Elaina had turned slightly away from him in the chair. Her shoulders were drawn inward and her hands were clasped tightly in her lap. At first, he thought she was simply shivering. But then, he saw the way her shoulders trembled.
“Elaina?”
She did not answer. Duncan crossed the room to approach her.
“Are ye hurt?”
She shook her head quickly. “Nay.”
The word came out too quickly, and her voice… it soundedwrong.It sounded thin and strained.
Duncan frowned faintly. “Then what is it?”
She wiped quickly at her cheek, as though hoping he had not noticed. But he had.
“Elaina,” he said more gently, stepping closer. “What’s wrong?”
She drew in a breath that seemed to break halfway through her chest.
“Naething.”
It was a poor attempt. Duncan knelt slightly beside the chair she was sitting in, so he could see her face. Her eyes were bright with tears she was clearly trying very hard to hide.
“Ye are crying,” he said tenderly.
She turned her head away again.
“I am nae.” Her voice cracked.
Duncan exhaled slowly. In his mind, the explanation was simple.
“Ye’re cold,” he continued with equal tenderness. “And tired.”
The storm, the mud, the long walk back through the rain… anyone would have been shaken by it.
“Ye’ve had a difficult evening,” he added calmly. “Once the tea comes and ye’re dry?—”
“Nay.”
The word broke through his explanation. Elaina shook her head again, harder this time.
“Ye dinnae understand.”
Duncan stilled.
Her voice trembled as she spoke again. “There are things ye dinnae ken.”
He didn’t take his eyes off of her even for one second.
“What things?”
She pressed her hands together tightly, as though trying to hold something inside herself that threatened to spill free.
“Things that change everything.” Her breath shuddered. “Life can change forever in a single moment.”
Duncan frowned slightly. The words made little sense to him.
“I ken that,” he said gently. “But ye’re safe here.”
