Her hands clenched at her sides, and for a brief moment, Erik thought that she might hit him.
She didn’t, however. “Dinnae tell anyone about that, or I will run ye clean through with mah sword,” she growled, shaking a fist at him.
Erik chuckled, unable to help it, and she made a sound of disgust before stalking down the hall. It was clear to him that she wasn’t happy to see him, but he was enjoying this far too much.
“Tell me, Finley,” he said, “how long have ye been a warrior?” Had they met each other on the battlefield when the lairds were at war? Erik knew he would have remembered her lovely face.
Had she gotten that scar in that battle or another? Suddenly there were more questions than he had answers. Bloody hell, he wanted to know all there was about Finley McPherson.
“’Tis none of yer concern,” she replied hotly, stopping before a closed door. “Here is yer room.”
Erik wasn’t paying attention to the room but rather the blush that had spread across Finley’s cheeks. What could she be blushing about?
“Thank ye,” he said, leaning against the doorframe. “I suspect that we will be seeing each other again.”
She huffed and walked off, leaving Erik to enter the room alone, still thinking about Finley. While he had wanted to forget he had encountered her earlier, now that she was here, he longed to learn more about her.
Closing the door behind him, Erik walked over to the window, looking out over the courtyard. The clan had been busy since his last visit, the wall complete and some of the other improvements starting to take shape in the distance. Erik knew that the clan had suffered a great loss, and he wasn’t just thinking about the laird.
No, the laird’s death was not a loss but a blessing in disguise.
They had lost fathers, brothers, sons, and even a few women. They had starved for years, losing more that were not strong enough to survive the food drought. Their crops had failed, and what little funds they had went toward the laird’s lifestyle instead of bettering the clan.
But now, Erik could see the fruits of their labor. The village was once again thriving, the new lady having everyone’s best interests in mind. He had little doubt that Edna would bring the McPherson clan back amongst the great clans of Scotland soon.
And he would no longer be needed, nor would anyone else from the McGregor clan.
Erik ran a hand over his hair, blowing out a breath. Now, Edna wished for him to help her with an upcoming visit. He would honor her request, mainly because he liked Edna.
It had nothing to do with Finley. Nothing at all.
Later that evening, Erik stepped out of his room, having enjoyed a bath, and changed his clothing for dinner.
“Are ye the guest then?”
Erik turned to find a young lass standing beside him, dressed in a pair of breeks and tunic that reminded him of Finley.
“Depends on who ye ask, lass.”
She smirked. “I heard that ye were coming. Aunt Edna doesnae like tae keep secrets from us.”
So, this had to be Finley’s sister.
“Oh?” he asked. “Then ye must be entrusted with some very important secrets then.”
She smiled, and he grinned back at her. “Perhaps.”
“Lisbeth!”
Her eyes rounded as an unfamiliar voice echoed through the hall. “Please dinnae tell them that ye saw me. They want me tae take a bath, and I like being dirty.”
Erik chuckled as she ran past him and down the hall, disappearing around the corner. It wasn’t long before a servant came scurrying past, her eyes glancing at him. Erik just shook his head as he moved toward the great hall, remembering his way from earlier.
Every time he had visited before, he had slept in the keep, in the same room as Kaiden would conduct his business as the acting laird. He knew this keep just as well as he knew the one on McGregor land, but it didn’t feel like home.
This wasn’t his home. This wasn’t his laird, nor was it where he chose to spend a great deal of time. It was nothing against Edna. Erik knew that she would understand his need to be back home, where he belonged.
But he couldn’t leave until he helped her out and brokered the peace with this visiting laird. The McPherson clan needed alliances with more than just Kaiden if they wished to survive the future, and this was the start.
