Tiny fingers gripped her wrist, jolting Katherine out of her thoughts. She froze, glancing down at Agnes’s palm pressedagainst hers. She squeezed deliberately, trying to get Katherine’s attention.
“Ach, yer knittin’ may be better than mine!” Katherine said when she saw the pleased look on the child’s face. She squeezed Agnes’ hand back, feeling as though she were the luckiest woman in the Highlands. “Are ye sure ye shouldnae be the one givin’ lessons?”
Agnes smiled brighter, dropping Katherine’s hand and running her fingers over her stitched work. To celebrate, Katherine started clapping her hands, but just before she could sing the rhyme that annoyed Agnes, she pressed her palms against her ears.
“Nay!” she cried, sliding away from Katherine as if her song was giving her a physical sensation.
Agnes was giggling as Katherine sang, though, and Katherine decided that even if she couldn’t break through to Liam, she was making progress with his daughter.
* * *
Liam struggled to hide his irritation at just how slowly the preparations for their excursion were taking. Stepping into the corridor after another tense conversation with Cillian that deferred their trip another day, he scrubbed a hand over his face. As frustrated as he was, he knew that his man-at-arms had a point about allowing his men time to rest.
But we’re leavin’ to secure the lands tomorrow at dawn. If they rest too long, they willnae be as sharp. And each day we stay is another day that our enemies could come closer.
As he passed a window, he made note of the sun’s position in the sky. Agnes’s lesson should be over. Katherine should, by all means, be back in the chambers they were meant to share.
A room that he would not occupy or even share with her.
After he’d kissed her, he knew that they both needed distance. He’d let himself become too comfortable, given her too much space in his head and in his chest. She was too important to Agnes now. If he put her in danger, he’d be hurting his own daughter.
Me daughter is the only thing that matters. Her health. Her safety. Me wants are secondary to her needs.
Liam approached Agnes’s quarters, slowing himself and listening for signs that she wasn’t alone. When he was sure that Agnes was the only occupant and that Katherine wasn’t still inside, he stepped into the doorway.
Agnes sat at her table, her book of tales closed and within reach. In front of her was a stack of parchment, the top page filled with Katherine’s precise handwriting. As she slowly and carefully practiced each letter, she kept herself upright with perfect posture.
She didn’t seem to notice him there, her mind incredibly sharp from his own teaching methods. He had trained her to give each task her full attention. He used her distraction to his advantage, crossing his arms as he watched. She was so small and delicate, despite how she carried herself.
I’d burn the entire world for her happiness and safety.
The emotions settled so heavily in his chest that he had to clear his throat to take a proper breath. When Agnes looked up at him, Liam asked, “What are you doin’?”
“I’m workin’ on me letters right now,” she reported dutifully, turning the page toward him so he could see. “I’m goin’ to work more on me stitchin’ soon. Or perhaps I will continue to work on me knittin’. I think it is me favorite thing I’ve learned.”
“I thought readin’ was yer favorite,” he replied.
“They’re both me favorite,” Agnes said, unbothered by the correction. Her focus on her current task was absolute.
His eyes drifted to a piece of fabric held in a wooden ring. She’d already done a bit; the stitches were those of a beginner, but her improvement was evident. He could see which she’d done first and which were the most recent additions. It seemed as if she picked up each subject Katherine taught her more quickly than the last.
“Very good,” he said, the words sounding stiff and formal even to his own ears. It was necessary.
He’d seen the way she responded to Katherine’s praise. Her encouragement was the reason that Agnes was working so hard. He was man enough to admit when his methods weren’t the most effective.
“What do ye think of Katherine?” he asked after a beat. “Are ye enjoyin’ yer time with her?”
Agnes hummed thoughtfully, returning her attention to her paper, saying, “She is too loud to be in me room.” She paused. For a moment, he thought she would leave it at that, but then she added, “But she is quite funny.”
“Ye’re perceptive,” Liam said with a nod. He lingered there for a beat longer before saying, “Keep up yer work. Ye are doin’ well.”
He turned around then, quickly leaving the doorway. He’d call a meeting with his council and make sure security measures were handled. Agnes and Katherine should both be watched more closely in his absence. Not to control but to prevent his enemies from taking advantage of his absence.
Rounding the corner, his steps slowed. At the end of the corridor was Katherine, gazing out of a window with her hair pulled back and her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Along the smooth skin of her forearms were streaks of ink, gently tracing the bare flesh.
His fingers twitched at his sides with the desire to caress it himself.
Instead of turning before he was seen or marching past her to keep the distance he’d been maintaining, he walked toward her. Even as he moved, he blamed this on Agnes. He would control himself for her sake.
