Lilly blinked. “You w-want…” she stammered. “My Lady. You want me to look…”
Marian merely stared at her. Her throat bobbed as she waited for her to get up and begin the search.
Lilly shifted, realizing the gravity of the situation.
“Of course!” she squeaked. “It is my duty to protect you whilst we’re here, and I shall…” She swallowed, fear flashing in her eyes. “I shall investigate.”
Her fingers trembled as she picked up the lamp from the bedside table.
Marian lurched forward, holding her hand. “Wait!”
Lilly froze.
“You cannot take the lamp,” Marian blurted.
Poor Lilly immediately turned paler. She lookedterrified.
Marian’s heart squeezed at the sight. Unlike her, the maid spent much of her time listening to and believing in superstitions. If there were indeed a ghost hiding in the room, she was sure to pass out first.
“I cannot?” Lilly’s voice came out small, almost pleading.
Marian glanced at the open window. It was daybreak now, but the room was not nearly bright enough for comfort. Not with the possibility of something lurking in the shadows.
She looked back at Lilly. The poor girl was visibly tense and clutching her nightgown with her free hand.
Marian’s resolve faltered.
“Let us investigate together.” Her tone was warmer now, almost apologetic.
Lilly nodded.
They stood by the bed, Marian holding the lamp and Lilly fidgeting behind her, both unsure of what to do next.
Suddenly, a sharp knock sounded at the door.
“Who is it?” Marian and Lilly shouted in unison, staring wide-eyed at the door.
It took Marian a second to process. Lilly’s arms wrapped around her waist instinctively. Her grip tightened slightly before loosening as quickly as it had.
“The Laird requests yer presence in his study,” a boy’s voice answered quickly from outside the door, and Marian frowned.
This early?
Lilly straightened, clearing her throat.
“What about breakfast?” Marian called.
There was a pause. The boy was probably surprised that she’d asked.
“The Laird didnae mention breakfast, me Lady,” he answered, eventually.
Marian sighed. She set the lamp on the table and sank back onto her bed, not bothering to answer the door.
Suddenly, the possibility of sharing her chambers with a ghost did not seem nearly as dreadful.
“Very well,” she said. “I will come shortly.”
Lachlan stood at the window in his study, staring out at the glen as the morning mist cleared slowly.
