“I’mnae a bairn who needs comfortin’, I dinnae have a nightmare.”
“Come here anyway.”
Masie hesitated,then climbed onto the bed, sitting stiffly beside Piper. Piper shifted Connor slightly and wrapped her other arm around Masie, pulling both children close.
“Ye’re both safe,”she said softly. “I promise. Nay monsters are goin’ to get ye while I’m here.”
“But what ifthey come when ye’re nae here?” Connor asked.
“Then ye’ll come findme. Or ye’ll remember that nightmares arenae real, they’re just shadows our minds create when we’re afraid.”
“Da says that fear is a weakness,”Masie muttered.
“Yer da is wrong.”Piper’s voice was firm. “Fear is human. Everyone feels it. Even lairds and warriors and the bravest people in the world. The difference is what we do with that fear.”
She feltboth children relax slightly against her. Connor’s sobs had quieted to occasional hiccups, and even Masie had stopped holding herself quite so rigidly.
“Wouldye like to stay here tonight?” Piper asked. “Both of ye? The bed’s large enough.”
“Ye wouldnae mind?”Connor’s voice was small and hopeful.
“I wouldnae have offeredif I minded.”
Masie said nothing,but she didn’t pull away.
Piper helpedthem settle under the blankets, one on each side of her. Then, softly, she began to sing.
It wasa lullaby Alexandra had taught her, something about stars and dreams and being safe through the night. Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, but in the chamber’s darkness, it seemed to fill the space.
Connor’s breathingevened out first, his small body going limp with sleep. Masie held on longer, fighting it, but eventually she too surrendered.
Piper kept singing evenafter they’d both fallen asleep, her arms wrapped protectively around both children.
I’ll keep ye safe.Whatever happens between me and yer faither, whatever becomes of me position here, I’ll keep ye safe. I promise.
She didn’t knowwhen she finally fell asleep herself, but when she did, it was with two children curled against her and a fierce determination burning in her chest.
These children deserved better.
And by God,she was going to make sure they got it. Even if it meant fighting their father every step of the way. Because she already realized she was falling for those little bairns.
14
“Found ye!”
Piper pulled asidethe low-hanging branches of a willow tree to reveal Masie crouched behind the trunk, trying to make herself as small as possible. The girl looked up, scowling.
“That was too fast,”Masie complained, climbing to her feet and brushing dirt from her dress. “Ye’re supposed to count to one hundred, nae fifty.”
“I counted to one hundred,”Piper said, amused. “Ye’re just nae as good at hidin’ as ye think ye are.”
“Am so.”
“I could seeyer skirt from ten paces away.”
Masie’s scowl deepened,but there was a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “Fine. But I’ll do better next time.”
They’d been playinghide and seek for the better part of an hour, taking advantage of the beautiful morning and the fact that their lessons had gone particularly well.
