Laurie sniffled, nodding. “Aye.”
Creighton’s gaze slid up, landing on Nora. His heavy eyebrows flickered.
“And ye? What do ye want?”
She held his gaze only for a minute before turning away.
“I’d like to go home, too,” she responded stiffly. “I think it’s high time we ended this. Not in a way that ruins the treaty, of course. But something has to change.”
CHAPTER 25
Nora peeredout of the carriage window, watching MacCrimmon Keep fade into the distance.
Their departure had been as rushed as one might expect. Helena and Hunter did not want them to go. Helena had tried, and failed, to tempt them to stay for one more night with food, comfort, and sympathy. Hunter warned them about the dangers on the road and that most of the daylight had gone.
Creighton remained resolute. They were going home, he said, and stuck to it.
“Ye must visit us soon, though,” Creighton added, laying a hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “Ye and Aunt Helena. This is nothin’ personal; I just want us to get home soon. With Dallas gone…” he paused, face darkening. “I will have a lot of things to manage. A lot of explainin’ to do. And I will need to discover just how deep his treachery goes.”
Hunter nodded understandingly. “Aye, cousin. That makes sense. Send a message back to us, so we ken ye have arrived home safe.”
Now, as Nora peered out of the window, she could see Helena and Hunter standing side by side in the keep gates, waving. She noticed they left space between them, as if making room for a third person.
Skye, she thought, conjuring up an image of the woman who was to go home with Laird Bryden. She wondered briefly how they got along.
Probably better than Creighton and me,she thought sourly, falling back into her seat. They had a long journey ahead of them. Laurie was asleep, huddled up against her nurse, who was also asleep.
Margaret sat stiffly in the corner of the carriage. She had already said that she was used to walking and riding everywhere, and carriages were new to her.
How long will she stay, I wonder?Nora thought, shifting.I should nae try to hang on to her so tightly. It will only make her wriggle away.
As if reading her sister’s thoughts, Margaret smiled wryly.
“Daenae worry, Nora,” she murmured, her voice low so as not to wake Laurie. “I willnae disappear like that again. I… I should naehave done that. I regret it. If I hadnae disappeared so suddenly, ye would never have been here, would ye?”
Nora swallowed. “Nay. I would nae. But let’s nae concern ourselves with maybes and what-ifs. We are here now, and that’s all there is to it.”
Margaret nodded, seeming relieved. Perhaps she’d expected her sister to blame her more. Or perhaps she was blaming herself.
Wordlessly, Nora reached forward, taking her sister’s hand. She squeezed briefly and smiled.
“Whatever happens from now on, nay matter where ye go, I will be here. I will support ye. No more holdin’ ye back, nay more makin’ ye stay in a place that’s too small for ye. The next time ye choose to stay somewhere, it’ll be yer choice.”
Margaret swallowed thickly, moisture glittering in her eyes. “Thank ye, Nora. Thank ye.”
They fell silent after that. Laurie and her nurse slept on, and neither Nora nor Margaret felt inclined to break the silence. The journey spooled out behind them. Occasionally, a shape would move past the window, in the form of a man on horseback. Nora nevermeantto look, but she always did.
Creighton rode beside them, just as he had on the way here. Straight-backed and grim-faced, he sat squarely in the saddle, chin lifted high. His gaze, fixed somewhere distant, never oncestrayed to Nora, even though he must have felt the prick of her gaze on him.
What was it he’d said, in response to Dallas’ comment?
‘Daenae speak of her,’echoed Creighton’s voice in her head.
Dallas responded derisively.‘Why should I nae? Ye will nae marry her.’
Nora bit her lip, dragging her gaze away from the window and turning it onto the dark carriage interior. Everybody knew that the betrothal would not end in marriage. Nora had been told that herself, more times than she could recall.
So why am I here, thinkin’ that somethin’ might be different? Why did I let him kiss me, touch me? Why did I dream…
