“And what did ye think of that?” he asked. He looked genuinely interested.
She tugged her lower lip through her teeth, wondering how to reply. She wasn’t sure what she thought about these enchanted tapestries and she had questions about them. Wheredid they come from? How did they work? Why did they show images of the ancient past as well as their present? It was all a bit of a mystery.
“I’m not sure what to think.”
He chuckled.
She said, “What doyouthink about them?”
A ghost of a smile flickered over his partially hidden mouth. “Did yer sister tell ye of the prophecy?”
A question for a question. “She did.”
“And do ye no believe it?”
“Evie seems to believe it.”
“That’s no what I asked ye, lass.”
She kept her gaze on him, unwavering. “Do you believe it?”
This time he laughed out loud. “My da told the story from the time I was knee high. He was adamant the day would come when we would have to defend ourselves against the MacDonalds and protect the keystone with our lives.” He paused to take a drink of his ale. “It seems that time has arrived.”
“And you think our arrival—mine and my sister’s—has something to do with this prophecy?”
“Och, I ken it does.”
He grinned as he broke one of the small cakes in half. She eyed it as he popped half into his mouth. As if on impulse, he rose from his seat, picked up several of the cakes, and walked down the table to her. He held them out to her.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“Oatcakes. Some of the finest around. Roslyn is a fine baker.”
She took the stack of oatcakes, their hands brushing. Like before, the touch left an unexpected tingling sensation in his wake. He popped the other half of the oatcake in his mouth and then walked back to his seat.
Chloe broke the dense cake in half and then took a bite. The taste was both savory and sweet with a magical flavor that made her close her eyes as she chewed. He wasn’t wrong. Roslynwasa fine baker. She had never tasted anything as delectable as that.
When she finished chewing, she opened her eyes and met his gaze. He was smiling.
“So, ye like it then?”
“I do,” she said.
Silence drummed through the great hall. She wished Evie would return. She was no good at small talk and had no idea what to say or do. So, she said the first thing that came to mind.
“Evie said Callum banished you but decided to let you stay.”
The glower on his face was an indication it was the wrong thing to say. All she had wanted to do was make conversation and instead it appeared she said something she shouldn’t have.
“She told ye that, did she?”
“I guess it’s a sore spot,” she said. “Forget I mentioned it.”
“Och, aye, I cannae be doing that, now, can I? Do ye wish to knowwhyI was banished from Dundale?” He lifted one dark brow as if in challenge.
She shrugged one shoulder, indifferent, as she tried to play it cool. She already knew the story of why from Evie. Even so, she wanted to hear it from him, in his own words. There was an underlying curiosity about him she couldn’t shake.
“Sure.”
