"Nae, Gawain, do nae speak like that. If Hector says he cannae remember, it means he can’t remember."
"I fear he may be conspiring with the enemy."
"But Hector said—"
"Can ye not see?"
Davinia pursed her lips at the question. She hated when Gawain put her in corners like this. He knew she would always stick to his side no matter what, but for this, it was almost absurd.
"Davinia look, I do nae ken what it is, but if Hector is hiding the person who assaulted him, it could mean a lot of things. For all we ken, Hector could be forced to work with them because he has been threatened. The best thing to do is to keep an eye on him. Ye are in a better position to do that. Just see if he does anything out of the ordinary."
Davinia shook her head as she let out a sigh. "Gawain, perhaps ye should have something to eat first. Ye missed breakfast, and ye did nae eat much from yer supper last night, go eat lunch, and we can talk better about this."
He reeled backwards, eyebrows raised in question. "Ye think I’m overreacting, do ye?"
"Nae! This is just a lot to think about. If I rest a wee bit, I can think about something. Just eat lunch first, and I’ll come see ye."
Gawain held her eyes for a minute, not blinking or looking away before he nodded, pulling himself from the wall as heading toward the dining hall. Davinia watched him leave, head swimming with thoughts and scenarios that might occur if Gawain was correct. If Hector was truly plotting against the clan, the damage he could inflict would be more than Gawain's all those years ago.
* * *
Gawain stepped into the dining hall and was met with stares from everyone in the room. He had expected a livelier bunch, but with Hector not knowing who his attacker was, Gawain didn't blame his brother and Scott for their long faces. Flora was oddly quiet, with her attention solely on her food. Emer managed a shaky smile toward him while her children addressed him with curious eyes. He had never actually tried to communicate properly with his brother's children as he hardly even saw them.
As he sat, his brother immediately started to talk. "Gawain, ye ken when I offered ye Hector's seat?"
"Aye. I did nae take it. Would have been a waste of time anyways since the man's awake now, thankfully. Give him a few days’ rest, and he'll be back on his feet." Gawain picked food onto his plate, not looking at his brother or anyone.
"Well, nae to be a stick in the mud—"
"Then do nae." Gawain cut him off, eyes finally clashing with his brother's. "‘Tis a beautiful day, and I’ve bags of complaints from our people just waiting to be slammed on yer desk."
Caillen said nothing as he rested his elbows on the table, hands clasped in front of his face.
"As I was saying," Caillen paused, waiting for another interruption but got nothing. "Hector had mentioned a day prior to his attack that he was nae feeling so well. At first, I thought he might have some sort of illness and wanted to send him off, but then I thought about who would fill in fer him. He asked me to appoint ye temporarily. Heavens forbid he doesnae recover, ye would have to take his place."
"Where is this going?"
"Did Hector discuss any of this with ye?"
"Nae, but now that I ken about it, I’ll be rejecting that offer if it ever comes to be, which I hope it doesnae."
"Ye are nae getting me point."
"I’m. I understand ye completely."
"Nae, ye do nae," Caillen said with an air of finality before he dragged out a breath. "I do nae want ye to misunderstand me. Hector cannae remember who attacked him, and ye two did have an argument about Davinia just hours before the fire. Ye were forced to apologize, which was a blow to yer ego, and ye’ve once mentioned how Hector doesnae deserve to be in the position." Gawain had stopped eating and had pushed his food away from him, leaning back in his seat to watch his brother. "People are wondering, Gawain."
"So ye think I attacked him?"
"That is quite a stretch, Caillen." Scott chipped in as the doors were pushed open and Davinia entered accompanied by two other servants, hands full with trays of food. "I can say Gawain has nae been in any sort of rumor since he returned. Suddenly accusing him like this—"
"Nae, I’m nae accusing him, Scott Gawain do nae get me wrong. Ye two did nae get along so well, and I just thought—" Caillen fell silent as Gawain raised a hand.
"We all ken the person that attacked Hector kens about the fires, and they also ken about Hector's missing key. I'll add something ye keep ignoring, brother. That person also stole Davinia's keys to get into the old store and pushed a pot of sand down the window Davinia and I were because of the sudden rain. This person is connected to all of these incidents that have targeted three people. Hector, Davinia and I.” He counted the names on his fingers as he mentioned them.
He then continued, “Of course, ye ignored the first incident because yer beloved Hector was nae involved, but ye agree with me that this is strange. It is also strange and bloody convenient that Hector cannae remember the face of the person or persons that attacked him. You ken he must have fought back. If he was downed by a single blow, he would nae be covered in wounds and bruises. How could he have nae caught the face of the person he fought? You’re asking the wrong man the wrong questions. What if he kens and he’s not telling?"
Caillen shook his head, his hands curling to fists on the table. "Listen to yerself!"
