“Does she no’ serve ye?”
He thought for a moment, rubbing his temples. “Aye.”
“Then I may befriend her?”
He sighed and waved his hand. “Raini is in her last years. Who am I to stand in the way of ye spending time with her? But I warn ye, the children are another matter altogether. If ye are caught again in their company, I will take the lash to yer back meself.”
His words would not deter her from protecting the orphans. “Thank ye, sir.” She curtsied. She turned to leave, but he stopped her.
“I have not dismissed ye,” he growled.
She stared at him, waiting to be freed.
“I doona like ye. Doona trust ye. Ye’d be wise to remember that. Now go.”
She did so without hesitation, remembering the back stairs that Adam had shown her the first time she’d been here. Part of her wished she possessed the audacity to march down the main stairs and parade herself proudly through the great hall, shaming the laird for treating her unjustly. But the reasonable side of her, the one driven by good sense and humility, guided her steps down the hidden stairs. Just once she’d like to stand up to all the men who treated her poorly. Just once…
Outside, she wasted no time making her way to the tower, where Heather awaited her.
The maid stood as she entered the chamber. “Ye are back sooner than I expected, Mistress.”
Kali plopped down in the chair by the hearth and forced her boots off, rubbing her sore toes. “The laird had different plans for me.”
“Did he find ye somewhere ye shouldna be?”
“If I am anywhere but here, Heather, I am somewhere I shouldna be. Yes, he found me keeping company with the children and demanded I not be found with them again. But he has no qualms with me befriending Raini.”
“The laird is no’ sensible.”
“But he is laird, and therefore we are ever at his mercy.” A fact Kali knew she must not forget.
Chapter Eleven
As always, Kali could not sleep, and she crept outside, missing the company of the children and Raini. She gazed in the general direction of the cave, where she knew her friends were safe and fast asleep by now. That would not keep her from taking the air. Light rain was falling, and the scent of damp earth drew her to the woods along the burn. It would be a while before she dared to kick her boots off and enjoy the water again, but the forest offered her cover and freedom to explore.
She lifted the lantern she had lit and taken with her, providing enough light to make her way along the well-used footpath. Beyond the woods were open meadows, where the sheep grazed and played in the warm sunshine every day. There she might find some wildflowers to collect or herbs to spice her evening stew.
She let her free hand trace the bark of the trees she passed, loving the feel of nature—the taste of the air. Her eyesight grew sharper with every night she wandered out, and she’d also grown comfortable with the lands surrounding the castle. There were so many hiding places, so many wonders.
The edge of the woods loomed before her, and as she took her next step, a horse whinnied and shook its head. Kali gasped in surprise, afraid another spy-guard had followed her. Would he take her back to the tower, lock her away?
She froze, looking about for the horse and the man who rode it.
There, just ahead, a tall shadow of a form leaned against a tree. She held the lantern high, seeing a pair of well-made tall leather boots and a long sword hanging from the waist of whoever awaited her arrival.
“There is no need to pretend I doona see ye,” she said.
“Pretend?” Adam said. “Why would I ever do such a thing with ye? I was simply waiting for yer arrival, sweet one.”
He called her sweet one. The warm tone of his soothing voice sent a shiver up her back—a pleasurable one.
“How would ye know where to find me?” she asked, drawing closer to him. The lantern provided just enough light to make out the grin on his face, to reveal his muscled body—his clan tartan draped over his shoulder and flowing to just above his knees. His linen shirtsleeves were rolled up, showing off his chiseled arms, his biceps hewn from rock. But her eyes quickly flew back to his generous lips. The lips that had caressed hers in such a delightful way, it had warmed her core well into the next day.
“Are ye struck dumb by me presence?” Adam asked, that roguish grin that denoted his pure male arrogance making it impossible for her not to smile.
“Ye are an bigheaded arse this night, Adam MacKay. And no, I am simply surprised to find ye here.”
“And ye are a wee fairy come to fill my night with beauty.” He pushed off the tree and stepped closer to her. “Will ye forgive me, lass? I was in a rare dark mood—me sire has a way of overwhelming me spirit at times.” He kneeled before her. “Do ye forgive me?”
