I’m doin’ this for her sake. Nae mine.
Coming to a stop beside her, he said, “I’ve just visited Agnes. Her education seems to be comin’ along well. I suppose I have ye to thank for that.”
Katherine turned, blinking once. Her long eyelashes fanned across her full cheeks, and her green eyes seemed to sparkle when they landed on him. Confusion ran through her expression, almost as if she couldn’t quite believe that he had gone out of his way to speak to her. Truthfully, he couldn’t either.
“She’s quite bright,” Katherine said as soon as she seemed to process the interaction. She smiled, her lips so incredibly enticing, the expression so annoyingly happy that he turned his head to look out the window rather than directly at her. “I consider meself lucky to be teachin’ her.”
“I’d like ye to continue,” he said, his voice even and professional. “Agnes seems satisfied. And if she is satisfied, so am I.”
Then, before he did something else he would regret, Liam stepped away, continuing his walk to the meeting room. He felt Katherine’s eyes on him as he moved forward, but using every bit of strength he had, he resisted turning around.
Chapter Fourteen
Achill ran down Katherine’s spine as she walked through the corridors. The solemn way that the servant had summoned her replayed over and over in her mind. No one had spoken to her so seriously since she arrived. Whatever was coming, she didn’t think it could be good.
I daenae ken why Lady Agnes would wish to see me. Perhaps I’ve done somethin’ wrong.
By the time she reached the door, she had identified two potential slights that might have caused her to be summoned. Although she wasn’t entirely sure that dropping her plate in the great hall would deserve a conversation. She had even helped clean it up, despite the maids’ insisting she didn’t need to. The other involved her volume which was much harder for her to control.
But if she asks it of me, I’ll do me absolute best.
She knocked twice on the doorframe, waiting for the older woman to look her way. Although the door was open, she didn’t walk in. It was best to keep her offenses to a minimum. She desperately wanted the older woman’s approval in a way she couldn’t quite explain.
“Lady Agnes,” she said, bowing her head respectfully, staying at the threshold as she waited for an invitation inside. “I was told ye wanted to see me.”
“Aye,” Lady Agnes confirmed, motioning for Katherine to step inside. She let her frail hand fall beside her on the mattress once more. It seemed that the effort of the movement was nearly too much for her exhausted body. “Close the door behind ye, will ye?”
Katherine nodded, entered the room, and pulled the door shut as she had been instructed. She hovered nearby, unsure of what to do with herself. Nervously, she clasped her hands in front of her and waited. She didn’t want to overstep any boundaries.
“Ye daenae have to look as if ye’re worried I’ll strike ye,” Lady Agnes said, an amused smile settling on her lips. Her dry humor seemed to be intact, though Katherine had never seen her look quite so tired. “I have nae desire to, and even if I did, I daenae think I have the strength to make it count any longer.”
“Of course,” Katherine said, some of the anxiety leaving her body as she settled in the armchair next to Lady Agnes’s bed. The frame creaked under her weight, announcing each shift ofher body. She smiled trepidatiously. “Then I’m nae here to be scolded?”
“It’s the opposite,” Lady Agnes said as she adjusted her posture, facing Katherine fully. “I owe ye great thanks, and I have little time left to give it. That is why I called ye here today.”
The words weighed heavily on her shoulders. There wasn’t anything she could say to deny the woman’s words. Denying the statement would be disingenuous, and she was not the kind of woman who would accept empty platitudes.
“The fall at the auction...” Lady Agnes began, not looking away from Katherine, the words spoken plainly. “It has worsened things for me. Even before it, me body was failin’, and I was losin’ me strength. I must thank ye for bein’ there, but I willnae be here to see Agnes grow”
“Ye daenae have to thank me,” Katherine said. “It isnae as if I were able to stop ye from hittin’ the ground.”
“I daenae think I would still be here today if it werenae for ye comin’ to slow me fall. It could have been so much worse than it was, but ye kept me from breakin’ any of me bones,” Lady Agnes countered. “But I didnae call ye here for that. I see the way that ye take care of me great-granddaughter. I can tell she responds well to ye, much better than she does to me grandson’s teachin’.”
“I’m honored to be allowed to teach her,” Katherine said. She meant every word. The girl was without a doubt the reason she’d been allowed to escape her old, awful life. “And I will continueto do so. I didnae have a mother or a grandmother to teach me anythin’. I will continue to do me best.”
“I ken ye will. I can tell that ye care as much about the lass as Liam and I do,” Lady Agnes said, smiling softly. “And I am so pleased that ye are the woman that Liam brought home. I ken that Agnes is in good hands and that Liam is as well.”
“It is me duty to care for both of them,” Katherine said, even though Liam confused her endlessly. It didn’t mean that she would not do her best for him in whatever way she could. She leaned forward, taking hold of the older woman’s hand. “I will be everythin’ that she needs of me, I promise ye. And I will do me best for the clan, includin’ providin’ Liam an heir if it’s required of me. It is the least I can do for all of ye.”
Lady Agnes shook her head, the motion not unkind. “Nay,” she said softly though not accusatory. “Ye willnae.”
“But I will,” Katherine said, unable to hide her confusion. To her, it was the least that she could do. Even with his distance, Liam was still giving her a safe place to live, warm meals, and everything that she could possibly need. But she felt a shiver run down her spine, and a part of her was terrified when she added, “If he asks it of me, I will. It’s me duty.”
“I daenae doubt that,” Lady Agnes replied, turning her palm against Katherine’s and squeezing. “But he willnae touch ye. Ye daenae need to fear him touchin’ ye.”
Understanding landed oddly. Katherine couldn’t tell if it was meant to comfort her or serve as a subtle warning. It twisted her mind in the same way Liam’s behavior had. She couldn’t make sense of anyone in this family.
“Thank ye,” Katherine said finally, taking her hand back when Lady Agnes released it. She placed it in her lap and smiled down at them. “For acceptin’ me into yer home.”
