In fact, she was not certain of anything these days.
Duncan’s innocence, Killian’s feelings for me…
Lily tried not to think of their last encounter in his study, but fighting the thoughts was worse than letting them invade her mind.
“Whatever happens, ye should ken that I am grateful to you for helpin’ us.”
A soft knock sounded at her door after that, and both women rose to their feet once the door opened.
“I have the ledgers,” Killian said from the doorway. “We should take a look at them together.”
Lily and Niamh headed to his study, and once they locked the door behind them, Killian shoved most of the ledgers towards them, then he sat and started going through most of them.
Niamh left them after a while, and Lily had been reading through one scroll when she looked up at him. “Do you think your brother ever suspected he would be betrayed and killed? Do you think he trusted the one who did this to him?”
It took some time before Killian responded, “I think he did. Peter trusted too easily… He trusted everyone, and that was his problem. I always wish I was here for him… here to protect him.”
Lily dropped the ledger she was going through, then moved to sit next to him. When she touched his hand, he sighed and faced her.
“I know I shouldnae blame myself, but it is all I ever do.”
“You are a good laird,” Lily whispered to him. “You are a good brother, a good leader… a good friend. Your men adore you. They all fight for you, and that’s a good thing, Killian. You are not alone.”
“I dinnae feel alone,” Killian whispered as he stared deep into her eyes. “Nae when I’m with ye.”
The moment turned intense between them again, and Lily’s lids fluttered shut as he slowly leaned into her and brushed his lips against hers.
She kissed him back, parted her lips so his tongue could slide into her mouth, but then he pulled away.
Lily was about to speak up when a raspy knock sounded at the study door, and it opened.
“M’laird,” the guard who walked in called, and Killian rose to his feet. “Ye need to get to Wehnthor at once. A soldier just arrived from there. He brought news. Laird McLennan arrived with his men, and they are demanding ye. He wants to end this in person.”
Killian’s hands clenched at his sides at the mention of Laird McLennan, and he turned to Lily, who rose to her feet too. “I will be there.”
The door closed, and he picked up his sword’s sheath from the ground, where he had kept it minutes ago. “I must ride back to Wehnthor.”
“I am coming with you,” Lily said almost immediately, but he stopped her with his hands on her shoulders before she could take another step.
“I need ye to stay here and find somethin’ in these ledgers. I’ll meet with Laird McLennan and end this.”
“Killian,” she called, nodding when he stared at her hard.
“Find somethin’ for me and send word through a guard. I will fight Laird McLennan if I have to. We’ll settle this, and I will come and find ye.”
Lily nodded, and he kissed her quickly again, stealing her breath away before he walked out the door. Alone again, she sat down and picked up a scroll.
She had to find out whom Richard Easton had met with Peter that night. Whomever they had done business with was the real killer here, and Richard had a record of that.
I just have to find the last record of the deal Peter made with Richard Easton.
Her eyes started to hurt after some time, but she kept at it, searching through every ledger to find the right one.
Lily did not realize she had fallen asleep in Killian’s study until the first rays of sunlight filtered in through the windows and kissed her face.
She groaned as she stirred awake and rubbed her face. Her neck hurt a little, and she massaged the kinks there first before she picked the ledger again.
She was reading through the last one when she heard the door open. She spun around with speed and saw Fletcher come into the study.
