The anger that flared in his chest was sharp, and he struggled to temper it. It wasn’t as if they could be blamed for indulging in their morbid curiosity. Events like the hunt, while sometimes whispered about over pints of ale in pubs, weren’t a common occurrence. Of course, the people living here were curious.
But all of them were looking for a story to tell. They wanted to be the person who was most informed about what had happened. It was as if they believed that this would give them a type of social currency, and that made Lucas sick.
As they passed by, he made himself bigger, glaring at each person gawking to send the message that these women’s suffering wasn’t for their consumption. The way Flora was choosing to hide herself against him despite her obvious fear only made him angrier, his gaze sharper. But it wasn’t as if he could stop to yell at them. Instead, he pushed the horse to go faster, needing to get her as far away from here as quickly as possible.
After nearly ten unbearable minutes, the scenery changed. Lush trees and flowering bushes lined the path rather than the stone and wooden houses of the village. It was largely untouched by people here, only used for travelling between settlements. Florarelaxed when Lucas loosened his hold as the distance between them and the village grew wider.
The silence between them morphed from tense into something tinged with understanding. Lucas could tell that she was still guarding herself and likely would for a very long time. She didn’t speak, nor did she look anywhere but directly ahead of her.
Ach, I kent that I’d have to work hard to earn the lass’ trust. It seems as if I’m goin’ to have to work even harder than I thought with Flora.
Chapter Five
“Ye daenae have to answer me right now,” Lucas said, startling Flora back into the present moment. “But I’d like to ken about the conditions they were keepin’ ye in.”
She swallowed hard, her fingers flexing where she had them resting on the horse’s mane. This was the third or fourth question he’d asked over the course of the ride. She’d been unable to answer any of them, try as she might.
The sensation was brand new for her. Even when she lived with her father, she’d never lost her voice. Sometimes she could only provide curt, one-word answers, but she could always speak. Now, though… It was almost as if her body had simply had too much.
“And I’m quite serious about wantin’ to ken what ye like to eat,” he continued, his words setting her on edge. She couldn’t trust that the concern was genuine, nor was she able to respond, “I’dlike to ken yer hobbies, too. Ye’ll need somethin’ to pass the time.”
When she didn’t answer once more, he just made a sound of acknowledgement. It was as if he weren’t put off by her lack of speech. She wasn’t sure if she’d get used to silence being met with acceptance rather than anger or insistence that she speak. She shuddered when she thought of what would happen if her father were the one asking the questions.
“I’ll make sure ye’re taken somewhere warm as soon as we arrive,” he said, misinterpreting the shiver. “We’re nearly there, Flora.”
She nodded again, grateful the journey was nearly over. If it weren’t for Lucas’ arms bracketing her as they rode, she was sure that she’d have fallen off. More than once, she’d dozed, and each time, he’d simply righted her without calling more attention to it than need be. Even now, his arms were tight to keep her from tumbling off, a steady hold that was completely foreign to her.
Cautiously, Flora thought she might be able to trust that he’d truly come to rescue her. She’d yet to parse out his true intentions, though. Perhaps she was simply tired and not thinking straight.
“Ach, there’s the castle, lass,” he grunted about fifteen minutes later.
She tilted her head back, taking in the imposing building that they were quickly approaching. Two towers cut into the sky, astone roof peeking over the solid stone wall that surrounded the grounds. An iron gate locked the world out of the happenings inside, but she was able to see through it.
As they got closer, the awe quickly fizzled away. She was able to see men just beyond the gates, and she swore there was a face in one of the windows on the top floor. She tried to count everyone that she saw, but they moved too fast, and her mind was too slow.
Tension coiled in her gut. If anything went wrong, if she decided that she needed to run away and try to survive on her own, they would make it difficult to leave. Not to mention that she was positive that it would be easy to get lost in a building so big.
“Ye daenae need to worry, lass,” Lucas said, apparently sensing the tension that had settled in her body. The sound of his voice was almost soothing against the wild thoughts, but she didn’t think she could will herself to trust him. “The people here are kind. They willnae treat ye poorly. Ye’re never goin’ to be in danger again. I already told ye that I will make sure of that, and I always keep me promises.”
Flora nodded again. She wanted to trust him, but that felt impossible. Every instinct in her body was calling on her to flee.
As they approached the gates, two guards pulled the iron bars open. Lucas urged the horse into the castle’s walls, grunting an acknowledgement at the armed men. When they reached a courtyard, Lucas finally brought the horse to a stop and swung off the saddle.
She began to follow him down, clumsily attempting to throw her leg off the leather seat, but his hands stopped her. They gripped her waist, putting her feet solidly on the ground. For a long moment, his touch lingered, his eyes searching her face. Before he was able to say anything, someone called his name.
“Lucas! Ye’re here sooner than we thought ye’d be,” a man said. A grin stretched across his face, but it was tempered with something that seemed a lot like concern. Beside him was a slight woman with a soft demeanor. “Ye’ve brought a woman. I assume the other men are comin’ as well?”
“Aye, Matthew,” Laird McGowan said as he let go of Flora’s waist. Impossibly, she missed the steadying touch. “They should be arrivin’ shortly. I went ahead of them on the way here.”
“I assume it was to ensure this one gets to the healer and a meal, aye?” the woman said, looking at Flora with a kind expression. “I’m Annabeth. It’s nice to meet ye.”
Already, Flora felt a bit better. This woman seemed comfortable here, and that felt significant. When Flora had been abducted, the female servants she’d seen had a weary, miserable look in their eyes. Annabeth was relaxed and sure that Flora was in the right place.
“This is Flora,” Lucas said after a beat when she tried and failed to introduce herself. “She’s a bit tired from her ordeal. I daenae want her to be overwhelmed.”
“Nay, we wouldnae want to do that,” Annabeth agreed. “But we need to get her fed. She’s so thin. The cook will make sure she gets some meat back on her bones.”
Her thinness being pointed out made Flora blush all the way down to her chest. She’d never been a particularly large woman. Even before she’d been taken for the hunt, she hadn’t had access to much food. Her father had withheld it, claiming that he needed more than she did because he was the man of the house.
