He nodded. “They are yer maids. They must be keen to wait on ye again, I’m sure.”
The black-haired maid who had identified herself as Susan took a tentative step forward.
“We didnae mean to harass ye, me Lady,” she murmured anxiously, twisting her fingers together in her apron. “We heard ye were returning, and we were excited. I… I was yer lady’s maid, ye see. Helped ye dress and such. We were… we were friends, Ithink. I heard a rumor that ye couldnae remember anything. Is it true?”
Skye opened her mouth, not entirely sure what she was going to say. To her relief, Evander spoke up in her stead.
“Enough of this, lassies,” he said firmly. “I’ll have no truck with gossip and rumors here.”
Susan wilted a little, and Skye felt a stab of pity for her. She cleared her throat, drawing their gazes toward her.
“It’s true, I’m nae… nae quite meself,” she managed weakly. “I’m sorry. I am glad to see ye all, and I look forward to getting to ken everyone all over again. This has been a fine welcome. Thank ye.”
The women visibly perked up at her words, exchanging quick, pleased smiles.
“Come,” Evander murmured, placing his wide palm on the small of her back.
She flinched at the touch, blinking rapidly. Warmth spread through her spine.
He herded her forward, up the wide stone steps that led into the yawning maw of the castle itself. Glancing over his shoulder, he met Susan’s eyes and made a quick gesture. She followed, trotting up the stairs behind them at a respectable distance.
The rest of the women dispersed, whispering amongst themselves.
Swallowing, Skye leaned her head toward Evander.
“Thank ye,” she whispered. “I didnae wish to be rude, but it was… it was too much.”
“I understand. No need to thank me. Susan will keep them away from now on, I think. Those women love ye, but they are overeager.”
Skye swallowed. “I feel guilty that I cannae remember them. What could I have done to make them like me so much? Did I give them expensive gifts?”
He looked at her oddly. “Nay. Ye gave them nothing. Ye were just yerself, and they loved ye anyhow.”
As she absorbed that, they passed into the cool shadow of the castle. Thick stone walls muffled most of the noise and hubbub from outside. Their footsteps echoed.
“This is the Great Hall,” Evander said. “It runs the length of the castle, and all other doors and passages open up from here.”
“It’s impressive,” she confessed.
The floors were bare, simple stone flags that made their footsteps twice as loud. Tapestries hung on the wall, and countless torches and braziers burned at intervals. Outside, the sun shone brightly, but here, colors and light were muted. Shadows seemed darker and more still.
The place was different from Hunter’s castle. Hunter did not like fripperies and decorations, whereas their mother, Helena, certainly did. So, there’d be stark contrasts between certain rooms—one full of flounces, color, tapestries, rugs, and silks, whereas the next room was Spartan and uninviting.
This place seemed more even, more balanced. It wasn’t as cluttered and colorful as Helena’s taste dictated, nor as unfriendly as Hunter’s.
Is this Evander’s taste? Is he simply more balanced?
Skye opened her mouth to ask, but was interrupted by a loud scrabbling noise from a room just up ahead. Almost at once, there was an ear-splitting crash, the shattering sound of expensive porcelain.
Evander stopped dead and groaned loudly. “Nae this again.”
“Nae what again?” she queried.
Her answer came at once.
A blurry black streak shot out of the open doorway, pursued by a red-faced soldier. Both the soldier and the black smudge stopped at the sight of Skye and Evander. The soldier yelped, straightening up and snapping a crooked salute.
The black smudge resolved itself into a small, amber-eyed cat, so fluffy that it was almost a ball. The cat blinked slowly, then let out a long, delighted trill. It hurled itself at Skye, leaping through the air and attaching itself to her skirt. Claws extended, it climbed the material with ease, yowling all the while.
