“I will think of one,” Erica said. “Something with a good end.”
“Aye,” her mother said. “I daenae doubt that.”
At the next corner, her mother squeezed her arm.
“Come,” she said softly. “Feel the fresh air.”
Erica nodded and followed her toward the door.
The garden opened ahead in soft light. The sun was out, bright on stone and leaf, but it was not too warm yet. Erica walked beside her mother along the gravel path. A maid by the herb plot paused to curtsy, a shy smile quick across her face.
“Good morning, me Lady,” she greeted.
“Good morning,” Erica answered.
She tried to make it easy, but it felt like an effort.
The next pair of girls at the rose hoops dipped their heads the same way. Erica returned each greeting in turn. The words sat right, but the weight of them did not.
Her mind flashed back to the passageway, no matter where she looked. The kiss. The way the air between them had turned heavy. She kept her shoulders squared and counted her steps. It helped for a while, and then it did not.
Her mother watched her, but did not push. They passed the giant oak tree and the kitchen door. A boy with a broom drew his strokes short when they approached, then went back to full length when they passed. They turned toward the inner path that faced the yard.
“Do ye wish to leave, lass?” her mother asked at last, voice low. “Is that the problem?”
Erica stopped and turned to look at her. “Leave?” she echoed. “What would I leave for?”
“Ye have nay trouble here, do ye?” her mother said. “Why would ye give this all up?”
Erica looked down at the smooth stone under her boots. “I am staying because I promised,” she said. “Alex saved me, and I have to return the favor.”
She kept her voice calm. She was only here because of duty, nothing else.
Absolutely nothing else.
Her mother nodded. “Aye, that is a fine reason,” she said. “But if ye daenae feel comfortable, ye will tell me, aye?”
“Aye, Maither,” Erica said. She forced a smile. It did not reach her eyes. “I will tell ye.”
They walked on. The path bent toward the low wall that edged the yard. The sun sat higher now, still kind. In the open square, men turned in a loose wheel around Alex. The sword in his hand flashed once, then steadied. He stepped from one guard to the next without hesitation. The clash of steel against steel came quick and clean.
How long does he train them for anyway?
For some reason, it felt like she had seen him do this for hours already.
She looked ahead and continued walking. She hadn’t gone far when the sound of her name carried across the training yard.
“Erica.”
She stopped and looked up.
Alex had lowered his blade. He said something to the man nearest him, then crossed the yard with an easy stride. The others turned back to drill as he reached the gate and turned down the path. He greeted her mother first with a small bow of his head.
“Good day to ye,” her mother said, eyes bright. “Ye are strong, me Laird. Managing all these men, despite yer…”
Alex’s brow furrowed. “Despite me what?”
Erica nudged her mother’s arm. “Maither.”
