“P-please.” Esther’s eyes filled with tears. “Daenae... daenae l-leave me.”
And there it was. The fear Noah had been dreading. The fear he’d seen two years ago when William had abandoned her. The absolute terror of being left behind again.
He looked at Ava, really looked at her for the first time.
She wasn’t beautiful, exactly—her features were too sharp, and her frame was too thin, likely from skipping meals to feed others.But there was something about her that touched Esther in a way even he hadn’t managed in two years.
His niece hadspoken upto protect this woman.
“What’s yer name again?” Noah asked, his voice rough.
“Ava.” She stood slowly, her hand resting protectively on Esther’s shoulder. “Ava Harris.”
“Well, Miss Harris.” Noah crossed his arms, his mind already calculating. “It seems me niece has grown attached to ye.”
“I’ve been carin’ for her for since I found her. Of course she has.”
“So ye’ll come with us.”
Ava blinked. “I... What?”
“Ye heard me.” Noah gestured to Esther, who was watching them both with desperate hope in her eyes. “She wants ye to come. And I’m nae about to traumatize her further by refusin’. So ye’ll pack whatever ye need and come to Castle MacGregor as her minder.”
“Herminder?” Ava’s voice rose an octave. “I’m nae some servant ye can just order about! I have a life here, responsibilities.”
“Which I’ll compensate ye for.” Noah cut her off. “Name yer price.”
“I daenae have a price! I’m nae for sale!”
“Everyone has a price, lass.” He stepped closer again, but this time there was no threat in it, just cold calculation. “And ye’ll come, because if ye daenae, that wee lass behind ye will never forgive ye for abandonin’ her. Just like everyone else in her life has done.”
He paused, and something changed in his expression. Not softer, exactly, but more deliberate, like he’d decided she deserved the full picture.
“The last person responsible for her care lost track of her at a market. An eight-year-old girl, in a crowd, and when they couldnae find her after anhour, Miss Harris, they gave up and rode back to the castle to report it. Left two people searching and came home.” His jaw tightened. “I need someone who willnae do that. Someone who actually gives a damn whether she’s found.”
He let that sit between them for a moment.
“Esther's come a long way in two years. She’s finally started speaking more than just single words. She has finally stopped flinching when he enters a room. She has finally begun to believe that she has a home. But she's never once spoken up for another person. Not like that. And she used that voice to ask me nae to hurt ye."
His eyes held hers, steady and unsparing. “So aye. I’m askin’ ye to come. And I’m askin’ ye because she chose ye, and that’s nae somethin’ I’m willin’ to ignore.”
His eyes held hers, steady and unsparing. “So aye. I’m askin’ ye to come. And I’m askin’ ye because she chose ye, and that’s nae somethin’ I’m willin’ to ignore.”
It was a low blow. Noah knew it. But he also knew it would work.
Ava’s face went through several expressions—anger, frustration, guilt, and finally, resignation. She closed her eyes briefly, her shoulders sagging.
“Ye’re a bastard, ye ken that?”
“Aye.” Noah moved closer to her, slowly. He looked her in the eyes, and he didn’t even have the grace to look apologetic. “But I’m a bastard who keeps his word. Come with us, and ye’ll have whatever ye need to continue helpin’ yer orphanage. Refuse, and ye’ll break that bairn’s heart.”
When Ava opened her eyes, they were blazing with fury. But behind it, Noah saw acceptance.
She’d come.
Because, unlike him, she actually had a heart.
CHAPTER FOUR
