“Then we should go.”
“Wait.” She gripped his upper arm. “If ye have any doubts about accompanying me, please return and save yerself from any responsibility. I doona want ye to get in trouble with Alex. He cares a great deal about ye.”
“Lady Keely,” he said. “I am a grown man. If I did not wish to be here, I would have never offered to escort you to Dunrobin Castle. I am not deaf and blind. I’ve heard the gossip about you, and have seen firsthand how poorly some of the people treat you. Helping you is a duty I do not take lightly.”
Tears filled Keely’s eyes. She dinna know why exactly. Maybe knowing someone else understood how much she had suffered brought her a bit of comfort and the tears were out of gratitude instead of from sadness. “I am sorry for crying, Petro.”
“Do not apologize for shedding tears. You are an exceptional woman.”
Keely dinna take praise well, especially when she felt guilty. Petro boosted her into the saddle, then handed her the reins to the other horse. Once she was comfortable, he climbed up behind her and wrapped his arm about her waist.
“Try not to show the guards your face.”
“What if they ask questions?”
“Let me do the talking. Are you ready?”
Her heart pounded like she’d just run up a mountain. “Aye,” she said, resting her cheek against Petro’s chest. She could feel his heartbeat; it was slow and steady. Did anything excite the scholar?
They reached the gates and one of the guards stopped Petro.
“Where are ye going?”
Petro cleared his throat. “Away from probing eyes,” he said.
The guard smiled. “Whose eyes?”
“The lass’s father is inside the great hall. If he sees me with his daughter, he will geld me.”
One of the other soldiers chuckled and said, “Let him pass—he’s not a danger to us, only to himself.”
“If someone comes looking for Katherine, will you deny ever seeing us?” Petro asked, playing his role perfectly.
Keely struggled to stay still, but she did.
“Aye. Yer secret is safe with me,” the guard assured him as he slapped the horse on the rear. “Away with ye before I change my mind.”
Petro heeled the beast into a gallop, and Keely lifted her head, watching as the keep faded into the darkness. Only after they’d been riding for a couple of hours did Petro dare to stop. He’d found a burn where the horses could drink.
Keely dismounted and took a shaky breath. “Do ye think we’re being followed?’
“Nay,” he said with confidence. “There is no reason for the guards to doubt what I told them. As for Alex, your sire, and brothers, I am sure they are still discussing what to do about the Sutherlands.”
“Is that what has taken my husband away from me?”
“That and the need to gain your father’s blessing for your marriage.”
“Gods knows what demands he’s putting on Alex.”
“You have not heard?”
“About what?”
“Perhaps it is better not to say anything.”
“Please, Petro. If ye doona tell me now, I willna be able to think about anything else.”
The scholar started to pace. She’d never seen him nervous before. “Your father killed the man who interrupted your wedding.”
