Chapter 18
"Maia." Ewan's gaze settled on Maia, and something in his expression made her heart skip. "I need ye to come with me, lass. There's somethin' I want to show ye."
"What is it?" Maia asked, curiosity immediately piqued.
"A surprise." The corner of his mouth curved up slightly. "Come on. It's waitin' in the great hall."
Maia glanced at Aisla, who just shrugged and grinned. "Best go see what he's plannin'. The laird doesnae usually bother with surprises unless it's somethin' good."
They made their way through the castle, and Maia found herself growing more curious with each step. What kind of surprise? And why was Ewan being so mysterious about it?
When they reached the great hall, Ewan pushed open the door and gestured for Maia to enter first.
She stepped inside, looking around for whatever the surprise might be—
And froze.
Standing near the hearth, looking nervous and hopeful and achingly familiar, was Mollie.
"Mollie?" Maia's voice came out as barely a whisper. "Mollie!"
Then she was running, her skirts gathered in her hands, crossing the hall in a rush that would have mortified Ewan but that she couldn't bring herself to care about. She crashed into Mollie with enough force to make them both stumble, wrapping her arms around her friend and holding on tight.
"Ye're here," Maia gasped, tears streaming down her face. "Ye're really here. I thought—when Ewan told me ye were safe, I believed him, but I dinnae think I'd actually get to see ye again."
"Hush now," Mollie said, her own voice thick with tears as she hugged Maia back just as fiercely. "Of course I'm here. Did ye really think I'd let ye face all this alone?"
Maia pulled back just enough to look at her friend's face, needing to see with her own eyes that Mollie was truly unharmed. "But how? Why? I daenae understand."
"The laird sent for me," Mollie explained, wiping at her eyes. "Sent a message sayin' that if I wanted to stay with ye, I could. That ye needed a friend here, someone who kens ye and cares about ye. And I—" She smiled through her tears. "I wouldnae be anywhere else."
Fresh tears spilled down Maia's cheeks. "I daenae deserve ye."
"Nonsense. Ye deserve the world." Mollie pulled her into another hug. "And I'm goin' to help ye claim it."
Over Mollie's shoulder, Maia caught sight of Ewan standing near the door, his arms crossed but his expression soft as he watched their reunion. When their eyes met, he gave her a small nod that was an acknowledgment, maybe, or a silent ye're welcome.
Maia mouthed "thank ye," and saw his lips curve into a proper smile this time.
"Now," Mollie said, pulling back and wiping at her eyes with more determination.
"The laird has explained the rules to me.
There will be guards watchin' to make sure I daenae let any MacMahon men into the castle, as if I would!
And I'm to report any suspicious activity immediately.
Which is fine by me, because after what yer uncle did to ye, I'd sooner die than help that man. "
"Mollie."
"I mean it, Maia. I've agreed to all the laird's terms. I want to be here.
I want to help ye. And if that means followin' some rules, then so be it.
" Mollie's expression turned mischievous.
"Besides, the laird has been very accommodatin'.
I have me own chamber, it is small but comfortable, and I'm to be paid regular wages for actin' as yer lady's maid.
It's a better position than I had at Castle MacMahon, truth be told. "
"Lady's maid?" Maia blinked. "But I daenae need one."
"Ye do, actually," Ewan said, speaking for the first time since they'd entered the hall. He moved closer, his heavy boots echoing on the stone floor. "Every lady needs a proper maid. And since ye're currently masqueradin' as me betrothed, it would look strange if ye dinnae have one."
Maia flushed, remembering the lie she'd told Laura. The lie that had somehow become an accepted truth throughout the castle. "I suppose that makes sense."
"It does." Ewan's gaze moved between the two women. "Mollie, I need ye to help Miss Maia get ready for an outin'. Somethin' practical and warm, we're goin' to the mountains."
Maia's head snapped toward him. "The mountains? Today? Right now?"
"Aye. Unless ye've changed yer mind about wantin' to explore them?"
"Nay! I mean, aye! I mean—" Maia took a breath, trying to organize her thoughts through the chaos of emotions swirling in her chest.
Joy at seeing Mollie. Gratitude toward Ewan for bringing her here. Excitement about finally getting to see the mountains up close. "I havenae changed me mind. I want to go. I've been wantin' to go since I first saw them."
"Then go get ready." Ewan's tone was amused. "And Maia? Try nae to take too long. The sun will be settin' in a few hours."
Maia didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed Mollie's hand and practically dragged her friend from the hall, already talking a mile a minute about everything that had happened since she'd arrived at Castle McGill.
Thirty minutes later, Maia stood in the courtyard dressed in her warmest wool dress and a thick cloak Aisla had produced from somewhere. Her hair was braided back, a testament to Mollie's handiwork, and she was practically bouncing with excitement.
"Ye look happy," Ewan observed as he approached, leading two horses. "Happier than I've seen ye in days."
"I am happy." Maia couldn't stop smiling. "Mollie is here. We're goin' to the mountains. The sun is shinin'. How could I nae be happy?"
"How indeed." Ewan's expression was soft as he looked at her, and something in his gaze made Maia's breath catch.
Then he was lifting her onto a gentle mare and swinging up onto his own mount. "Ready?"
"Ready," Maia confirmed, gathering the reins with hands that only trembled slightly.
They rode out of the castle and toward the mountains, which loomed larger and more impressive with every step. The path wound upward through forests of pine and oak, the air growing crisper and colder as they climbed.
Maia drank in every sight, every sound, every sensation. The way the sunlight filtered through the trees. The distant call of birds she couldn't identify. The smell of pine and earth and approaching autumn. The feeling of freedom, of movement, of being alive in a way she'd forgotten was possible.
"Tell me what ye're thinkin'," Ewan said after they'd been riding for perhaps twenty minutes. "Ye've been quiet. That's unlike ye."
"I'm thinkin' that this is perfect," Maia said honestly. "That I never want this day to end. That I—" She stopped, not sure how to articulate the tangle of emotions in her chest.
"That ye what?"
"That I'm grateful," she finished quietly. "For all of this. For Mollie. For the freedom ye've given me. For—for ye."
Ewan was quiet for a moment. "Ye daenae need to be grateful, lass. Ye deserve all of this and more."
They continued climbing until they reached a clearing that opened up to reveal a breathtaking view.
The valley stretched below them, patchworked with fields and forests.
In the distance, Maia could see Castle McGill, its grey walls proud against the landscape.
And beyond that—mountains upon mountains, their peaks touching the sky.
"Oh," Maia breathed, sliding down from her horse without waiting for help. "Oh, it's bonnie."
She moved to the edge of the clearing, as close as she dared to the drop-off, and just stared. This was what she'd been missing all those years in her tower. This sense of scale, of grandeur, of the world being so much bigger than her problems.
She heard Ewan dismount behind her and the sound of his footsteps approaching. He came to stand beside her, not quite touching but close enough that she could feel his warmth.
Maia turned to look at him, only to find him already watching her with that intense focus that made her stomach flutter.
"Looks like Ye're easy to please." Ewan said, but there was no mockery in his tone. Just something warm and wondering.
"Maybe." Maia smiled. "Or maybe I've just learned nae to take simple pleasures for granted. Like mountain views. And good friends."
Ewan turned to face her fully, his expression serious. "Tell me about yer uncle. About what it was really like in that tower."
The change of subject caught Maia off guard. "Why do ye want to ken?"
"Because I need to understand." His hands clenched at his sides. "I need to ken exactly what he did to ye. What he took from ye."
Maia looked away, back at the view. "It's nae a pleasant story."
"I dinnae think it would be."
So she told him. Told him about the endless days of isolation, seeing no one but Mollie and occasionally the guards who brought her meals.
Told him about the way her uncle would summon her sometimes, just to criticize her appearance or her weight or her very existence.
Told him about the constant, grinding loneliness of being forgotten by everyone except one friend.
"He said I was worthless," Maia heard herself say, the words coming out flat and emotionless.
"That nay man would ever want me. That I was too plump, too plain.
He said the only reason he kept me alive was because killin' me would cause too many questions, but that I might as well be dead for all the good I did anyone. "
She felt Ewan go very still beside her.
"He said that?" His voice was dangerously quiet. "Those exact words?"
"Those and worse." Maia wrapped her arms around herself. "Every time he saw me, it was the same. How disappointed me parents would be if they could see what I'd become. How I was a disgrace to the Ferguson name."
She didn't get to finish.
Ewan's hand shot out, gripping her shoulder and spinning her to face him. His eyes were black with fury, his jaw clenched so tight she could see the muscle jumping beneath his beard.