Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The musicians suddenly struck up a lively tune, pipes and fiddle weaving together in a rhythm that stirred several warriors to their feet.
Benches scraped along the floor as couples began gathering in the open space at the center of the hall.
Arianna watched them with quiet distraction until Ian rose beside her chair.
When she looked up, he was already extending his hand toward her.
“Dance with me,” Ian said simply.
Arianna blinked in surprise, her gaze lifting to meet his. Around them, she could feel curious eyes drifting toward the high table. Her heart gave a quick, uneasy beat as she remembered her resolve to behave normally.
Act as me usual self.
She placed her hand carefully into his. “Aye… if ye wish,” Arianna said quietly as he closed his fingers around hers.
Ian guided her down from the dais and into the open space among the dancers. His hand settled at her waist, firm yet respectful, while their joined hands lifted slightly between them. The warmth of his palm seeped through the fabric of her gown and sent an unwelcome shiver along her spine.
“Did ye sleep well last night?” Ian asked as they began to move with the other couples.
“Aye,” Arianna replied, keeping her voice steady. “Well enough.”
She kept her gaze on him as Ian watched her face for a moment as he guided her through the slow turning steps. “Have ye spent time in the gardens today?” he asked, his hand shifting slightly lower along her back as they moved.
“A short walk,” Arianna said softly, aware of the warmth of his touch through her dress.
“Did ye enjoy it?” he asked.
“The roses are beginning to bloom,” she replied.
I feel as though we are strangers again.
Ian nodded slightly as the dance carried them in a wide circle across the floor. “And the wee rabbit?” he asked.
“He is well.”
“Good,” Ian murmured.
The conversation faltered again, leaving only the quiet rhythm of their steps and the music swelling around them. Arianna could feel the steady strength in his arm guiding her through each turn. The familiarity of the motion stirred a quiet ache inside her chest. Her thoughts darkened.
What if this was the last time?
Her fingers tightened slightly around his hand as the realization settled over her. Soon she would leave this castle, and with it the strange, fragile bond that had begun to grow between them.
This may be the last time I dance with him. The last time I felt his warmth beside me. The last time I heard his voice so close.
Ian drew her a little nearer as the dance shifted into a tighter pattern. His gaze dropped briefly to her face.
“I noticed ye didnae take the honey cakes,” Ian added, studying her expression.
“I wasnae hungry for sweets.”
The music carried them through another slow turn. His hand remained steady at her waist, and she could feel the warmth of his body close to hers. Her breath caught slightly as he leaned closer to guide her through a turn.
For a fleeting moment, she thought he might kiss her. His gaze lingered on her lips. But he did not.
Instead, he straightened slightly as the dance continued. Arianna studied him carefully.
“Why did ye ask me to dance?” she asked softly.
Ian did not answer at once. He guided her through another turn, his fingers tightening briefly against her waist.
“Because the clan must see that we are a prosperous couple,” he said finally.
The words cut deep inside of her. Arianna’s eyes narrowed slightly as she searched his face.
“That is the only reason ye asked me to dance?” she asked, her voice low but sharp.
The music slowed toward its final notes. He did not answer. Instead, he guided her gently toward the edge of the dance floor as the tune came to an end. Around them, the other couples separated with laughter and cheerful chatter.
Ian released her waist but kept hold of her hand.
“Come,” he said quietly.
He led her back toward the dais, the noise of the hall swelling once more around them. Arianna walked beside him in silence, the unanswered question burning quietly inside her chest.
When they reached the high table, he released her hand and bowed to her. Then he walked away to join some men gathered around the cask of ale. The distance between them returned instantly.
Then I must leave as intended, to my family.
The castle lay wrapped in silence beneath the heavy cloak of night.
Most of the torches along the corridors had burned low.
Arianna moved carefully through the passageway, her hood pulled low over her head and a small sack clutched tightly against her side.
Every step she took felt dangerously loud in the stillness.
Her heart pounded so fiercely she feared it might echo through the corridor.
Inside the sack were the few things she had gathered over the past days: a folded map, dried food wrapped tightly within cloth, a flask of whisky, and one with water. The letter she had written to her brother set in the pocket of her dress.
Arianna paused at the corner of the hallway and listened carefully before moving again. The castle slept. She reached the narrow stairwell that would lead her toward the lower courtyard.
Then she heard it. A sharp cough echoed faintly from below. Arianna froze.
The sound of footsteps followed, as two voices drifted upward from the stairwell. Panic shot through her chest, and she quickly slipped behind a thick stone pillar near the wall, pressing herself into the darkness.
The voices grew clearer as the guards climbed the steps.
“I’m tellin’ ye, the river will be colder than a witch’s heart tonight,” one guard muttered as he trudged upward.
“Aye, and whose fault is that?” the other replied with a low chuckle. “Ye’re the one who insisted we take the night watch.”
“Only because ye promised whisky. Still have it,” he said. “We’ll take a wee sip once we reach the gate.”
The second guard stopped abruptly. “Whisky?” he said sharply. “Ye ken we’re nae supposed to be drunken fools on duty.”
“Ach, it’s nae for drunkenness,” the guard replied dismissively. “Just a wee swallow to keep the cold from biting the bones.”
Arianna held her breath as their boots reached the landing, only a few paces from where she hid. Her fingers tightened around the rough fabric of her cloak.
If they see me now…
The second guard spoke again, his voice lowering. “Still… if the Laird found out…”
“Stop,” the first guard suddenly said. Both men went silent.
Arianna’s heart slammed painfully against her ribs.
“I thought I heard something,” the guard muttered.
Arianna’s pulse thundered in her ears. Moving as quietly as she could, she slipped sideways into a narrow alcove carved into the wall. The darkness there swallowed her almost entirely as she pressed herself against the cold stone.
She forced herself not to breathe. The guards remained still for a long moment.
Then the second one scoffed. “Ye’re jumpy as a hare tonight,” he said. “It’s nothing but the wind creeping through the stones.”
The first guard hesitated. “Aye… perhaps.”
“We need to reach the gate before inspection,” the second guard continued. “Else we’ll have more than cold bones to worry about.”
There was a pause. Then the first guard sighed.
“Aye, ye’re right.”
Their boots turned and continued down the stairwell.
The sound slowly faded into the quiet of the castle once more.
Arianna remained frozen in the alcove for several long breaths before daring to move.
Her chest rose and fell shakily as the tension slowly loosened its grip on her body. The close call left her trembling.
She had nearly been discovered. Carefully, she stepped back into the corridor and glanced down the stairwell. The guards were gone. Arianna descended slowly, every step deliberate and cautious.
When she reached the lower level of the castle, the air grew cooler and carried the faint scent of damp earth drifting in from the courtyard. She slipped through a side door that led toward the stables, keeping close to the shadows.
Her thoughts churned as she walked.
Am I doing the right thing?
The question had followed her ever since she first began gathering supplies. Ian’s face flickered in her mind. His voice. The warmth of his hand at her waist during the dance. Pain flooded her heart.
But the hidden clause in the marriage contract lingered in her thoughts like a dark omen. If it truly threatened her family’s lands, then her brother had to know. Even if it meant leaving the man she had begun to care for. The stables finally came into view.
Arianna slipped quietly inside. Several horses shifted softly in their stalls as she moved past them, lantern light flickering faintly near the far wall.
She chose a sturdy brown mare that she had used several times for riding and gently stroked its neck.
“Easy now,” she whispered softly.
The horse snorted but settled as Arianna quickly saddled it with practiced hands. Her fingers moved swiftly despite the nervous tremble that still lingered within them. Within moments, the saddle was secured.
Arianna slung the sack across the saddle and led the mare quietly toward the stable doors. The heavy wooden doors creaked softly as she eased them open just wide enough to slip through.
Arianna mounted quickly, her cloak settling around her legs. She cast one final glance toward the looming castle behind her. For a brief moment, doubt moved through her.
Then she turned the horse toward the open path. With a gentle nudge of her heels, the mare began to walk. She dared not risk a trot or a gallop until she was well into the woods.
Ian sat across from Flynn at a small wooden table, a scattered hand of cards between them and an empty bottle tipped lazily on its side.
The hour had grown late after supper, enough that most of the castle had long since gone to bed.
Yet the two men remained awake, their voices low and thick with drink.
Flynn squinted down at the cards in his hand and scratched his chin. “Ye’ve been cheatin’, Ian,” he muttered, sliding a card onto the table with exaggerated care.
Ian swirled the last swallow of whisky in his goblet. “Perhaps ye’re simply a poor player tonight,” he said lazily. “Have ye considered that possibility?”
Flynn snorted and tossed another card down. “I’ve played cards with ye since we were bairns, and I ken well enough when ye’re being smug,” he said, pointing a finger at him. “Now play yer hand before I fall asleep at the table.”
Ian placed his final card on the pile. “That makes five,” he said calmly. “Ye owe me another bottle.”
Flynn groaned and leaned his head back toward the ceiling. “Saints preserve me,” he muttered. “A man cannae even lose with dignity in this castle.”
Ian grinned, though it held less amusement than it once might have.
The warmth of the whisky buzzed through his veins, dulling the edges of his thoughts but not quieting them entirely.
His mind drifted, as it often did now, toward one particular person.
Arianna and how she felt in his arms as they danced hours earlier.
Flynn noticed the change in his expression.
“Ye’re thinkin’ about her again,” Flynn said, narrowing his eyes.
Ian rubbed his jaw and sighed. “Aye,” he admitted.
Flynn gathered the cards slowly. “Melissa Arianna is very strong,” he said thoughtfully.
Ian gave a dry huff of agreement. “Strong and stubborn?” he muttered. “That woman could out-argue a council.”
Flynn chuckled. “Melissa says she admires her for it,” he replied. “Though I suspect she’s glad she doesnae have to live with such fire every day from me.”
Ian leaned forward and poured another measure of whisky for them both. “Arianna thinks I married her to betray her family,” he said quietly.
Flynn’s brows lifted. “Does she now?”
“Aye,” Ian muttered, tossing the whisky back in one swallow.
“And nay matter how many times I tell her I kent nothin' of that damned clause, she refuses to believe me. I’ve told her the truth from the beginnin'. She looks at me like I’ve betrayed her,” he said more quietly.
“Like everythin' between us was a lie. I cannae bear it.”
Flynn said nothing for a moment. Then he sighed. “Women are complicated creatures,” he said wisely.
Ian barked a humorless laugh. “That’s the most useful advice ye’ve offered all night.”
Flynn grinned. “Yet it’s still true.”
The two men finished their final round in relative silence, the cards falling onto the table with dull thuds. Eventually, Flynn pushed his chair back and stretched his arms.
“I’m off to bed before I lose the rest of me dignity,” he muttered.
Ian nodded tiredly. “Aye.”
Flynn headed toward the door. “Perhaps ye should try speakin' to yer wife again,” he said over his shoulder.
Ian grunted. “We’ve done enough speakin'.”
Once Flynn left, the chamber fell quiet again. Ian remained seated for a long moment before finally standing. The whisky swayed gently in his head as he stepped into the corridor, the cool stone air sobering him slightly. His feet carried him down the hallway without much thought.
Soon, he found himself standing in front of Arianna’s door.
Ian stared at the wood quietly. There were a thousand things he wanted to say to her.
He wanted to tell her that he had never intended harm to her family.
That he had begun searching for a way to destroy the cursed clause entirely.
That the last thing he ever wished was to see mistrust in her eyes.
Slowly, he lifted his hand toward the door. His knuckles hovered inches from the wood. He hesitated. A long moment passed.
Then he lowered his hand again with a quiet sigh. “Another argument would do neither of us any good tonight,” he muttered to himself.
Turning away, Ian walked slowly down the corridor. The castle seemed especially quiet at this hour, as he returned to his own chamber.
He removed his boots and coat before collapsing heavily onto the bed. Sleep claimed him quickly. He never knew that while he slept, Arianna had already ridden into the dark beyond the castle walls.