“Fair enough,” Kieran said, chuckling, “Anyway, I didnae ask ye here tae comment on yer body odor. I just wanted tae to let ye both know I will be meeting with the Sassenach at sunset.”
Tilly’s eyebrows shot up into her hairline so quickly that Kieran could not help but burst out laughing.
“What?” she cried out, sounding somewhere between horrified and exasperated, causing Kieran to buckle over and laugh harder than he already had been doing.
“Why are ye laughing at me?” Tilly demanded, stomping her foot like a toddler.
Kieran struggled to get himself under control, chuckling into his hand for a few more moments before he could draw in enough air to calm himself down. Poor Bailey just stood there, eyes darting between the siblings, his confusion clear.
“Sorry, Tilly. Och, ye should have seen yer face. That was something tae behold,” Kieran shook his head, still trying to bury the laughter.
“I dinnae think yer funny, Kieran,” Tilly scoffed at him, “An’ I dinnae think it is wise tae be seeing her again, either.”
“I never claimed tae be funny, sister. Only that I can find things tae laugh abou’ – even if it is just ye that makes for fun.”
“Aye, indeed. I’m the laughingstock, am I?” Tilly’s expression soured even further, Kieran noted.
He wished he knew how things worked in his sister’s mind sometimes. She could go from being happy and carefree to sullen and moody in a split second. It was nothing short of confusing at the best of times.
“Tilly, calm down,” Bailey interjected, much to Kieran’s relief. The only person who could keep up with her mood swings was this man; heaven knew Kieran himself did not have the patience of a saint like Bailey did. “I’m sure Kieran meant nae offense. Did ye?”
Kieran sighed and shook his head. “I just needed tae let ye know where I’ll be. I dinnae expect any trouble, but I would rather ye ken where I’ll be. I’d want ye tae tell me if ye were doing the same thing.”
Bailey nodded while Tilly held her nose up in the air, acting as though she did not hear Kieran or care about what he was saying. He knew better; she was just being Tilly, after all.
“Tilly, come now. Forgive yer older brother, an’ put this behind ye, will ye?”
“Fine, Kieran, I’ll dae my best. But why are ye meeting the Sassenach again?”
“I received a message during the night – she has information she needs tae give me in person,” Kieran replied.
“An’ ye trust this message?”
“Aye, o’ course I dae. Why wouldn’t I?” Kieran’s brow furrowed; he wondered which path his sister was traveling down this time.
“I mean, it could be a trap,” she sighed, as though utterly exasperated.
Tilly was right, Kieran realized with a start. He had not fully considered the possibility of it being a trap. While he did not believe that Vivien would betray him, he had been so caught up in the excitement of seeing her again that he had not thought clearly enough about what he could be walking into. Kieran had lost his control over his sensibility for a while, and he blamed his desire for Vivien for that.
“I dinnae believe it is one,” he said stoically, not wanting his younger sister to realize how foolish he suddenly felt, “The Lady Vivien has nae reason tae trap me. And if she did – then ye ken where I will be an’ ye can be my knight in shining armor an’ save me. Sound good?”
“How dae ye ken the message is even from her?” Tilly arched an eyebrow, looking like the cat that got the cream, “How dae ye ken that the Lord Stone didnae send this message tae trap ye?”
Kieran groaned. He hated it when Tilly felt like she had the upper hand – she was a sore loser. But once again, he could not deny the chance that she was right. He had not stopped to even consider the possibility that the message was from Lord Stone and not Vivien. Doubt began to settle in his mind, something he did not enjoy feeling.
There was no knowing what Stone could or would do to someone he considered an enemy. There was no guarantee that he had not caught Vivien out – that Stone was aware of their relationship and was using this meeting as the perfect opportunity to dispense with Kieran.
Lord Stone was a cruel, evil man. There was every chance that he could be planning a trap for Kieran and Vivien, for all Kieran knew.
He had to follow his gut instinct, Kieran decided. He knew that Vivien would never betray him, and he knew the young maid who had brought the message to him. If there had been anything astray with the message, it only made sense that the maid would have found a way to inform Kieran of it.
“I ken the young lass she sent the message with, she told me about her. I cannae keep telling ye that I trust her, Tilly. I ken yer worried about me, an’ I appreciate it. But at some point, ye need tae realize that I trust my own judgment. An’ even if ye disagree with me, I will dae as I see is best for everyone. That is my job as Laird o’ this clan,” Kieran said as sternly as he could, knowing that what Tilly was saying came from a good place.
“An’ ye can trust this maid o’ hers?” Bailey piped up, his voice quite calm as he tried to show Tilly some support, it seemed.
Kieran wished the poor man would just spit it out already and let Tilly know how he felt about her. It could be nothing short of frustrating to watch Bailey chasing around after her all of the time. The man had a right to an opinion of his own, even one that disagreed with Tilly’s.
“Helen is from our clan – she has nae reason tae lie tae me abou’ a message from Vivien,” Kieran said after a moment, sighing in exasperation.
