Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Helena waited until Sophia was wandering in the forest and enjoying the nature surrounding her as she often did back home. When her aunt was out of sight, she turned to Alexander, hesitating.
It was an awkward moment, their eyes meeting before she cleared her throat.
“Thank ye for smoothin’ that out with me aunt. I didnae ken what to say or how to explain everything that had happened since I arrived here. It all happened so fast.”
“Of course. Ye’re mine now, to protect in any way necessary. Even if it’s just smoothin’ things out with yer aunt. She really is a force to be reckoned with as ye suggested,” Alexander admitted, grimacing slightly.
She was just about to say something else when a small mountain hare hopped into sight. Excited at the presence of the creature, she turned and knelt, watching it slowly meander. Rabbits were some of her favorite animals, though her father had never let her keep one as a pet.
Alexander watched her closely, his face stern as she slowly moved toward the hare.
Helena ignored him, trying to move closer to observe the creature in its natural habitat.
Her heart melted as she watched it nibble on some green leaves in the underbrush.
It wasn’t until Alexander stood up that its ears perked up and it bounced away quickly.
“It was so adorable!” Helena protested, glaring up at him. “Ye couldnae sit still for a moment?”
“Ye would ken all about adorable, lass,” he commented gruffly, surprising her.
He seemed to be moving closer to her as she rose, and their eyes met. Then, there was rustling in the tree line and Sophia reappeared.
Alexander’s arm snaked around Helena as Sophia approached, her skeptical gaze following the gesture.
“Ye will have to save that for later, both of ye. The girl, Felicia, is upset. Alice cannae calm the poor lass,” she explained.
Alexander released Helena, his expression a mix of sadness and irritation.
“I’ll take care of it,” he muttered, nodding at Sophia. “Thank ye for tellin’ me. I’ll be back.”
The afternoon sun hung lazily in the sky, its golden light stretching over the rolling meadow.
Wildflowers swayed gently in the breeze, their delicate petals brushing against the grass.
The scent of fresh earth, sweet blossoms, and damp moss filled the air, mixing with the distant rustling of leaves in the nearby forest.
Helena stood beside Sophia, the silence between them stretching longer than usual. The ride back to the castle had been uneventful, though heavy with unspoken thoughts. Alexander had walked off upon their return, excusing himself to speak with Alice and Felicia again.
Sophia mentioned earlier that Felicia was upset. Helena had noticed it as well—how Felicia barely looked at her, how her presence always made the young girl stiffen. Her resentment was obvious, but Helena had never pressed the issue.
“She’s an angry, wee thing,” Sophia mused, breaking the silence. Her gaze swept over the courtyard, though Helena knew her mind was elsewhere. “Angry and bitter. And yet Alexander keeps her close.”
Helena let out a breath, watching as a butterfly flitted past her. “He raised her like a sister, I suppose.”
“Aye. And yet she glares at ye as if she’d rather ye be six feet under.”
Helena’s lips thinned. Felicia had never outright insulted her, never spoken words of hatred, but her coldness was enough.
Sophia shifted beside her, folding her arms. “Are ye comfortable bein’ around the lass? I ken she hasnae taken kindly to ye.”
Helena exhaled. “She has been cold, aye. But I understand it.”
Sophia scoffed. “Understand it? The girl lost her family in one of our clan’s raids, I ken that much. But is it fair? Ye had nothin’ to do with it.”
Helena’s gaze lingered on the grass, watching as it rippled like waves. She gave a small shrug. “Fair or nae, it doesnae change what she feels.”
Sophia narrowed her eyes, clearly not satisfied with that answer. “And ye accept that? Let her hate ye for somethin’ ye had nay hand in?”
“She feels the pain as keenly as we do,” Helena snapped. Seeing the sadness in her aunt’s eyes, she hesitated. “What else can I do?”
Before Sophia could answer, a figure approached from the other side of the courtyard.
Alice walked with an easy grace, her dark hair gleaming under the sun, her skirts brushing against the grass. She lifted a hand in greeting.
“Ah, there ye are,” she said as she stopped before them. Her voice was light, though there was an underlying note of concern. “I was lookin’ for ye both.”
Sophia straightened. “Felicia?”
Alice sighed, glancing toward the trees. “She’s just a bit upset. She’s takin’ time to adjust to all of this—to ye both bein’ here.”
Helena nodded slowly. “She doesnae have to like me. I dinnae expect that from her.”
Alice smiled gently. “It isnae about likin’ or dislikin’ ye. She’s young, and she feels things deeply. She was alone for a long time before Alexander found her, and she’s loyal to him—perhaps more than anyone else.”
Sophia tilted her head. “She’s like family to him, then?”
Alice nodded. “Aye. She and Alexander have been through so much together. They care for one another. He’s always been her protector.”
Sophia let out a breath. “It’s odd but… moving, I suppose.”
Alice turned her attention back to Helena. “Dinnae take her hostility to heart. She isnae the forgivin’ type.”
Helena absorbed those words, feeling their weight settle in her chest.
Before she could reply, movement in the forest caught her eye. Alexander emerged from the trees, his strides long and purposeful. Felicia trailed behind him, her steps slower, her head bowed.
Even from a distance, Helena could see the redness in the girl’s eyes, the slight puffiness around them. She had been crying.
Helena felt a strange pang in her chest—an ache she could not quite name. She wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but the words would not come.
Felicia lifted her head, her eyes locking onto Helena’s for a brief moment, before looking away again. Helena swallowed hard. She wanted to comfort her. She just did not know how.
“What’s wrong, Felicia?” she finally asked, reaching out to put a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder.
Felicia immediately batted away her hand, lifting her head to glare at her through the tears streaking down her freckled face.
“Ye!” she sneered, earning a glare from Alexander and a shocked look from Alice.
“Yer clan! Ye’ve taken everythin’ from me through this stupid war.
If it wasnae for yer kin, I wouldnae be alone!
The Laird and his kin are the only family I have kenned since I was little.
Ye took me family from me, and now ye’re here to take the only thing I have left! It isnae fair! Ye’ve taken everythin’!”
Helena listened quietly, shocked but not upset with the girl.
She pitied her. The loss Felicia had experienced at such a young age was not fair.
Nothing Helena said now would change it, wouldn’t make the loss of her family any better, she knew that.
The anger she felt was directed at her father for pursuing this fruitless war for as long as he had, at herself for not taking matters into her own hands sooner.
“Apologize, Felicia,” Alexander ordered harshly once the girl was done speaking, his eyes narrowing.
“That’s nae necessary,” Helena whispered, not wanting to shame the young girl.
“I think it is,” Sophia interjected, and Alice bit her lip. “Me niece has nothin’ to do with her faither’s decisions, just like she has nay control over yer Laird’s decisions. Yer anger is misdirected. Ye should show more respect to yer lady.”
“Auntie…”
“That’s nae quite fair either,” Alexander responded, his irritation growing.
“Just stop!” Helena snapped, glaring first at him and then at her aunt.
“The lass has every right to feel the way she does.” She then turned back to Felicia, looking her right in the eye.
“Nothin’ I can say will make up for the loss of yer parents, I ken that.
But I’ve lost people, too. Family. Me maither, me braither, me cousin.
I dinnae completely understand what ye’re goin’ through, and I willnae claim to.
I still have me faither and me aunt to turn to. ”
The girl sniffled, refusing to look at her.
“I ken the loss was great, but somethin’ good came after, aye? Alexander took ye in and has cared for ye ever since,” Helena continued.
A deafening silence fell over them, and she decided she had to change the subject.
“Will ye tell me how ye came to be at the castle?” she asked gently, despite already knowing the answer.
Perhaps if Felicia chose to open up to her, they could start building a better relationship.
Felicia considered Helena’s words carefully before nodding.
Helena motioned for her to sit back down on the blanket, the food forgotten. Sophia and Alice sat next to one another, and Alice poured Helena a cup of wine as Helena offered Felicia some fresh water.
Alexander remained at a distance, sitting on the ground only after Alice shot him a disapproving look. It wasn’t until he sat and Felicia took a sip of water that she began speaking.
“Alexander—I mean, the Laird,” Felicia whispered, wiping the tears from her cheek with her sleeve as she brushed her hair from her face.
“He and his men came to the village to fight off the raiders. Me parents were already dead, me sister gone. I was hidin’ in a root vegetable cabinet, and he stumbled upon it. ”
She sniffled, her expression hardened as she refused to look at Helena again.
“He wrapped me in a blanket and took me to the keep,” she continued. “Had Lorna find me a place there, ensured I learned to read and write and gave me a home. It was all so perfect until ye arrived.”
“Nothin’ has changed, Felicia,” Alice whispered, offering Sophia a slice of cake.
“That’s right, lass. This is still yer home. Nothin’ has changed,” Alexander affirmed.
Helena did not appreciate his stiff tone.
“Nothin’ has changed? How can ye say that?! Ye went and welcomed the enemy into our home and married her!” Felicia yelled at him, gesturing to Helena and Sophia. “For all ye ken, she’s a spy! Worse now, there are two of them!”
“Lass, ye are out of line!” Alexander warned sternly, pointing a finger at her, much like a father scolding his daughter. “Hold yer tongue before ye say somethin’ ye cannae take back. Ye will respect the lady of the clan and her kin.”
Felicia stood up and cried out angrily, before storming off to the keep in a huff. He made to go after her, but Alice reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him.
“Let her go. She just needs time to adjust, Braither.”
“She’s right,” Helena said. “I’m nae upset with her. I dinnae want ye to be either. She’s just a lass, and I have a feelin’ that I may have burst her bubble, for I am certain she has a wee crush on ye, her savior.”
Alexander seemed bewildered, looking to Sophia for her opinion, but she just smiled with a hand over her mouth and nodded in agreement.
“Ah, to be young,” she murmured, smiling, her eyes saying that she had seen this sort of thing before. “Adolescent innocence is both a blessing and a curse, I’m afraid.”