Page 20 of A Rogue and a Noble Lass

“I thought I told ye tae stop training with him,” Ryan asked.

“It’s nae midnight,” Beitris replied.

She felt Logan tense. It must have been hard for him, she thought. He wanted to make a good impression on the Laird yet here he was helping her, going against the Laird’s wishes. Although she wasn’t entirely certain of her feelings about him, she didn’t want him to suffer on her behalf.

“Ye might be able tae keep me from fighting, but ye cannae stop me from making my own decisions. Unless ye want tae lock me up in the Keep like ye did Ma.”

Ryan flinched at this and pursed his lips. When he spoke it was in a terse tone. “I dinnae want that at all. I came out here because I dinnae like the way our conversation ended. I want ye tae understand that I am trying tae look after ye. That is all I hae ever tried tae dae, and just because ye are older now it dinnae mean I am gaeing tae stop being yer father. I ken I cannae stop ye from training, but please just be cautious. We hae lost sae much already. I dinnae ken what I would dae with myself if I lost ye. I love ye, Beitris, I’m just worried that yer wild nature will prove tae be dangerous,” he said, and exhaled deeply afterwards.

Then, he turned to Logan.

“I’d ask ye tae argue against her dangerous ideas, but I ken my daughter. Donal speaks highly of ye, but if ye want tae prove yer worth tae this clan then ye will make sure that naething happens tae her; otherwise I’ll hae yer head,” Ryan said before marching away.

“He dinnae mean that,” Beitris said.

Logan barely heard her words. His eyes stung and there was a raging cacophony in his mind. His fingers twitched beside his sword.

It would have been so easy to draw it and plunge the blade into Ryan’s back, or his stomach, or across his neck. In fact, in those brief moments, Logan thought of a dozen different ways to kill him. Beitris would shriek in horror and if she remembered she was a warrior as well as a daughter then she’d likely kill him in one breath, but it wasn’t enough. He needed Ryan to know why he was being killed.

And he wanted to make sure that Brody was safe. Logan hated to refuse the call to fight, but he could not engage the enemy now. They might recognize him, and all of his efforts would be ruined.

Perhaps there was another reason why he hesitated as well, although he would rather not dwell on this question because there were some things he could not admit even to himself.

Being so close to Ryan made Logan’s skin prickle, but it was worse to see him make amends with Beitris, to tell her that he loved her. Logan had never heard those words slip between his father’s lips, and he was certain that Abigail hadn’t either. Warnock had been quick to send Logan to war, whereas Ryan sought to protect Beitris. Logan couldn’t imagine Ryan sending Beitris or any of his other children out to spend the night in a pit with only the distant stars for company.

Or taking another man to be his replacement.

Logan had heard the whispered stories about Angus, although he refused to believe them at first. He didn’t want to admit that Warnock was cruel enough to replace him after he ran away, yet the facts were irrefutable. And now Warnock wanted him back. Logan could almost laugh.

Still, it didn’t change what Ryan had done. He might be a good parent to Beitris, but he had still rejected Abigail and inflicted a wound so deep that she took herself away from the world. Ryan shouldn’t have had the opportunity to apologize to his daughter. Soon enough Logan would quench his thirst for blood and this would all be over.

Perhaps it should have been already.

Why hadn’t he drawn his sword?

8

Another night passed. The army was yet to return, and there had been no messenger sent yet. This wasn’t unusual, but whenever there was a clash with Warnock’s army, tension was rife. The air was thick and people glanced at each other uneasily.

Beitris hated that she was stuck in the Keep when she should have been fighting, but there was nothing to be done about it now. She just had to hope that her father would change his mind when another battle rose and that Logan was right in thinking that this attack did not warrant Warnock’s presence.

Partly because she wanted to send a message to her father and partly because she knew that Logan was worried about Brody and might need a friend, Beitris took breakfast in the feasting hall with the warriors and guards.

It was far less busy than usual, given that so many men had been called to defend the village. Most of the men were clustered together, worried looks on their faces, no doubt speaking about the battle. They would talk about their feelings and instincts, but in truth none of them knew how the battle was going.

Everyone was blind.

One man was sitting apart from all the others. Logan was hunched over his bowl, paying no attention to his surroundings. He only looked up when Beitris joined him. His lips parted and she assumed he was about to tell her to move on, but the words died before they could be uttered. Beitris slid onto the bench, sitting opposite him.

“Ye are nae dining with yer family?” he asked.

“I dinnae want another argument with Da. It’s better he thinks that I am angry with him. It might make him change his mind when the next battle occurs.”

“Dae ye think he will?”

“I hope he will hae nae choice. I understand he is scared, but that cannae prevent me from living my life. I will nae be a prisoner tae fear,” she said. Logan nodded. “I hope it will nae affect ye. I dinnae think it will. I’m sure he believes that I ordered ye tae help me.”

“It’s fortunate that he dinnae ken me well.”