CHAPTER 5
Skye eyedthe wooden box with distrust. “Do I have to go in there?”
Evander sighed. “Aye. It’s a litter. Ladies travel in litters.”
“I usually ride. And if we reallydidlive together, then ye willnae convince me that I never said as much. If ye expect me to believe that I meekly climbed into a locked box likethisand gave up riding, ye are definitely lying to me.”
He pursed his lips, taking a moment before he responded.
I wonder if me voice is grating on him yet,she thought with a wry, tight smile.
“Aye, ye did insist on riding,” he said at last. “And for what it’s worth, I never made ye ride in a litter. But today, ye will ride in it.”
“I—”
“Ye are weak, confused, and bedraggled. Ye daenae look like a lady; ye barely look as if ye can stand upright unaided. Ye arenae well, and ye arenae yerself. When we return to the keep, ye will have yer horse again, and ye can ride once ye are strong enough.”
“But—”
He rounded on her, looming over her. Skye swallowed thickly. Up close, he was even larger than before.
“No buts,” he said carefully, his voice clipped andalmostangry. “I said what I said. Ye ride in there today. Tomorrow, ye can visit Scarecrow in the stables, and?—”
“Scarecrow?”
He blinked. “Aye, I suppose ye wouldnae remember, would ye. Do ye nae remember Demon?”
“What?”
“Never mind. Ye will find out soon enough. I gave ye a horse as a wedding present. Nae a fine thoroughbred, just a raggedy Highland horse with a yellow mane. Ye thought it looked untidy and called him Scarecrow. Ye loved him, though.”
Skye drew her lower lip between her teeth. “I never had a horse of me own before.”
“Aye, I ken,” Evander responded shortly, turning away. “Because yer braither didnae want ye riding on yer own outside the keep, there was no point in keeping yer own horse. But I imposed no such rules on ye. Now, in the litter with ye, if ye want to be home before dark.”
Skye found herself obeying, much to her surprise.
The inside of the litter was comfortable enough. It was a plain wooden box, with iron to strengthen the outside and around the windows. Two seats, padded and fur-lined, faced each other. A thick woolen rug covered the floor, and there were extra blankets folded on the seats. A thin curtain rippled across the window, tugged by the breeze.
She sank down into one of the seats and leaned back with a long sigh. The door, thankfully, was not locked from the outside, only latched.
How far would it be to Keep Bryden?
Squeezing her eyes shut, Skye tried to conjure up a memory of a map of the Highlands. Before dark, Evander had said, if they hurried along. What time was it now? Midday? Or perhaps?—
The door jerked open, making her flinch. She watched, wide-eyed, as Evander clambered in, dropping down heavily onto theseat opposite. Once settled, he reached up and hammered on the litter roof. There was a jerk, a lurch, and they began to lumber forward.
“What are ye doing?” Skye asked.
Evander lifted his eyebrows. “Take a wild guess.”
“Why are ye in here with me? I thought ye would ride alongside.”
“Aye, generally I would. I daenae travel in litters often. Or at all,” he added with a sniff. “But ye arenae yerself, and I thought ye might like some company.”
She pressed her lips together. “Oh.”
“Unless, of course, ye prefer to sit in boredom,” he said, leaning back with a faint smirk. “I thought we could perhaps use the time to get reacquainted.”
