“Ye’re right,” Lucas said, his eyes roaming over Flora’s form. The attention only made her more self-conscious, feeding the desire to disappear. “I’ll have food sent up to the rooms. I daenae want anyone gawkin’ at her while she eats.” He turned back to Annabeth. “Would ye mind takin’ her up to the quarters in the south wing of the castle? I’ll have the kitchen prepare a meal and a maid bring it up for her.”
Annabeth nodded, stepping forward and linking her arm with Flora’s. Despite her small stature, Annabeth was solid. The strength that Flora felt radiating from the other woman was inspiring. It gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, she would be able to come out of the other side of this just as strong.
Lucas watched as Annabeth led Flora away. It seemed as though being near women helped Flora’s anxiety. That wasn’t surprising, considering how awful the men that he’d rescued her from had been to her. He’d have to make sure that only other female servants attended to her.
“Are ye goin’ to tell me what ye saw out there, Lucas?” Matthew asked as soon as the women were out of earshot, his expression hardening. “Flora looks haunted.”
“We dinnae have time for interrogations, so I daenae ken what was happenin’ before we arrived,” Lucas replied, his eyes still on her retreating form. It felt fundamentally wrong to let her out of his sight, even if it was what was best for her. “They were already huntin’ down the girls when I got there. I need to consult further with me men when they return.”
Matthew crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “And how long do ye think it’ll take? I havenae kent ye to pull ahead of yer men. This is new for ye.”
Lucas narrowed his eyes at his brother and man-at-arms. He was fishing for something, poking at Lucas in an attempt to get something, but Lucas wasn’t sure what. At the moment, he didn’t have the patience to entertain the question his brother hadn’t asked verbally. There were far more pressing matters to attend to.
“They shouldnae be too far behind us,” Lucas said, handing off the reins of his horse to the groom. “And I pulled away from me men to get the nearby villagers’ eyes off of Flora. She’s nae a spectacle for them.”
Matthew accepted the answer, not pushing whatever he had running through his mind. Lucas knew that this wouldn’t be the last of it, though. His brother was an annoyance, but only when the situation was appropriate. He was smart enough toknow that Lucas was more concerned with bringing the men who perpetrated this violence to justice than whatever he had attempted to imply.
“Ye still dinnae tell me how ye got back so quickly,” Matthew said after a moment. “If they were in the midst of a hunt, I’d expect the group to be spread out and the women to be difficult to find.”
“When I got there, Flora was well on her way to escapin’,” Lucas said, feeling a stroke of pride at the girl’s actions. “She was fightin’ back against one of those bastards. Hit him in the head with a rock that was nearly as big as she was. I was able to step in before he tried anythin’ else with her.”
“And I’m assumin’ she gave ye problems when ye tried to get her, aye?” Matthew was smiling, amused. It seemed as though he was proud of the lass too, even though he hadn’t properly spoken to her. “Ye get intimidatin’ when ye care about somethin’.”
“Ye ken she did,” Lucas confirmed, grinning despite the seriousness of the situation. “The other women hid themselves well. If we werenae prepared to track them, it would have taken much longer to find them all.”
“And the monsters responsible for the hunt?” Matthew lowered his voice, stepping in closer as if he were worried about them being overheard.
“They were so damn loud that me men and the other lairds’ men dinnae even have to rely on their trackin’ skills,” Lucassaid, crossing his arms over his chest. “And the dobbers alerted the women when they were close. Their own stupidity is what got them caught and kept those girls from gettin’ injured any further.”
“But they were injured,” Matthew said, his voice dangerously low, nearly a growl. “How badly?”
“Aye, they were, but none of them had anythin’ life-threatenin’,” Lucas said as he stared through the open gate, down the path that led to the castle. “As I said before, we dinnae have time to interrogate the men about what they were doin’, and I dinnae think it appropriate to demand the women tell us everythin’ while we were still in the clearin’. Flora dinnae want to share what happened with me while we rode back either.”
“I will fetch the healer, then,” Matthew said after a beat. In the distance, the rest of the men were approaching. “I ken Annabeth will go after her, but I can expedite the process.”
“Send her straight to Flora with everythin’ she has,” Lucas ordered, taking a step away from his brother, so he was prepared to meet with his men. “She pushed herself. I daenae want her wanderin’ the castle. She can be seen in her quarters.”
“Of course, I will,” Matthew said, looking as if he were restraining himself from implying Lucas was insulting his intelligence. Lucas knew Matthew understood how seriously he took these missions, but he still felt the need to state his directives clearly. “I saw the way she looked. I cannae imaginethat she’s nae hidin’ bruises under her gown. We’ll make sure she’s taken care of.”
Lucas gave him a nod that promptly ended their conversation. As Matthew walked briskly toward the castle, Lucas headed toward the gates to wait for the rest of the cavalry. His guards were standing by, their hands ready to draw swords if anyone followed the group.
“Did ye encounter any issues on the ride?” Lucas barked as soon as the first of his men dismounted.
“Nay,” the man, Ryan, said. “Seems we were lucky.”
Lucas grunted, his eyes watchful as the rest of his men entered the grounds. Some of them bore bruises, and others wore the blood of the lairds that organized the hunt. None of them were seriously injured, and those with minor contusions would likely protest if they were instructed to see the healer.
“Ye all did an excellent job today,” Lucas said, his voice loud and commanding as he prepared to issue the instructions for what came next.
They stood at attention, each of them focused on Lucas. He walked down the line in front of them, his eyes lingering on each of their faces, a sharp sting of pride piercing his chest. Because of these men, as well as the other lairds and their own teams, they’d been able to stop this hunt before anyone was seriously injured.
“Now, I’ll be puttin’ together a team to go back to the village for interrogations. I will be stayin’ here to ensure our newest guest settles in,” he said, part of him aching to lead the team while another, more compelling part of him insisted that he stay here. “Those of ye that go in me stead will be just as ruthless as ye were today.”
Chapter Six
The castle was even more beautiful on the inside than it was on the outside, and it was much easier for Flora to enjoy it with Annabeth by her side. The other woman’s presence was proving to be a comfort she didn’t know she needed.
“The great hall is through there,” Annabeth said, gesturing to a large foyer area with two large wooden doors. “That’s where we’ll eat our meals.”
