His hand lowered to the back of the chair and picked up a garment—a frock—lifting the flimsy material to his nose like a man starved.
Hell.
He should leave. And yet his eyes closed as he inhaled her scent, a feeling spreading through his chest that he could only describe as the preamble to madness.
Truly, I have lost me senses.
The scent lingered, pulling memories to the surface faster than he could suppress them. The sound of her laughter when she wasn’t with him. The feel of her hand in his. The taste of her mouth.
Damn me.
His fingers tightened around the material. He lowered the garment at once, dragging a hand over his face as though he could wipe the thoughts away.
The lass has driven me mad.
“I didnae expect to find ye here.” Caelan’s voice sounded behind him.
Aaron turned around slowly.
“Ah.” A hint of something flitted across Caelan’s face, but Aaron could not bring himself to care enough to decipher it. “Ye look like a man chased by ghosts.”
If his face hadn’t hardened, his jaw would have tightened as Caelan stepped into the chamber to join him.
“What are ye doing in yer lady’s chamber?”
Yer lady.
It was as though he had chosen that word to taunt him. But there was no smile on the man’s face. Not even the slightest curve of his lips.
“I came to tell her that the carriage is ready,” Aaron managed, the lie smooth enough for the fire burning in his chest.
“Mm,” Caelan murmured, though his expression suggested he had already drawn his own conclusions and was simply choosing not to share them.
Aaron hated that more than if he had said something outright.
“Perhaps she is in the healer’s chamber,” Caelan suggested. “I saw her leave with Martin earlier.”
“Aye.”
The entire hall had seen it.
Caelan turned to leave, and Aaron followed behind him, neither of them saying another word.
The silence suited Aaron as they walked down the corridor that led out of the east wing. They descended the narrow staircase, only to find Robert and Scarlett standing on the bottom step, looking worried.
“There ye are,” Scarlett said, brightening for a moment. “Did ye find Edith?”
They were only a corridor away from the healer’s chamber now. Aaron imagined for a brief moment that Edith might still be there, but the thought of confirming it angered him.
“Nay. I daenae think she is still in the castle.”
Scarlett’s eyes narrowed slightly, the particular narrowing that meant she had noticed something and intended to comment on it later.
“Och.” Her face fell slightly. “Will she leave for the fair without us?”
Aaron glanced at Caelan. It was unlike him, telling lies as though there were a consequence he feared in his own castle.
“Perhaps ye daenae ken yer friend as much as ye think.”
