“Nay, Liam,” Katherine said, her tone light but clearly meant to chastise. “We’re takin’ a break. Ye can get back to tellin’ us about the land when we finish our meal.”
Agnes’ breath caught, and she looked between the two of them as though she were expecting an argument. Liam raised an eyebrow at Katherine, the corner of his mouth tugging upward.
“I suppose ye’re right,” he said, picking up a roll of bread and taking a bite. As he chewed, Agnes’s mouth dropped open, her surprise almost comical. After Liam swallowed, he said, “I will continue teachin’ the both of ye after we eat.”
“And after we dip our toes in the river,” Katherine added.
“I think ye’re both more than capable of learnin’ while yer feet are in the water,” Liam said, not willing to let her makeeveryrule.
The serious look on his face made both Agnes and Katherine giggle. He frowned, but the action only seemed to make their laughing worse. Scoffing to maintain his authoritative demeanor, he continued to eat.
“Ye are strange today, Father,” Agnes said, that bluntness she learned from Katherine shining through.
“Perhaps I’m enjoyin’ the weather,” he countered. “Now, eat yer food.”
Agnes paused for another moment before she finally began her meal. He looked at Katherine, who was grinning around a berry. It was peaceful, the world seeming to convalesce into something perfect and dreamlike.
I’m softer around her. And Lady Agnes saw it before anyone else did.
* * *
“Can I go to the river now?” Agnes asked, doing an incredible job of keeping herself still despite her clear desire to splash around like the child that she was.
“Daenae leave our sight,” Liam said, his permission all Agnes needed to begin stripping off her shoes and stockings. “And daenae go further than the bank. The current is much stronger than it looks.”
“Aye,” Agnes said. She looked at Katherine then. “Will ye come with me?”
“In a moment,” Katherine said, too comfortable to get up.
With her belly full and the wind softly touching her cheeks, she felt as if she truly belonged. Liam sat nearby, his fingers just inches from hers. She was reluctant to leave this moment.
“Ye’ve been teachin’ her quite well,” Liam said as Agnes ran off toward the riverbank. Brimstone and Liam’s mare were nearby,grazing in the vibrant grass. “Nae only is she gettin’ better at readin’ and writin’ and learnin’ needlework, but she’s findin’ her voice.” He met Katherine’s eyes. “Though, I must admit she sometimes sounds quite a bit like ye.”
“I do suppose I have played a part, havenae I?” Katherine said, smiling warmly as Agnes dipped a toe into the water. “Ye raised a headstrong wee thing, though. I think she was always goin’ to be stubborn and opinionated. I’ve simply accelerated her discovery.”
He grunted in acknowledgment, following Katherine’s gaze. For a few moments, they simply watched as Agnes allowed herself to be a young girl. She lifted the hem of her dress and waded in, giggling to herself as the water caressed her ankles. The sound was sweet and soft, carried to them by the gentle breeze.
“It’s good for her,” Liam said after a moment. “To ken she can make herself heard. I daenae wish for her to grow up thinkin’ she must be seen and nae heard. She will have her duties, places where she is the one in charge, but I want her to ken she can always speak and make her opinions kent.”
“Ach, but I was under the impression that ye found that quite irritatin’,” Katherine said playfully, her hand sliding over just enough to brush his.
For a moment, he was quiet. Then, his thumb brushed against hers deliberately, the contact enough to make her heartbeat flutter.
Good-naturedly, he admitted, “I cannae say that Ienjoybein’ challenged, but it’s good for me. It’s good for anyone.”
“That’s… surprisingly insightful,” Katherine said, tilting her head to the side thoughtfully. “But ye’re correct. People daenae grow if they’re nae challenged, either by other people or the situations they put themselves into.” She paused for a beat before adding, “Or by bein’ put into situations they didnae choose.”
Liam absorbed that, and when he met her gaze, she could see him trying to piece together whether she was talking about herself or him. Eventually, he said, “Aye, the situations we daenae choose for ourselves are the ones that facilitate the most growth.”
“They teach us the most about ourselves,” Katherine agreed. Then, hesitantly, she added, “And they sometimes show us things we didnae ken we wanted. Or things we didnae ken we could have.”
Liam let out a surprised chuckle. Then, with a twinge of awe, he said, “Ye werenae kiddin’ when ye said that ye had an interest in philosophy.”
“I daenae see a reason that I would lie,” Katherine countered. She thought back to the auction, the eyes on her, the way they didn’t seem to care for a single talent she had. “Especially because I wasnae impressin’ anyone.”
“Ye charmed Lady Agnes,” Lucas said, the words carrying a kind of emotional weight that she didn’t expect from him. Then, as if he’d shared too much, been too transparent, he added, “And I quite liked yer ridiculous song at the end. Though I daenae think that ye employed it at an appropriate time.”
“I was doin’ me best,” Katherine said, the lightness of the moment bringing a giggle out. She looked toward Agnes, who was now trying to convince the horses to come drink from the river. “It was me only other talent, and I had to be sure I shared it before the biddin’ began.”
