“The ladies and I worked so hard on it, though,” Katherine murmured, a bit of her personality shining through. It was an encouraging sign. The pirates hadn’t stolen her spirit. “I would hate to see all of that work goin’ to waste.”
“It willnae,” Liam assured her as the gates came into view. “We still have guests to feed, and there is still reason to celebrate. The pirates are gone, ye are safe.”
“Aye,” she murmured, her fingers sliding through Brimstone’s mane. “I suppose we do have some celebratin’ still.”
He didn’t respond as they rode into the courtyard. Tyler was there, the color coming back into his face when he saw Katherine sitting up in the saddle. The groom walked with him to help put both horses away.
As Liam dismounted, the healer came running from within the castle, a bag in her hand. She came to a stop next to them as Katherine’s feet landed on the ground. Digging through her bag, she tutted.
“We will need to get ye washed off,” she said as she pulled out a flannel. She reached out, wiping as much mud away from the cuts on her neck and chest. “Are ye hidin’ any injuries under yer gown?”
“Nay, nothin’ hidden,” she said, holding out her wrists. “This is the worst of it.”
“Ye cannae seem to keep yerself out of trouble,” the healer sighed. “But ye will survive this. Though I cannae promise ye willnae be a wee bit sore.”
“A wee bit of soreness never slowed me down,” Katherine said, still leaning heavily on Liam. “And I think I will feel worlds better after I’m cleaned off. The dried mud is beginnin’ to feel a bit itchy.”
“Ach, I’m sure it is,” the healer said as she linked her arm with Katherine’s. “Let me take ye inside.”
Reluctantly, Liam let go of Katherine. It felt fundamentally wrong to let her out of his sight at the moment, but she was in good hands with the castle’s healer. And, he had to debrief his men.
And Agnes. She must be worried.
“I will see ye soon,” Liam said, the words feeling unnaturally soft as they left his lips.
Katherine nodded and gave him one last, lingering look before she was led inside. Once she disappeared through the doors, several of his guards approached. When they stopped in front of him, they waited for his instructions.
“I will speak with Cillian,” he told them, already beginning his walk inside. “And ye will dispatch a group to the glens. There are four bodies that need to be taken care of.”
“Aye, me Laird,” they said in unison after him.
Liam paid them no mind, his focus now on getting to Agnes and checking on her. Then, he would handle the guests. They could wait, though. What was most important was that his girls were taken care of.
The great hall had been evacuated, and all the guests had been taken back to the relative safety of their accommodations. The corridors were empty save for the guards stationed at regularintervals, ready to defend the people if they needed to. All of them stayed at attention, even as Liam passed them.
“The danger has passed,” he said, his head forward. “Stay in yer positions until I give the order otherwise.”
Less than a minute later, he came to Agnes’s chambers. Cillian was standing outside, his hand on the hilt of his sword. He didn’t relax, not even when Liam stopped in front of him.
This is why I chose him for this job. He would make a good laird himself.
“At ease,” Liam said. “I would like to see me daughter.”
Wordlessly, Cillian stepped aside, letting Liam open the door and enter. Agnes’s eyes raised from her book. She put it aside and scrambled off her bed, wrapping her arms around Liam’s middle.
As Liam leaned down to return her embrace, she said, “I was worried about ye. Cillian wouldnae tell me what was happenin’.”
“There is nae anythin’ ye need to be concerned about,” Liam told her, tucking her close to his side. “The danger is passed.”
“They took Katherine,” she said simply, knowing what had happened even though she hadn’t been told.
He leaned back, his hands cupping her little face. She was a perceptive little thing. It was a quality that he knew she inherited from him, one of the few he was glad to have passed on.
“Aye,” he said, dropping his palms down onto her shoulders. “But she is safe now. And we willnae have to worry about those men ever again.”
“The pirates?” Agnes asked, tilting her head to the side curiously. “I ken that’s why ye daenae like the sea.”
Liam swallowed hard, refraining from asking her where she’d learned about them. He’d worked so hard to shield her from the dangers that lurked just outside the safety of these walls. Though there was nothing he could do to prevent her from overhearing conversations.
