Page 83 of Claimed Highland Brides

“I’ll only say this once so listen carefully, my Sassenach lad. We here at Braenaird Keep are generally rather open-hearted. However, we dinnae like liars. So as long as ye’re straight wi’ us, we’ll be straight wi’ ye. Do ye ken me?”

Delwyn wondered why everybody thought he was lying.

Am I that transparent?

He really hoped not. His sister’s life was depending on it.

“I do understand, Mrs. Fitz. On that note, may I ask a question about the mines?”

Mrs. Fitz’s eyebrows rose. “Aye.”

“Do the miners get food from your kitchens or do they fend for themselves?”

If it was possible, her eyebrows rose higher. “Why do ye ask me tha’?”

“It’s for my inventory, you see. If I am to project how long the food will last, I need to know who relies on us to feed them.”

Mrs. Fitz did not look convinced. “Weel, ye dinnae have tae count them in. They have their own village over yonder hill.”

Delwyn leaned back, his heart quickening with the first bit of helpful information he’d obtained.

“Is that so? Interesting.”