“Aye.”
She did not answer immediately. Instead, she walked the length of the hall once more, checking blankets, adjusting a cloak here, murmuring reassurance there. Baird waited, watching the way she moved, as though care itself were a duty she would not abandon lightly.
At last, she returned to him.
“Very well,” she said. “But only because there is naething left undone.”
He nodded. “That is why I asked.”
She smiled faintly. “Dinnae be long.”
“I willnae.”
She hesitated a heartbeat, then reached out, squeezing his hand once before turning toward the stairs. Baird remained where he was, listening to the steady breathing of those around him, the castle holding its charge like a living thing.
Only when he was truly certain that everyone within those walls was safe for the night did he allow himself to follow Davina into the quiet.
Just as she was unpinning her hair, a gentle knock interrupted her. She turned to find Baird standing just inside the door, with a tray balanced carefully in his hands.
“I brought food,” he said, as though that explained everything.
She blinked. “Baird, it is…” She glanced toward the window, where the night pressed close. “Very late.”
“Aye,” he replied, setting the tray down on the small table. “And ye ate almost naething all day.”
She opened her mouth to protest, then stopped. He turned to face her fully, with his arms folding across his chest.
“Ye made certain everyone else was fed,” he continued. “Ye checked the children, the elders, the wounded. Ye gave away half yer own bread at one point, and I saw ye dae it.”
“That was different,” she said softly. “They needed it.”
“So did ye,” he replied at once.
Davina sank down onto the edge of the bed, suddenly more tired than she had allowed herself to feel. “I was nae hungry.”
“That,” Baird said, moving closer, “is rarely true.”
She laughed faintly. “Ye sound like me maither.”
“I will take that as a compliment,” he told her. “I appreciate what ye dae. More than I can rightly say. But I will nae have ye burning yerself away fer everyone else.”
He lifted the cover from the tray, revealing simple food, which was warm and thoughtfully chosen: bread, cheese, and a small bowl of stew.
“Sit,” he repeated, gentler now.
Baird took a seat across from her, watching as she lifted the spoon and tasted the stew. Color returned slowly to her cheeks, and only then did he seem to relax.
“Ye spend so much time taking care of others,” he said. “I want tae make sure someone takes care of ye as well.”
Davina met his gaze, emotion pressing close to the surface. “Ye dae already.”
He shook his head. “Nae enough.”
She smiled at that. “Then I suppose we will have tae look after each other.”
He returned the smile. “Aye. That seems a fair arrangement.”
After a while, Davina set the empty bowl aside, content and drowsy in that pleasant way that came only after a long, spent day. She flexed her fingers absently, only to still when Baird reached for her hands.
