“Not me.”
“What’s your name?”
“Heather. Heather Frazer.”
“Related to Mungo?”
“Distantly. Very distantly.”
He looked at her oddly for a moment when she said her surname but then his smile returned. “And what’s your business in these parts, Heather Frazer?”
“I don’t really have one. Like I say, I was just passing through.”
“And you want to be on your way, I suppose? Are you a beggar? A jongleur perhaps?”
“Neither. Why’d you think that?”
“Your strange attire. I’ve never seen its like.”
“All the rage where I’m from.”
“And what’s this you said to the guards about leaving the safety of your room? In a rush or would you like to stay as my guest under my protection?”
She looked at him closely, wishing she’d never met him. It would have made it so much easier. But now the thought of leaving was suddenly much harder to contemplate. “I could stay for a little while, I suppose.”
“Think hard. There may be a siege before too long and once it begins, no one will be able to get in or out of here.”
“What makes you think there’s going to be a siege?”
He looked closely at her. All of a sudden she felt naked, as if he could see through her clothes, through her skin even, all the way into her very soul. The sensation only lasted a second and then it was over, his eyes back to normal though she still felt unsettled by his examination of her.
He stretched his arms above his head. “There is rumor of an army massing near the broch where we met.”
“You seem very calm about it.”
“I’ve no doubt the scouts exaggerate.”
“They might not.”
“True enough but I go to see for myself this afternoon. Then I will ken more.”
Perfect. That was her chance. She could get the key back. “Can I come with you?”
He looked like he was about to refuse but then he nodded. “As long as you stay close to me at all times.”
“That I can do.”
