“I need for ye tae be close tae the keep,” she answered. “I need for ye tae be more than a warrior, Finley. I dinnae have an advisor.”
“I dinnae want tae be an advisor,” Finley muttered. She didn’t want to spend her days listening to the clan’s concerns or the disputes that needed to be settled. She didn’t want to preen in front of visiting lairds and pretend that she enjoyed the idle conversation.
She wanted to fight. She wanted to defend.
“I know,” Aunt Edna said softly. “But I need ye.”
Before Finley could answer, the steward stepped into the room. “He’s here, mah lady.”
“Oh!” Aunt Edna said, pushing out of her chair. “I nearly forgot he was due tae arrive.”
“Who?” Finley asked as she followed her aunt out of the study.
“The advisor from the McGregor clan,” she called over her shoulder, shaking out her skirts before patting her hair. She then looked at Finley’s dirtied attire with a frown. “Oh, Finley, ye look a sight.”
Finley opened her mouth to respond, but her aunt was already turning and heading into the great hall. She looked down at her clothing and grumbled, knowing that her hair was likely escaping the small braid she had placed it in that morning.
Why did she care what the McGregor advisor thought of her? Now that her aunt was in the leading position, they no longer needed the other clan’s assistance.
This would likely be the last she saw of a McGregor.
Finley still touched her braid as she hurried after her aunt, drawing herself up short as she took in the man that was waiting near the fireplace, his hands clasped behind him. When he turned, she gasped, taking in the familiar face that she had seen earlier.
The very one that had laughed at her predicament.
No, no, this couldn’t be happening!
“Erik,” her aunt said warmly, walking over to him with her hands outstretched. “Welcome back. Surely this journey is starting tae feel familiar by now.”
“Aye,” he said, his voice rumbling through Finley. Erik was tall, with short red hair and a scraggly yet neat beard that covered his strong jaw. He was wearing a tunic and breeks, but it was easy to see the outline of a strong form under his clothing.
But it was the smirk on his face as his eyes landed on hers that had Finley frowning.
