Elsy opened her mouth, but Connell’s dark scowl made her promptly shut it.
“I know these rooms, Elsy. I know we don’t have cloth like this.” He nodded to the yellowed bandages. “And I have seen nae limp in yer step. Surely, if ye had injured yerself, I would have known. So, what are ye hiding from me?”
“I’m not hiding anything,” Elsy said while jutting out her chin, refusing to back down against him. She would go to her grave if she had to in order to keep Scott’s secret. She would do anything to protect the young girl.
“Is this another thing my men will need to drag out of ye when they come to speak with ye?”
Elsy shivered, her gaze dropping to the bed. She should have woken sooner and left when she had the chance. Exhaustion, once again, had kept her from making her escape. She had forgotten in that short time what awaited her in the morn.
“Connell, please,” Scott’s small voice piped up while the little girl threw away the blankets. Her naked feet touched the floor and she stood between Elsy and Connell, her eyes glimmering with tears. “Please, don’t harm her.”
The darkness in Connell’s gaze immediately left with that one phrase and his eye dropped to Scott, the tension in his body visibly melting. “Oh, Scott,” he breathed. “I would never harm her.”
“They’re my bandages,” Scott said with a sniff. She reached for the cloth and pulled them from Connell’s hand, holding them to her chest. The tunic shifted with her movements, revealing the subtlety of her curves.
“Yers?” Connell asked, his brows pinched together in confusion. “But, Scotty…” Connell paused, shaking his head, and Elsy touched her chest as she noticed the worry and pain taking hold of the man before her. “Are ye well? Why do ye have these bandages?”
Scott nodded. “I am well.” She sighed, her head falling to her chest, her gaze on the floor.
Elsy shifted in the bed toward Scott, taking her hand and giving it a tight squeeze. “Tis all right, Scott.”
Scott sniffed. “I’m a lass, Connell,” she blurted out. “I’ve been wearing these bandages to hide myself from ye and the others. Please, don’t be mad at me. And don’t blame Elsy. She was only trying to help me.”
Connell’s mouth fell open. His eyes were wide as he gazed at Scott. “Yer not a lad?”
Scott shook her head.
“Yer a lass?”
Scott nodded.
“But-but--” Connell paused and Elsy watched the realization take over his gaze. He gently grabbed Scott’s chin, turning her face from side to side and giving a slight nod. “Aye, twas foolish of me not to see it before. I see it now that yer clean and nae longer covered in the dirt and mud. But, why, Scotty? If that is truly yer name.”
“Tis Mary,” Scott said softly. “But, please, call me Scott. Twas my father’s name, and I want to honor him with it.”
Connell nodded, his body slowly lowering to rest on the trunk. He leaned forward, his hand on his knees. Elsy watched from her place on the bed as Scott moved to the back of the room, looking between them. Scott bit her bottom lip, and Elsy noticed that the girl was struggling.
“Why, Scotty?” Connell whispered, his tone gentle, his gaze soft. “Why hide yerself away? Are ye in trouble? Is someone after ye?”
Scott grimaced, a tear slipping from one eye.
“Tis alright,” said Elsy. “Ye are in good hands. Naething will happen to ye here.”
Connell nodded. “Aye, tis the truth.”
Scott nodded. “I am from a small village,” she started, pausing for a moment to swallow a sob. More tears slipped down her face. “I had friends once. Many of them. We used to play together along the river, skipping rocks or singing songs. Until the soldiers came.” Scott paused again, her gaze flicking between Elsy and Connell. Elsy clenched her jaw, waiting for the terrible words to spill from Scott’s mouth. She knew there had to be a reason for the young girl’s hiding, something horrifying.
“What soldiers?”
Elsy turned toward Connell at his words, finding him looking at Scott with a deep, concerning frown.
Scott shook her head. “I do not know.”
“What colors did they wear?”
Scott’s brows pinched together. “I think I was too frightened to look. They would come to the village from time to time and take my friends. Never the boys, though. Only the girls.”
Elsy shook her head. “Why would they do such a thing?”
