She tucked into her food, her appetite suddenly returning, and, at the far end of the table, Camron did the same.
Chapter Seven
Sated with lunch,Isla wandered from the Great Hall to explore a little more of the rest of the Keep. She had to admit, while it was difficult for her to see this place as much more than a prison, it was pleasant enough to look at.
In the light of day, it seemed to have far fewer of the dark shadows that had plagued it when she had first arrived. The chapel, which she spent a few minutes in, was almost peaceful now that it was not the location of her wedding. She sat for a moment in one of the pews, her hands clasped in her lap, grateful for a moment of peace among all the madness and chaos that had swarmed around her since she’d arrived.
It was not in her nature to cause such trouble. Though Catriona and her father might have argued that it was, she never intended to make life harder for people, but she just lived as she saw fit. Sometimes, it seemed, she came up against the expectations people had for her, and no matter how much she tried to argue for the contrary, she felt like little more than a problem to the people around her.
Something her dear husband would soon find out. Though it was entirely ungodly, she couldn’t help but smile to herself when she remembered how he had eaten his lunch without a glance inher direction, as though he could barely bring himself to look at her. Such had been the level of frustration that she had caused him.
She thought of nudging him a little further, seeing what other reactions she could get from him, but she must save her energy. And besides, there was more of this place to discover yet.
Which was how she found herself wandering towards the stables, where she could smell the familiar scent of hay in the air. She was sure such a place was not fit for a lady, but she had done little today that would have matched with the role that had been assigned to her. So why stop there?
As she stepped inside, she reached up to run her hand down the nose of one of the chestnut mares whose head hung over an uneven wooden board. She had always liked horses, though she had never been much good at riding them. Her father had never bothered to teach her and her sister in any great detail. She had often longed to learn, imagining the freedom of feeling the wind tearing through her hair as she was carried away to wherever she wanted. Perhaps, in retrospect, it was for that very reason that her father had decided not to teach her, wanting to make certain she would not take off into the distance without a word of warning given the chance.
“I didnae expect to see ye here, my Lady.”
She glanced up, surprised to see Archie stepping out from behind another one of the small spaces where the horses were stored. She offered him a smile, reminding herself that she would do well to cultivate an ally at a time like this. For all that she didn’t know anyone here, a friend in the family would surely only be a good thing in the long term, even if it seemed rather impossible for the moment.
“I like horses,” she replied, suddenly feeling appallingly childish.
He leaned against the wall, a slightly roguish smile on his face, the one that she had grown used to seeing him with.
“Do ye ken how to ride?” he asked, and she shook her head.
“No. Not really, anyway,” she replied. “I never learned. My father?—”
“Well, it wouldnae do for a lady to have such a gap in her knowledge,” he remarked. “I could teach ye, if ye like.”
She raised her eyebrows. For some reason, being taught to ride seemed like a rather intimate prospect to her, though she could not for the life of her think why. Perhaps it was the way he was looking at her, as though he was rather enjoying having her to himself, whether or not he would say it out loud.
“I dinnae ken if many people would think it right for a lady to ride…”
“Side-saddle, of course,” he added, his grin spreading a little wider. “I wouldnae want to cast aspersions on yer righteousness, after all.”
She almost laughed at the thought. If she had not done good on proving herself a nuisance, as Camron had called her, then she was sure she would have wasted the day. The thought of Camron and how sharp he had been with her only stirred her rebelliousness, and she shrugged.
“I dinnae see why not,” she replied. “This place is so far from anything, I suppose it would make sense for me to learn to ride somewhen.”
“My thoughts exactly,” he replied, ducking his head down in agreement as he went to pull open one of the stable doors.
Grasping at the reins, he led the creature out into the courtyard, and she followed, glancing around to see if they were being watched. She hoped they were. She wanted every bit of this to get back to Camron. If he found out that she had been learning to ride, she was sure he would find some way to twist itagainst her; convince himself that she was nothing more than a problem he should have been doing his best to divest himself off.
Tossing a worn-down leather saddle over the horse’s reddish-brown back, Archie made his way around the steed to join Isla.
“It’s rather… tall, isn’t it?” she remarked, her voice quivering slightly.
She wasn’t sure she was cut out for this, after all. The thought of sitting at a dainty side-saddle on this creature seemed a prime way to be tossed to the ground without a second thought. She could see herself face-down in the mud all too easily, especially with how clumsy and uncoordinated she could get.
“It’s no’ as bad once you get in the saddle,” Archie replied. “Here, allow me to help.”
And, before she could say another word, he grasped her by the waist and lifted her from the ground. She let out a cry of shock but caught hold of the reins just in time, and Archie lowered her into the seat. And, just as it had the night before when he had asked her to dance, his hand lingered a moment longer than it had to on that intimate part of her.
She glanced down at him to find his eyes, knowing and half-lidded, looking back up at her. She recoiled slightly, about to remark on it, when another voice cut in to take on the matter for her.
“And what in God’s nameare the two of ye doing out here?”
