. Men crossed from the gate to the store with tools in their hands. A woman shook linen by the well, and a young boy shot out in front of the wheel, a blur of bare legs. His mother dragged him back fast, hugged him once, then turned and curtsied to the carriage.
“Forgive us, me Lady,” she said. “He runs before he thinks.”
“It doesnae matter,” Erica said through the open pane. “He is safe.”
The woman smiled in relief and pulled the child close.
The image held for a breath, then Erica’s world rushed back. Her fingers twisted together in her lap. She forced them flat, and they curled again.
The past days blurred, the firelight, the blood on packed earth, the bargain spoken at the edge of the meadow. Now, the stone walls were real and near.
Doubt flooded in hard.
“What if he is a monster?” she said, voice low.
Her mother shifted on the seat to face her. “Ye saw him cut,” she said. “That doesnae make him a monster.”
“What if it does?” Erica whispered. “What if the man who drew so easily cannae be reasoned with in the day?”
Her mother held her gaze. “Ye asked for his shield. He gave it.”
“Shields can turn into cages.”
“Ye daenae ken that.”
“I ken how men change when doors close,” Erica said, the words sharp with old lessons. “What if I traded one predator for another? What if Laird MacGee only looked like the worst, and this one is worse for being careful?”
Her mother reached across and took her hand. “Erica,” she said, soft and firm. “There is nay sense in fearing what cannae be undone.”
“That doesnae make it easier.”
“Nay,” her mother said. “It makes it clear. We are here now. We will face what comes. Together.”
Erica looked at their joined hands. The grip steadied her more than the words. “And if I was wrong,” she said. “If I judged him by how he stood in the ring and missed what he is inside.”
