“The girls’ maither,” she asked eventually, before the quiet could turn heavy. “Do they speak of her?”
“Sometimes,” he said. “They ken she is gone. They also ken I daenae fill the space by talking it to death.”
“How do ye manage alone?”
“I have help,” he said, his tone smooth like it was the most casual thing in the world. “And I work.”
She nodded. “For their sake, someday ye might consider a real marriage.”
“Nay,” he said immediately. “Me daughters are enough.”
The finality closed that door with a clean click. She did not touch it again.
“Well then, I intend to treat them as me own.”
“Ye daenae have to.”
“I ken, which is why I want to. Is that going to be a problem, me Laird?”
Something about her being defensive of his daughters made something shift inside him. What it was, he didn’t know yet.
“Well?” she prompted, her voice clear. “Will it be a problem?”
“Nae at all,” he said. Approval moved through his voice without warming it.
Her mother opened the door behind them and stepped into the hallway, freezing the conversation between them.
“I will lie down for an hour,” she said. “If either of ye need me, call.”
“We will,” Erica said.
Alex stepped back from the door, making space. Distance restored. “Ye should rest,” he said to Erica. “Dinner is prompt here. Daenae keep me waiting.”
It was not a threat. It landed like a rule that had kept this house steady for years.
He reached for the latch.
“Alex,” Erica called.
He paused.
“Thank ye,” she said. “For letting it be easy.”
He tipped his head, not a bow, not a dismissal. “Keep it easy, and ye will find this house is fair.”
CHAPTER 7
He left,and she watched him disappear at the end of the passageway.
She remained standing with her heart still high and her mind running its count.
The room smelled of lye and fresh straw. The fire would take light with a spark. Her mother lay back and drew a neat breath, as if she had chosen sleep like any task.
This castle ran on order. It ran on the small rules that kept big trouble out. Erica removed her cloak, folded it, and set it on the chest.
She would learn the rules fast. And then she would decide which ones she could afford to break.
Later that evening, after a proper bath and fresh clothes, she stepped into the gardens as dusk settled over the innercourtyard. The air held damp earth and green leaves, cooler now, easy to breathe. Beds ran in neat lines. Low flowers edged the paths.
