The scout nodded and left, closing the door behind him.
Alpin sank back into his chair, running a hand over his face.
"Ye have tae tell her," Callum said quietly.
"I ken."
"She's going tae panic."
"I ken that too." Alpin looked up at his friend. "But she deserves tae ken. I willnae keep this from her."
"Just... be gentle about it. She's only just startin’ tae feel safe here."
Alpin nodded, already dreading the conversation. He'd seen the way Mhairi had begun to relax over the past few days, the way her smiles came easier, the way she'd thrown herself into learning with Donnach.
She was healing.
And now he had to tell her that the man who'd bought her was camped on his doorstep.
"I'll find her after supper," he said.
But as the afternoon wore on and he dealt with the inevitable logistics of increased border security, Alpin found himself growing more restless. By the time the sun began setting, he couldn't sit still any longer.
He had to tell her. Immediately. Before the news spread through the castle and she heard it from someone else.
He found her in the gardens.
The sight made him pause at the entrance. She was sitting on a stone bench near the wildflowers, her hands working at something in her lap. As he drew closer, he realized she was weaving flowers into a crown, daisies and clover braided together with surprising skill.
She looked peaceful. Content. And he was about to shatter that.
God, but she's beautiful like this.
The evening light caught in her dark hair, turning it the color of rich mahogany. Her fingers moved with a grace he hadn't seen before, weaving the delicate stems together as if she'd been doing it all her life.
This is the first time I've seen her truly at ease.
And he was about to destroy that peace.
The weight of what he had to tell her sat heavy in his gut. He'd dealt with battle reports before, border skirmishes, threats to his clan. But none of those had ever felt like this, like he was about to personally hurt someone he... someone who mattered to him.
She's been through so much already. And now I havetae tell her that her nightmare has followed her here.
"That's bonnie work," he said, announcing his presence. His voice came out rougher than he'd intended.
Mhairi's head snapped up, and for a moment, her face lit with a smile.
There it is. That smile.
His heart did something complicated in his chest. Something he didn't want to examine too closely. When she looked at him like that, like he was someone worth smiling for, it made him want to?—
Then she must have seen something in his expression because the smile faded.
Alpin felt the loss of it like a physical blow.
He'd seen that look before, but seeing it on Mhairi's face, knowing he was the cause, made him want to turn around and walk away. Pretend he'd never heard Duncan's report. Let her have just one more evening of peace.
But that would be a betrayal. She deserves tae ken. She deserves the truth, even when it hurts.
