“Aye,” she replied coolly. Then she turned back to Scarlett. “I think so.”
Think so? What does that mean?
Before he could press further, Scarlett made a delighted sound.
“Where are we going first?” she asked brightly. “I want to see everything. The stalls, the horses, the?—”
“Ye will want to visit the market first,” Caelan interrupted smoothly. “Before it becomes crowded.”
Aaron frowned. He had not intended to start a conversation with anyone but Edith, but now everyone was speaking except her.
Scarlett turned to face her, grabbing her free hand. “When can we go?” she asked.
Aaron’s brows drew together. “We?”
“Aye. Edith and I.”
Aaron looked at Robert. “Should ye nae be showin’ yer husband around the castle?”
Robert laughed softly into his whiskey.
Scarlett rolled her eyes. “Ye fine men have spent the last half hour standin’ about doing nothin’.Yecan show him around.”
Then, without a shred of guilt, she looped her arm through Edith’s and pulled her away from Aaron.
“The harvest festival will be upon us soon enough, and ye will have a fine binding then,” she added, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Then, ye can have her all to yerself.”
Aaron inclined his head. “Of course,” he said smoothly.
“Of course,” Edith echoed, her voice unwavering.
They had perfected it, this act of deceit. To anyone watching, they were perfectly aligned. But they were perfectly disjointed all the same.
Edith smiled at Scarlett, still not bothering to spare him a glance.
Surely, the lass is testing me.
Robert made a joke about having his entire life to keep Scarlett to himself, and they all laughed. All except Aaron.
Soon, the group was split into two: the men with their whiskey and the ladies with their smiles and practiced pleasantries. Scarlett and Edith moved around the Great Hall, the sound of their laughter carrying even amongst the cluster of women.
Aaron’s chest tightened. It would have been better if Edith had led him to believe that she had simply lost the ability to laugh or smile. But that was not the case, for she seemed jolly with men and women who stopped to speak to her.
He huffed and started on his third cup of whiskey.
Just then, his gaze fell on the last man he would ever want to see, and a muscle ticked in his jaw.
What business does the healer have here?
Edith spotted Martin almost immediately. She held Scarlett’s hand as she walked up to him. They exchanged pleasantries, which were quickly followed by what seemed to be a brief introduction.
Soon, both ladies were smiling at him.
Aaron’s anger flared at the sight. He shifted, considering marching forward to split them up. Just then, Caelan put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him before he made the wrong move.
He released a heavy breath through his nostrils, forcing his gaze away until Scarlett returned to their side.
“Back so soon?” Robert asked.
