It was simple enough to guide him through the central gathering of cottages and up the path to the cluster of her distillery, the stable, and finally the cottage she shared with Violet.
Hannah frowned when she noticed light shining through the shutters. Her sister should have been long abed by now.
“And ye’ve seen me home,” she announced as they came to a stop in front of the familiar building.
“I’ll see ye inside, as well,” Aiden rumbled at her back, catching her up by the waist and lifting her just as effortlessly as he had before.
She grabbed his forearms reflexively and swung her leg over, her feet finding the ground easily. He followed her down with a thud of heavy boots and the rattle of his sword in the scabbard at his hip.
“If ye insist,” she replied belatedly.
She led him to the front door and pushed it open with her shoulder with familiar ease.
They found Violet sitting at the small table to the left of the door, in the midst of a staring contest with a half-eaten bannock that was resting before her on a pewter plate slathered in butter and jam.
Hannah was so surprised to see food in front of her sister that she was barely able to react fast enough when Violet leapt to her feet. Her sister’s blue eyes darted over her head to the large man ducking through the entryway behind her and widened almost comically before what color was in her face vanished.
Familiar with her sister’s propensity to stand too quickly and then drop to the floor, Hannah managed to cross the four feet tothe table and caught her as her knees buckled, lowering her right back into her chair and bracing her shoulders while she came back around.
“What are ye doin’ up this late,mo cridhe? Ye’ll do naught but make yerself ill again.”
“I was hungry,” Violet muttered defensively and gestured pointedly to the bannock.
“Nae that I’m anythin’ less than thrilled to see ye actually eating.” Hannah stepped back slowly when she was sure her sister wasn’t about to fall off the chair. “I expected ye to be long asleep by now.”
“And I expected ye to be gone until tomorrow,” Violet returned, glancing past her at Aiden, who had finally moved away from the door and was scanning the modest main room. “Andunaccompanied.”
Hannah glanced over her shoulder at him and took a deep breath. “Violet, this is Laird MacBain.”
“Aiden,” he reminded her swiftly.
“Aiden,” she echoed.
“What?” Violet’s voice cracked. “Ye brought himhere? The whole village will be in an uproar by lunch, Hannah! We’ll be lucky if there’s nay riot in our field!” She took a moment tocollect herself and cleared her throat, glancing toward Aiden again, who was watching her with a startled expression. “Please, me Laird, daenae take offense.”
“Why would there be a riot?” His voice was a growl.
Violet quickly lost what little color had come back to her cheeks. “B-Because everyone’s afraid of ye.”
“Och!” Hannah stepped between the two. “That’ll be quite enough of that. Violet, take yer snack and go back to bed.”
Her younger sister gave her a thinned-lip look that suggested she was about to argue, then seemed to think better of it, glancing around her toward Aiden again. With a sigh, she stood—cautiously this time—before picking up the plate and leaving the room without further comment, the door to her small bedchamber thudding shut behind her.
Hannah sighed and turned to Aiden, forcing a polite smile. “Thank ye, for seein’ me home safe. Now, ye can be on yer way.”
“On me way?” Aiden raised his eyebrows at her. “Lass, I have nay mind to be goin’ anywhere.”
Hannah blinked twice. “Pardon?”
“I’ve every intention of stayin’ here, havin’ a look around, and seein’ what me council hasnae been tellin’ me. If ye’ll point me to the nearest inn, I’ll see meself there.”
“The nearest inn I ken is the one we were just at,” she admitted. She hesitated for a moment and then nodded her head, decision made. “So ye’ll stay here. I’ll ask me apprentices to see to Liath.” Gesturing to the only other door, she added, “I’ve only the one bed, me Lair—Aiden. Ye should make yerself comfortable.”
Without waiting for him to respond, Hannah ducked back out through the entryway and approached the mare. The gray beast eyed her suspiciously but didn’t become quarrelsome, letting her grasp the reins and lead her to the stable next door. She knocked a few times before swinging the door open.
“Oy, lads!”
There was a moment of silence, and then the apprentices’ tawny heads popped into view over the ledge of the loft where they stayed, mussed from sleep. Hannah peered up at them in the dim lamplight as nearby chickens clucked their dismay at her rude intrusion into their evening.
