Chapter 7 #2
The great hall was a beehive of activity.
Logan spotted Helene directing a group of men who were carrying a large wooden table, that was heavy enough to require six of them to propel it, to its place next to the others set in rows in front of the dais.
The MacKenzie family would sit at the high table and their guests and other clan members would occupy the tables being set out now.
“Helene!” He waved her over and watched as she gave the men some final direction before heading his way.
He had no doubt she’d be an excellent commander in the field.
She had a way of giving orders that made people want to fall in line with her directives.
He wondered if she’d learned that from Dougall, or from her stay in San Francisco.
“I wish to speak with ye privately.” He cast a furtive gaze around the room.
“From the look of ye, I imagine ’tis Sara ye wish to speak of.” She set her hands on her hips and stared at him with angry eyes.
“Aye.” Logan raked a hand through his hair. He hadn’t slept all night remembering the look on Sara’s face when he told her to go back. The stabbing in his heart had still not subsided. “Why is she here?” he asked.
“Don’t be daft!” she whispered. “She’s here for ye!” Helene eyed him with disbelief.
“I ken that much, but there must be more.” He couldn’t believe she’d traveled through all those miles and all that time just for him.
“Why would ye think that? ’Tis obvious that she’s quite smitten with ye.” Helene’s voice was stern. “Yer a fool to treat her as cruelly ye did yesterday.” The angry eyes she’d given him earlier were back.
Logan looked at the floor. “She spoke with ye about that, did she?” He was a fool. He’d hurt her. He hadn’t meant to, but how else could she have taken his words. If only he hadn’t been so shocked to see her, perhaps he would have chosen his words more wisely.
“What is wrong with ye? Ye couldnae have been sweet to her for even a moment.” Helene continued to berate him.
“Nae. I cannae. I dinnae wish her to have false hopes. I’m sure Dougall has told ye that I have made a commitment to marry Aisla.” Helene nodded and seemed to let go of some of her anger. “I wish Sara had come back with me when I left, then things would have been different.”
“Did ye ask her to?”
“Nae.”
Helene took a deep breath and clenched her jaw. He’d been reprimanded by the fiercest of lairds in his years of soldiering. They didn’t come close to this foot tapping, wee woman, who now stood arms akimbo.
“She’s nae able to ken yer thoughts, ye fool.” Helene was making no bones about how upset she was with him. He’d never seen her like this. So far she’d called him daft and twice a fool. It was all true, so he could hardly argue with her.
“I dinnae ken what I should do. My heart and soul wish to be with Sara, but my honor binds me to Aisla.” He raked his fingers through his hair feeling helpless to remedy the situation.
Helene touched his arm. “Ye must tell her. She deserves to know the truth. She may nae be happy, but she’ll understand.”
“Yer right as always. Dougall is a lucky man to have ye.”
“That he is,” she laughed. The tension between them dissipated. “Ye should say something to her tonight at the feast. ’Twould be the time.”
“I’ll think on it.”
“Good. Now, if yer nae here to work, be gone with ye.” She smiled sweetly over her shoulder as she hurried across the room shouting directions. “No, no! Not there.”
Logan chuckled to himself before turning to go.
He felt better now that he knew what he would do.
His intention had never been to hurt Sara, but he knew he had.
Unfortunately, he may hurt her more before the night was over, but at least she’d know that if circumstances had been different, she would be the one he would choose over any other.
***
Lost in her own thoughts, Sara gazed from the window and watched as Dougall strode up to the house and through the door. He didn’t see her at first, so she cleared her throat to catch his attention.
“Sara, why arenae ye with Helene?” he asked.
“I wanted to go visit my friend, Aisla this morning.”
“Aisla? What did she tell ye?”
Sara thought that an odd question. Did Dougall know something about Aisla’s situation? “We chatted about lady stuff. Nothing important.”
“Good.” He seemed unsure of whether he should continue their conversation, if you could even call it that, or whether he should leave her.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Aye. What is it?” he asked.
“I was wondering about the castle. I’m curious how things work there with regards to visitors. Do you always know when someone important has come to visit?”
“I am always aware of who comes and goes. ’Tis my job as one of Robert MacKenzie’s captains to protect the castle and the people. Of course, if I am nae here for some reason then there are others who know.”
“So, if someone came to visit a few months ago, you’d know who it was?”
“Why do you ask, Sara?”
He was getting suspicious about her questions. She didn’t wish to betray Aisla’s trust, so she’d pursue this later.
“No reason. Just curious. As I said, I was sitting here wondering how things work at the castle.”
“Well, you could ask Helene. She’d be able to tell you more than I can about the daily running of the castle.”
“Okay. I’ll do that. Thanks.” Dougall began to walk away, but Sara enjoyed making him uncomfortable. “Have you seen Logan today?”
He stopped and turned back to her. “Aye. Briefly.”
“Dougall, do you know why he’s not happy to see me.”
He hesitated long enough that Sara realized he did know. She tipped her head and awaited his answer.
“Nae. I’m afraid I dinnae.” He was obviously lying. He appeared to wish he was anywhere else but here having to answer her questions.
“It’s so weird. You saw how much we liked each other in San Francisco, right?”
Her choice of words had him confused for a moment, but then Dougall nodded.
“And it seems he was always talking about me when he came back, but now that I’m here, he’s all of a sudden not interested. I don’t get it.” She’d hit a nerve. She could see the wheels turning as he strode across the room towards her.
Crouching on his haunches in front of her, he took her hand, his eyes never wavering from hers, so she could see the sincerity there. “Sara, ye were a great help to me when I came in search of Helene, but I dinnae believe I can do the same for ye.”
Sara was struck by the utter sincerity of his words.
“’Tis nae me place to tell ye what ye wish to know. Ye must speak with Logan about it.” With one last seemingly pitying glance at her, Dougall stood up and walked away.