CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Edith looked like she had seen a ghost. She stared wide-eyed at him, unmoving as though she were rooted to the spot.
Aaron had never imagined a person could flush so deeply.
Her fingers curled against the sides of her dress as her lips parted slightly, and his brows rose, waiting for what she was about to say.
“Do ye need something?” Martin asked, taking a step toward her.
“Nay.”
Her voice was far from steady, and Aaron’s brow furrowed.
She turned around before he could say a word, fleeing the room without looking back. The door closed behind her with more force than necessary.
Aaron stared at it, confused.
What is wrong with the lass?
He had noticed her unusual behavior since breakfast. It was as though she made it a point to leave every room the moment he entered it. As though she were running from him.
He glanced up at Martin, finding an equally uncertain expression on his face.
Perhaps she expected to meet the healer alone.
His jaw clenched at the thought, and his eyes narrowed slightly, even as Martin stepped closer to him.
“May I?” Martin asked.
Aaron let out a rough breath. It irritated him that he could hardly stand the man. It irritated him even more that he could not bring himself to admit why.
He rose from the stool, pulling on his tunic in one swift motion.
“Yer shoulder—” Martin started to protest.
Aaron waved him off. “Later.”
He walked out of the room before he had completely fastened his tunic and climbed up the small flight of stairs that led to the east wing. Whatever the issue was with Edith, he had had enough. He was going to have it settled as soon as he found her.
Finding Edith did not take long. The door to Scarlett’s old chamber was open, soft light slipping through the gap and into the darkening corridors.
Aaron immediately knew that she was in there.
His steps slowed as he approached the door. He was careful not to startle her.
Since he sent his sister off to live with her new husband, he had not been able to bring himself to push the door open once, much less step inside.
It had not been his wish for Scarlett to marry only for duty. More than anything, he wanted her to find love, even if he knew it would never be in the cards for him. But the clan needed the alliance, and Scarlett agreed to go in exchange for whatever she wanted. And what she wanted was for him to let Edith stay at Hallow Castle.
He stopped at the door, wondering for a moment if Edith had written to her yet and what his sister would think about his fake betrothal to her best friend. Surely, she would be disappointed.
He cleared his throat roughly, and Edith looked up, meeting his gaze. She was sitting at the foot of Scarlett’s old bed, her knees raised to her chest, a linen napkin in her hands. He stepped inside and went to sit on the floor beside her.
An awkward silence fell between them. He hardly knew how to handle it. He had come after her expecting an argument, not this.
“Ye’re hidin’ in me sister’s room,” he said.
Edith did not look at him. “I am nae hidin’.”
