The second worst,she reminded herself.This would be so much easier if he were going bald. With warts, maybe. And a wee bit less smooth-talking.
It was no good. She had no appetite, and the food wasn’t going to distract her. The sun wasn’t quite up—she hadn’t been able to sleep—and barely anybody was in the feast hall for breakfast. The Keep wasn’t quite awake yet. Outside, pink and gold sunlight washed the fields, silhouetting small houses and crofts in black. Nobody was stirring yet, as far as she couldtell, except for a few servants who’d prepared a pot of gruel for themselves. Really, she was lucky that they’d agreed to share. Sighing, she dropped the spoon into the gruel and groaned aloud, pressing her hands over her eyes.
“Come on, Una. Were ye never curious?”
It was a clever speech. Una was almost entirely sure that he’d asked her to consider bedding him, but in such a way that he could have deniability. She imagined herself telling Kai what he said, only to have Struan widen his eyes, the image of innocence.
“I never meantthat,”he’d say, with an expression of wounded virtue.
She rolled her eyes. Ridiculous man. Not that shewouldtell Kai any of this. There was no telling how he would react, and in truth, she wasn’t sure if she trusted Kai. Not in a bad way, of course. He was her brother, and she loved him, but it would take time for the trust to grow back between them.
If it ever comes back.
“Una! There ye are.”
She flinched at Kyla’s voice and glanced up to see Kyla and Astrid standing over her. Kyla looked tired, with dark rings around her eyes. Una wondered if she was still sick. Astrid, on the other hand, was fresh and beautiful in a long, heavy tartan gown, her fair hair cascading loose down her back.
Not for the first time, Una felt a stab of envy. Astrid was so beautiful, so effortlessly. Sometimes Una felt as though she were carved from mud and rock, every bit as ugly as she’d been made to feel when she was a slave at Keep Dickson.
“Enjoying yer breakfast?” Kyla asked, her voice a little strained.
Una cleared her throat. “Aye,” she lied.
Without waiting to be invited, Kyla slipped onto the wooden bench beside her. Astrid remained standing.
“I’m here to apologize,” Astrid said abruptly. “I implied that ye had feelings for Struan Dickson. That was a wrong thing to say. It was cruel, too. We are all in this together, and ye and I, we are family now.” Astrid met Una’s eye and held it. “I should have been kinder. Ye should try to understand, though. My first encounter with Struan was not ideal…”
Una breathed out raggedly and forced a smile.
“I value yer honesty, Astrid. And frankly, I’m glad that ye will speak to me about any problems that ye see. Not everybody will.”
Astrid gave a small, wavering smile and finally slid down to sit on the edge of the bench.
“I’m glad to hear it,” she said softly.
Kyla beamed at them both. “I suppose ye both heard the news? Struan gave information to Kai! He’s on our side! He’s going to help us. All of this has been worth it.”
“It was a relief,” Astrid acknowledged.
“I only wish he’d speak more to me, though,” Kyla added, sighing. “I’ve tried to talk to him so many times, but he always manages to avoid me. Even when I corner him, it’s as if he can’t bear to speak to me or even look at me. I think maybe he hates me now.”
“He doesn’t,” Una responded instantly. “He cares for ye, Kyla.”
Astrid threw a sharp glance at Una, and she hastily avoided her stare. Una began to eat her gruel again, more to avoid conversation than anything.
“Struan’s out in the training fields again today,” Astrid said after a moment’s pause. “He’s not allowed to train with weapons, of course, but he insisted upon proper combat. From what I hear, it’s not going well.”
Glancing at Kyla, Una saw that there were tears glimmering in her friend’s eye. Drawing in a breath, she forced a smile and changed the subject.
Struan’sthree guards had been replaced with older, grimmer men. They didn’t bully him or make comments as Una walked by, but there was barely suppressed anger in their eyes even so. They were veteran soldiers, experienced enough and intelligent enough to understand the danger Laird Dickson—and therefore his son—posed to all free clans in the Highlands, and old enough to have personally lost loved ones.
The three of them surrounded Struan. There was some sort of order to the chaos. He’d grapple one, and after he’d pushed the first man away, a second man would come forward before he had a chance to regain his breath.
As she watched, one of the guards delivered a cracking punch to Struan’s jaw. He staggered backwards, eyes briefly unfocusing. Whether the guard intended to follow up or not remained to be seen. Una spoke up.
“That’s enough.”
The three men glanced her way and immediately jumped stiffly to attention. They said nothing but stepped back, indicating that the session was at an end.
