Wilkie stood, and it seemed too sudden, too abrupt.He walked from the room followed by Kade, without so much as a backward glance. And I felt lost and desolate at his hasty departure.
But Christie and Ailie swept me up in their quest to entertain me and to take me out-of-doors, and I couldn’t help but feel uplifted by their exuberance and by my own anticipation.
Christie left to retrieve a hat for me to wear, and then I was escorted through the side door to the airy glittery day.
Had I ever felt so alive? Nay, that wide-open world had never felt so reassuring nor so kind. There was a new solace in its contained beauty, here inside the walls of this keep. I was shielded from foes and predators. The day was sunny, the plants positively bursting with rich promise, and I was in good company. My new sisters, one on each arm, chatted happily. And I took wild comfort from the knowledge that Wilkie was nearby and that we would reunite as soon as day gave way to night.
If we saw people in the distance, we took care to skirt their vicinity, although it felt strange to be so sly and secretive. In my past life, people had taken little notice of me; now, to have to keep myself hidden and disguised, in my elevated mood, it felt almost laughable.
“No one would take notice of me.” I tried to reassure Ailie and Christie. “I’m sure of it.”
“Actually—” Christie smirked cagily, as if she was letting loose secret information “—there is a rumor that Wilkie is keeping a lass in his private chambers. I overheard several of the cooks discussing it. Trust me, Roses, they’ll take plenty of notice if word gets out that you’re here and you’re real, and you’re currently strollingthe gardens. Wilkie is popular, not just among our clan, but far afield.”
I found myself wishing Christie didn’t provide quite so much information on that topic. But, then, I knew of this already. And I supposed it would make for interesting news, that the laird’s handsome, sought-after brother had a secret of this kind.
We walked among a young birch grove, and the leaves dappled the sunlight on its soft grassy floor. “Let’s take off our boots,” I suggested, wanting to feel the coolness of the grass and the earth. I sat and began to unlace my shoes, registering momentarily the old, worn state of them. I felt shamed by this, that Ailie and Christie might notice and would be reminded once again of who I was and where I came from. But it could hardly be helped.
The sisters hesitated, as though removing their boots would never have occurred to them. “I haven’t walked barefoot since I was a child,” said Ailie.
“Oh, you must do it now, then,” I encouraged. “’Tis a wondrous feeling. So free.”
They followed my lead, and we walked, reveling in the softness of it, and before long we were running and playing like children through the grove and farther, to the edge of the pear orchard.
We sat under a gnarled, laden tree and ate several of the pears, letting the juice run down our chins and commenting on the delightful ripeness.
“See?” Christie laughed. “Roseswilltaste of pears tonight.”
“Christie,” scolded Ailie. “Don’t be childish.”
I couldn’t help smiling, feeling utterly comfortable with these sisters. Never having had siblings, sharingthis time with them, listening to their playful bickering, I found them fascinating. And at Christie’s comment, I lay back on the grass. I closed my eyes and thought of Wilkie kissing me, tasting the sweetness on my lips. The thought brought warmth to my body, and I could feel the light throb begin again between my legs, where he’d touched me and inspired such sweet sensation. I wanted him to do it again, here, now.
We heard the crack of a twig nearby, as though snapped by a footstep. I opened my eyes and saw that both the sisters had become alert.
“We should go back now,” Ailie said in hushed tones. “Wilkie said not to stay out for too long. Come.” She began to rise, and Christie and I moved to follow her.
I saw a dark shape emerge from behind a nearby tree. And another.
Ailie made a small sound of distress at the exact moment I, too, noticed that these were not Mackenzie gardeners.
They were Ogilvie warriors.
CHAPTER TEN
MYMINDWHIRREDWITHPANIC. Where did they come from? How did they get inside the walls? Hadn’t Wilkie said that the keep was well guarded? Had they found a hole in the defense?
There were four of them, and they surrounded us. They wore hoods, but I recognized their faces, although I knew none of them by name.
Christie, Ailie and I huddled together in the middle of their shrinking circle, and when one of them reached to grab Christie’s arm, she let out a high-pitched scream. I was glad she did, too, as it might alert others to our plight.
The Ogilvie warrior was caught off guard by the noise she made and let go of her momentarily. And Christie screamed again, calling Wilkie’s name, twice. But then the Ogilvie warrior grabbed her again, and he sneered at her. “We might have found ourselves more than one prize, men.”
Christie screamed again, and the warrior pulled her up against him and covered her mouth with his hand. She struggled, and her screams were muted to near silence. Ailie was grabbed by another warrior, and the look on her face brought all the pain of my earlier realization home to me: they were not safe. And it was my fault they had been put in this dire and horrific situation.
Before a third warrior could grab me, I reached down to pick up a thick stick that lay on the ground near my feet.
I took off my hat.
“Unhand them. ’Tis me, Roses. I’m the one you want. Leave them.”
