“I’m glad to have had the chance to meet ye,” Lady Agnes said, her voice carrying more emotion than she’d ever heard before. Then, putting a definitive end to the conversation, she said, “When ye leave, close me door behind ye. I’d like a wee bit of rest before I take me dinner. I daenae have the same energy I used to.”
“Of course, Me Lady,” Katherine said as she rose, giving Lady Agnes another polite bob of her head before she walked as quickly as she dared into the corridor. “I hope yer rest is restorative.”
As soon as she was alone, Lady Agnes securely in her chambers, Katherine stopped moving. She shoved the heels of her palms against her eyelids, trying to make sense of what had transpired, what those last wordsreallymeant.
Does she mean Liam doesnae desire me? Then why did he kiss me? And why is he bein’ so cagey around me?
Her mind felt frazzled, like it was about to break at the seams. She didn’t know if she should place blame on Liam or her fatheror herself for it all. Ever since she’d been taken to the auction, it had been as though the ground beneath her feet was constantly shifting.
Taking a long, deliberate breath, she lowered her hands. As Katherine rolled her shoulders back, she put on her most convincing smile. She didn’t know if she’d ever figure out Liam, but there was a little girl who needed someone to teach her how to be a lady.
And that girl didn’t need to know just how confused Katherine was. She needed to believe that Katherine would always be a solid presence in her life.
* * *
Men marched through the camp, some heading to their watch positions, others making their way to the makeshift kitchen in the center. Liam nodded at a guard as he passed and headed to meet his scouts.
“Laird MacDougal,” Cillian said when he stepped inside, rising from his seat along with the other scouts.
“Cillian,” Liam said in greeting, giving his friend a sharp nod of his head. As he took his place at the table, he said, “Ye may be seated, all of ye.”
He looked at each of them, trying to ascertain what they’d found without words. All of them were seasoned, their faces blank. Truthfully, he’d be irritated if they wore their findings so plainly.
“Status report,” he said, looking directly at his man-at-arms. “Tell me anythin’ of interest that ye found while ye were out.”
“There wasnae anythin’ in the lands me and me crew searched,” Cillian replied. “Nay signs of any rival clans encroachin’. We didnae come across another soul outside of the village on the edge of the northern border.”
Liam’s jaw tightened. This was good news, yet it didn’t feel that way. Instead, a sense of foreboding seemed to settle upon the room. It had been quiet around their lands for far too long.
“The lands ye searched are completely secure then,” Liam said, steepling his hands on the table. He paused for a moment, a plan starting to take shape in his mind. “We will continue further west tomorrow. I will coordinate the packin’ and route.” His eyes swept the men who were gathered, all of them listening intently. “And were there any reports of pirate sightings?”
“Nay,” Cillian said, his voice carrying the same sick anticipation that Liam felt building in his chest. “Nay, the last sightin’ was nearly four years ago.”
The gathering inside the tent fell silent. It was unlikely they had simply vanished. With the sea at their doorstep, they could be anywhere, even nearby. It wasn’t as if they were more than a few hours from the coast at any point.
“They arenae completely self-sufficient,” Liam said before the quiet completely engulfed them. He thought of Agnes. OfKatherine. “We will need to contact our allies on the coastline. Surely, someone has seen the ship or heard of its whereabouts.”
“I will prepare several missives and send them along with a messenger,” Cillian said, shifting on his stool, already anticipating what Liam would ask of him. “But I’m inclined to believe that they arenae concerned about comin’ to land at the moment. Our allies ken to inform ye of any activity, even if it’s only suspected.”
“Ye say that,” Liam said, his voice grave, refusing to allow anyone to downplay the threat, “but just because they arenae seen, that doesnae mean that the threat is gone.”
The Pirate Laird has already taken so much from this land. I willnae allow us to become complacent.
Cillian’s jaw tightened, and a few of the other men shifted in their seats. “I understand,” he said, meeting Liam’s gaze once more. He was the only one brave enough to face him. “And I am nae takin’ this situation lightly.”
“I expect ye to act like it from now on,” Liam replied, looking over the gathering. “We will continue our mission, then. We must be prepared. So, we will secure the land from here to the sea. Cillian, ye will send the messages. If any of ye see signs of the pirates bein’ nearby, ye will report to me immediately. Is that understood?”
“Aye, Me Laird,” they said in unison once more.
“That will do,” Liam said. He narrowed his eyes, taking in the rest of his scouts. “Is there anythin’ else that needs reported?”
“I found evidence of bandits at the edge of me search perimeter,” Matthew, the man sitting next to Cillian, said. “An old camp with a few broken utensils that were left behind.” He pulled a rusted fork from his pocket. “It’s old. I’m plannin’ on followin’ the trail when we move again.”
Liam picked up the fork, his thumb tracing over the rusted spots. It did look old, as if it had been left in the forest for years. Something so small could have easily been overlooked in other searches, though.
“How much more did ye find?” Liam asked, looking back at Matthew. “And where was this? Would we have missed this on our last journey?”
“There was a fairly large pile of things that had been discarded,” Matthew reported. He held himself taller under Liam’s scrutiny. “And I daenae think that anythin’ had been there for an incredibly long time. It wasnae along the road, but I wasnae more than a few meters into the forest. It could have been seen on horseback.”
