Elliot went, pulling the door shut behind him.
Noah stood at the window until his footsteps faded.
It’s desire. That’s all it is.
He believed that, and he was certain of it—the same way he had been certain the night he stood in her doorway watching her sleep, and every meal he sat through, tracking the exact moment her eyes would meet his across the table.
He rolled up the map and went back to work.
Hours later, after a tedious supper and even more tedious council reports, Noah finally gave up trying to work. His mind kept circling back to William, to Esther, to Ava.
Always to Ava.
He left his study, intending to head to his chambers, but movement in the corridor caught his eye.
Ava was in the corridor past midnight, wearing nothing but a nightgown and a shawl that had slipped off one shoulder. Her hair was loose and unbraided, and her feet were bare on the cold stone floor.
Noah stopped walking.
She hadn’t seen him yet. She was moving slowly. Her expression was far away, and the moonlight coming through the corridor window caught the thin fabric of the nightgown, making him suddenly very aware that there was almost nothing between her and the dark.
Christ.
He should call out to her. Give her a warning. Instead, he stood there for one suspended moment, his jaw tight, doing something he would not have called staring.
“Miss Harris.”
She spun, her hand flying to her chest, the shawl slipping further. “Noah! Ye startled me!”
“Sorry.” He moved closer. “What are ye doin’ up? It’s past midnight.”
“I couldnae sleep.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, not meeting his eyes. “I was just... walkin’. Tryin’ to tire meself out.”
Noah made a decision. “Come with me.”
“What? Where?”
“Somewhere that might help.” He held out his hand. “Trust me?”
Ava stared at his hand for a long moment. Then, slowly, she placed hers in it.
“Aye,” she whispered. “I trust ye.”
Noah led her through the castle, up stairs and down corridors, until they reached a narrow door he had to unlock with a key from his belt.
“Where are we goin’?” Ava asked as they climbed a spiral staircase.
“Ye’ll see.”
The staircase led to the top of the castle’s highest tower. The night air was cool and crisp, and above them, the stars spread across the sky like diamonds scattered on black velvet.
Thousands of them, maybe millions, more than could ever be counted. The moon hung low and full, painting everything in silver light.
“It’s beautiful,” Ava whispered, moving to the edge of the tower. “I’ve never seen so many stars.”
“This is where I come when I need to think,” Noah said quietly. “When the weight of bein’ a laird gets too heavy, I come up here and remember how small I am. How small all of us are.”
Ava turned to look at him, the moonlight painting her face in shades of silver and shadow. “Thank ye. For sharin’ this with me.”
