Chapter 10 #2
God, but she's beautiful like this.
The evening light caught in her dark hair, turning it the color of rich mahogany. Her fingers moved with a grace he hadn't seen before, weaving the delicate stems together as if she'd been doing it all her life.
This is the first time I've seen her truly at ease.
And he was about to destroy that peace.
The weight of what he had to tell her sat heavy in his gut. He'd dealt with battle reports before, border skirmishes, threats to his clan. But none of those had ever felt like this, like he was about to personally hurt someone he... someone who mattered to him.
She's been through so much already. And now I havetae tell her that her nightmare has followed her here.
"That's bonnie work," he said, announcing his presence. His voice came out rougher than he'd intended.
Mhairi's head snapped up, and for a moment, her face lit with a smile.
There it is. That smile.
His heart did something complicated in his chest. Something he didn't want to examine too closely. When she looked at him like that, like he was someone worth smiling for, it made him want to—
Then she must have seen something in his expression because the smile faded.
Alpin felt the loss of it like a physical blow.
He'd seen that look before, but seeing it on Mhairi's face, knowing he was the cause, made him want to turn around and walk away. Pretend he'd never heard Duncan's report. Let her have just one more evening of peace.
But that would be a betrayal. She deserves tae ken. She deserves the truth, even when it hurts.
"Alpin? What's wrong?"
The concern in her voice only made it harder. She was worried about him when she should have been saving that worry for herself.
He moved to the bench, his legs suddenly feeling heavy. "May I sit?"
"Of course."
He sat beside her, leaving some space between them, though every instinct he had was screaming at him to pull her close, to shield her from what was coming with his own body if he could.
How did this happen? When did she become someone I want tae protect more than me own life?
For a moment he just watched her hands as they stilled on the half-finished flower crown, trying to find the right words.
There were no right words.
Just say it. Fast, like ripping off a bandage. The longer ye wait, the worse it gets.
But his throat felt tight.
He was a laird, for Christ's sake. He'd led men into battle, made impossible decisions, sentenced criminals, negotiated treaties. He knew how to deliver bad news.
Yet sitting there beside her, watching her hands tremble slightly on those fragile flowers, he felt utterly helpless.
And he hated it. Hated every part of it.
"A scout reported back this mornin’," he said finally. "From the southern borders."
Her fingers tightened on the flowers. "And?"
"There are soldiers camped just outside our territory. English soldiers."
He watched the color drain from her face. Watched her hands begin to tremble.
"How many?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"About twenty. They're nae makin’ any aggressive moves, just... waitin’."
"It's him." It wasn't a question. "Ashcombe."
"We dinnae ken that fer certain. The scout couldnae get close enough tae identify."
"It's him." The flower crown fell from her lap as she stood abruptly. "Of course it's him. He paid fer me. He thinks he owns me. Why wouldnae he come?"
Alpin rose as well, watching her carefully. Her breathing was coming too fast, panic rising in her eyes.
"Mhairi."
"I have to leave." She was backing away from him. "I cannae stay here. If he attacks because of me, if yer people get hurt—"
"Stop." Alpin closed the distance between them, his hands settling on her shoulders. "Just stop and breathe for a moment."
"I cannae."
"Aye, ye can. Look at me." He waited until her wild grey eyes met his. "Breathe with me. In through yer nose, out through yer mouth."
He demonstrated, keeping his own breathing slow and steady. After a moment, she began to mirror him. In. Out. In. Out.
Gradually, the worst of the panic receded from her expression.
"Better?" he asked gently.
"A bit." Her voice still shook. "But Alpin, if Ashcombe is out there…"
"Then we deal with it." He kept his voice firm, steady. "Taegether. Ye're nae leavin’. Ye're nae runnin’. And ye're certainly nae going back tae him."
"But what about yer people?"
"Me people ken the risks of protectin’ someone who needs it. And they stand with me on this, I promise ye that."
"He'll try," she whispered. "Ye ken he will."
"Let him try." Alpin felt his jaw tighten with anger—not at her, never at her, but at the bastard who'd put that fear in her eyes. "He'll find that MacDougal warriors are nae as easy tae intimidate as auction house guards."
Something shifted in her expression. Not quite hope, but... trust, maybe. Faith that he meant what he said.
One of Alpin's hands slid from her shoulder to the small of her back. He drew her closer—not forcefully, but gently. Steadying her. Grounding her.
The contact was more intimate than anything they'd shared before. He could feel the warmth of her body through the fabric of her dress. Could smell the faint scent of chamomile that clung to her from her day in the healing chambers.
Her breath caught, and color rose in her cheeks. But she didn't pull away.
"I willnae let him have ye," Alpin said quietly. "I willnae let anyone have ye. Yer life is yers, Mhairi. And I'll defend yer right tae that with everything I have."
"Why?" The question came out barely above a whisper. "Why dae ye care so much?"
Alpin's free hand came up almost of its own accord, brushing a strand of dark hair from her face. His fingers lingered against her cheek.
Because when I saw ye on that platform, something in me recognized something in ye. Because the thought of losing ye makes me chest feel like it's being crushed.
But he couldn't say any of that. Not yet. Not when she was still healing, still learning to trust again.
"Because it's the right thing tae dae," he said instead. "And because ye deserve better than what the world has given ye so far."
Her eyes searched his face, and Alpin wondered what she saw there. Whatever it was, it made her lean slightly into his touch.
"I'm scared," she admitted.
"I ken. But ye're safe here. I promise ye that."
The sun was setting now, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. The garden was quiet except for the evening birds and the distant sound of the castle settling in for the night.
They stood there as the light faded, his hand at her back, her eyes locked with his. The moment stretched between them, intimate, charged with something Alpin didn't have words for.
He should step back. Should put proper distance between them.
But he couldn't make himself move.
And when Mhairi's hand came up to rest lightly against his chest, just above his heart, Alpin felt something shift inside him. Something profound and terrifying and absolutely inevitable.
He was falling for her.
Had been falling since that first moment in the forest when she'd looked at him with those fierce grey eyes and demanded to know why she should trust him.
And God help him, he had no idea what to do about it.
"We should go inside," he said finally, his voice rougher than he'd intended. "It's gettin’ dark."
She nodded.
They walked back to the castle together as the stars began to emerge overhead. And Alpin tried very hard not to think about how right it felt to have her at his side.
Or how much he wanted to keep her there.