“He was wise nae tae let ye, lass. But Bryce came tae help me a few times.”
“Ye kenned?” Lorna asked.
“Aye,” she said. “Once the fever broke, I was able tae see a few things. But the servants told me as well.” She smiled. “That was kind of him tae help, ye ken.”
“Aye, he is a kind man. If only Father wouldnae think of him as the cause of the recent murders.” She frowned, and her mother frowned as well.
“I ken that yer father is a rash man, but it is strange, these murders. Do ye nae think it odd?”
“Aye, they are odd. Very odd.” Lorna sighed. “But that doesnae mean he is the source of them.” Lorna wished that someone somewhere would believe in her ability to know Bryce was a good man. “Ye think the same way as Father, then?”
“I just want ye tae be careful. I donnae ken all that has been happening since me illness, but I ken a little. And I see it in yer eyes now. Donnae let him charm ye. Ye should be careful until we ken what is going on. How do ye feel about him?”
Lorna bit her lip. “It is naething tae worry about, Mother. We are merely old friends,” she lied. She wasn’t ready to share her feelings with her mother, who would go and tell her father, and then her whole world would crumble.
“Well,” her mother patted her hand. “Just think on being careful. The man is well known as a flirtatious one, and he does have a violent past in the war.”
“It was a war!” Lorna said loudly, and then she stood. “I think that I should go, Mother. I need tae rest, and so should ye.”
“Aye. Ye look pale, Lorna. Please take a meal in yer room and have a good rest. Perhaps taemorrow we can discuss it further.”
Lorna nodded, and after giving her mother a kiss on the cheek, she left, glad to be gone. She quickly checked in on Kyla and then hurried to her chamber to be alone. She was furious with her father, and it kept her pacing in front of her small fire, thinking of Kyla. Did her father really believe that she had no place?
“It is even more important now that I find a way tae show him just what I can do and who I can be,” she said with passion, furious that her father could both love her and think so little of her at the same time.
She stopped pacing when there was a knock at the door, and when she opened it, Bryce was on the other side. As soon as she let him in, he kissed her, pressing her up against the door as he took her mouth.
“Donnae believe a word of what yer father says, lass. Ye are incredible,” he said roughly before kissing her again. Lorna wrapped her arms about his neck, wanting to forget her father’s words and the murders and focus only on the fact that Bryce was in her arms.
* * *
Bryce waited for as long as he could in his chamber, until he knew he had to see Lorna again, to make sure that she was all right. He could have strangled her father at the words he’d spat at her, not even caring about Fergus accusing him of the murders. But just as he was about to leave his room, Tobias entered, looking frustrated and fatigued once again.
“What is it?” Bryce asked. “The Laird wants ye tae take me intae the fort?”
“Something like that,” Tobias replied, a small smile on his face. “Donnae worry, I have nae intention of doing that. I just told him I would question ye so that he would start looking elsewhere.”
“Good. Thanks,” Bryce pushed a hand through his hair, setting it loose from its ties. “Ye didnae have tae defend me.”
“Aye, I did.” Tobias grinned. “We are old friends after all, and this man is a bastard. I have not had much to do with him in recent years, but I have heard from others that he is an ill-tempered man.”
Bryce nodded. “I think it has only gotten worse over the years. He wasnae always so dark and moody. But I think Lorna seems tae anger him in a specific way. And he cannae let go of it.” Bryce shook his head. “Is it more than just a father being protective of a daughter? Or rather a grandfather,” he amended, since Tobias knew of their true relationship.
“I do not ken, but it does seem a little more than normal. He is very uncomfortable with having you here. Perhaps ye should come and stay at the fort?”
Bryce laughed. “And have yer men angry at me as well? Nae thank ye. But I appreciate the thought.” He patted Tobias’s shoulder.
“Well, I need to leave. Better nae to make the Laird angrier having an English soldier about.” He had been smiling, but once he made it back to the door, he frowned. “We need to solve this, and soon. For everyone’s safety, but for your own as well. I would watch your back around here. Who knows what these men will do if they get sufficiently angry? And be careful about Lorna,” he added with a wink.
Once Tobias was gone, and Bryce could hear his footsteps down the passageway, he snuck out of his room and quietly made his way to Lorna’s. He passed no one, and as soon as she let him in, he kissed her surprised and beautiful face.
He needed her to know just how wonderful she was, even if they could not be together or if she didn’t feel the same way. But she had given him hope that afternoon, that he could be the one in her sights now. And she was kissing him back with a vengeance, making him long to bed her, finally able to share his feelings.
But trying to think clearly, he pushed away from her, holding her at her shoulders, keeping her at an arm’s length while he still had control of his faculties. “Lorna, I want tae apologize for what happened taeday.”
“Apologize for what?” she asked, her lovely mouth pursed in confusion. Her cheeks were red from the heat of their kiss. Her blonde hair was slightly tousled from where she’d been laying in the grass, and from where his fingers had trailed through her curls.
“For what happened in the clearing taeday. I should nae have done what I did. I ken that ye donnae feel affection for me, and that ye are still in love with me brother. I’m sorry. I feel as though I have taken advantage, or something.” He swallowed, pulling away his hand from her to rub on his neck in discomfort.
