Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
When Liam arrived at the stables just as the sun was peaking over the hills, the groom seemed surprised to see him.
He was working with Brimstone, the beast seeming to take pleasure in giving the man a hard time.
The groom stopped moving, standing straight as if waiting for a directive.
Brimstone, however, jerked his head back in a show of displeasure.
“Me Laird,” he said, ignoring the horse attempting to throw a fit behind him, “ye’re here early.”
“Aye,” Liam confirmed, reaching out to stroke Brimstone’s muzzle. The horse calmed himself but still seemed displeased, likely because Katherine wasn’t around. “I will be takin’ Katherine and Agnes on a short ride. I’ve come to request ye ready Brimstone and me mare.”
“Aye, Me Laird,” the groom said, immediately following Liam’s commands.
As the groom took care of the preparations, Liam scanned the grounds.
Several of his men were doing their rounds, but most of the residents of Clan MacDougal were still sleeping soundly.
Just before he turned to assist the groom in the stables, the front doors swung open, revealing Agnes with a blanket folded in her arms. Behind her, Katherine looked nearly healed, and she carried what must be their lunch in a parcel in her hands.
As soon as Agnes spotted him, she broke out into a trot. Katherine laughed at the girl’s excitement and ran with her. Their joy was contagious, and Liam had to force a smile.
Just because I’m lettin’ her in, doesnae mean I can let meself get too close. If I’m goin’ to protect them, it’s on me to keep from makin’ Katherine a target.
“I didnae expect ye to be movin’ about so early,” Liam said, taking the folded fabric from Agnes. “I told ye we were leavin’ after ye both ate.”
“We have already eaten,” Agnes reported.
“She dragged me out of bed as soon as the first ray of sunlight came into me chambers,” Katherine said with a grin. “The staff gave me our lunch as we were finishin’ up.”
“Then it’s a good thing that I’ve already instructed the groom to prepare the horses,” Liam said, glancing toward the stable doors. “I imagine Brimstone is nearly ready.”
“I’ll load his saddle bag,” Katherine chirped, sounding so much more like herself.
She disappeared within the stables, appearing a few minutes later on Brimstone’s back. The groom led Liam’s mare out, passing him the reins before taking the blanket from him. As he loaded it into the saddle bag, Liam gestured for Agnes to come closer.
Once the groom stepped away, walking back to the stables, Liam lifted Agnes onto the saddle. When he got her settled, he threw himself onto the mare’s back behind her. As he grabbed the reins, Agnes pressed her small body back against him.
“Ye’ll be leadin’ the way, aye?” Katherine asked, stroking Brimstone’s neck.
She looked at peace atop the steed, comfortable. Brimstone had settled, seemingly pleased that his favorite handler had arrived. Though her insistence on looking after the animal had grated on his nerves at first, he found himself grateful that the two of them had forged a bond.
Ach, I daenae even recognize meself.
“Aye,” Liam confirmed, clearing his throat. He adjusted his grip before urging his mare into a canter. “Stay close so that ye can hear me explanations.”
With that, they were off. The girls kept quiet, both of them holding onto each word he said. He pointed out marks made in trees, scars in the ground, and ponds that all fell under the ownership of Clan MacDougal.
“This is the river on the map,” Katherine said as they came to a stop several feet away from the bank, as the sun stationed itself high in the sky.
“Could we eat here?” Agnes asked, wiggling in the saddle. “It’s quite bonnie.”
“Aye,” Liam said as he dismounted. After his boots hit the ground, he helped Agnes down. As he pulled the blanket free, he said, “Ye and Katherine pick a spot and get everythin’ set up.”
Agnes nodded, taking the bundle of fabric from his hands. She surveyed the area, her face etched with the grave seriousness he knew she had learned from him. Before Katherine could dismount, he stepped beside her, offering a hand.
“Thank ye, Me Laird,” she said, her fingers wrapping around his palm.
“Of course, Me Lady,” he replied, letting his touch linger for a beat longer than entirely necessary.
Even after his hand dropped, he didn’t step out of her space. His eyes darted down to her lips without his permission, and he heard the sharp intake of breath she took. His gaze returning to hers, he reached for the saddle bag, pulling out the parcel she’d tucked away.
“Let’s have our picnic.”
She swallowed hard, and he watched the way her throat moved. Feeling almost like a predator stepping away from his prey, Liam took a step back. Finally, he looked away, his eyes settling on Agnes. Katherine seemed to regain her composure, blinking several times before she moved to offer her help.
Turning his back on the girls as they chattered and spread the blanket, Liam turned his face up to the sky.
He wasn’t sure what had compelled him to invite the lesson the day prior nor the ride this morning.
It was the same thing that he’d felt bend and then break when he’d seen Katherine lying in bed, looking as though she were fading away.
“Father!” Agnes called, waving her hand, “we’ve found the perfect spot.”
He spotted her and Katherine beneath a large, shaded tree. The grass around them fluttered with the light breeze, and Katherine was busy arranging the bread, cheeses, and fruits that they’d brought along. Something warm that he hadn’t felt in years took hold of him; it was a fundamental rightness.
“Ye work well together,” Liam praised as he crossed the short distance to join them. Brimstone and his mare wandered over to the river, and a bird called in the distance. “I can continue the lesson as we eat.”
“Nay, Liam,” Katherine said, her tone light but clearly meant to chastise. “We’re takin’ a break. Ye can get back to tellin’ us about the land when we finish our meal.”
Agnes’ breath caught, and she looked between the two of them as though she were expecting an argument. Liam raised an eyebrow at Katherine, the corner of his mouth tugging upward.
“I suppose ye’re right,” he said, picking up a roll of bread and taking a bite. As he chewed, Agnes’s mouth dropped open, her surprise almost comical. After Liam swallowed, he said, “I will continue teachin’ the both of ye after we eat.”
“And after we dip our toes in the river,” Katherine added.
“I think ye’re both more than capable of learnin’ while yer feet are in the water,” Liam said, not willing to let her make every rule.
The serious look on his face made both Agnes and Katherine giggle. He frowned, but the action only seemed to make their laughing worse. Scoffing to maintain his authoritative demeanor, he continued to eat.
“Ye are strange today, Father,” Agnes said, that bluntness she learned from Katherine shining through.
“Perhaps I’m enjoyin’ the weather,” he countered. “Now, eat yer food.”
Agnes paused for another moment before she finally began her meal. He looked at Katherine, who was grinning around a berry. It was peaceful, the world seeming to convalesce into something perfect and dreamlike.
I’m softer around her. And Lady Agnes saw it before anyone else did.
* * *
“Can I go to the river now?” Agnes asked, doing an incredible job of keeping herself still despite her clear desire to splash around like the child that she was.
“Daenae leave our sight,” Liam said, his permission all Agnes needed to begin stripping off her shoes and stockings. “And daenae go further than the bank. The current is much stronger than it looks.”
“Aye,” Agnes said. She looked at Katherine then. “Will ye come with me?”
“In a moment,” Katherine said, too comfortable to get up.
With her belly full and the wind softly touching her cheeks, she felt as if she truly belonged. Liam sat nearby, his fingers just inches from hers. She was reluctant to leave this moment.
“Ye’ve been teachin’ her quite well,” Liam said as Agnes ran off toward the riverbank.
Brimstone and Liam’s mare were nearby, grazing in the vibrant grass.
“Nae only is she gettin’ better at readin’ and writin’ and learnin’ needlework, but she’s findin’ her voice.
” He met Katherine’s eyes. “Though, I must admit she sometimes sounds quite a bit like ye.”
“I do suppose I have played a part, havenae I?” Katherine said, smiling warmly as Agnes dipped a toe into the water. “Ye raised a headstrong wee thing, though. I think she was always goin’ to be stubborn and opinionated. I’ve simply accelerated her discovery.”
He grunted in acknowledgment, following Katherine’s gaze.
For a few moments, they simply watched as Agnes allowed herself to be a young girl.
She lifted the hem of her dress and waded in, giggling to herself as the water caressed her ankles.
The sound was sweet and soft, carried to them by the gentle breeze.
“It’s good for her,” Liam said after a moment. “To ken she can make herself heard. I daenae wish for her to grow up thinkin’ she must be seen and nae heard. She will have her duties, places where she is the one in charge, but I want her to ken she can always speak and make her opinions kent.”
“Ach, but I was under the impression that ye found that quite irritatin’,” Katherine said playfully, her hand sliding over just enough to brush his.
For a moment, he was quiet. Then, his thumb brushed against hers deliberately, the contact enough to make her heartbeat flutter.
Good-naturedly, he admitted, “I cannae say that I enjoy bein’ challenged, but it’s good for me. It’s good for anyone.”
“That’s… surprisingly insightful,” Katherine said, tilting her head to the side thoughtfully.
“But ye’re correct. People daenae grow if they’re nae challenged, either by other people or the situations they put themselves into.
” She paused for a beat before adding, “Or by bein’ put into situations they didnae choose. ”
Liam absorbed that, and when he met her gaze, she could see him trying to piece together whether she was talking about herself or him. Eventually, he said, “Aye, the situations we daenae choose for ourselves are the ones that facilitate the most growth.”
“They teach us the most about ourselves,” Katherine agreed. Then, hesitantly, she added, “And they sometimes show us things we didnae ken we wanted. Or things we didnae ken we could have.”
Liam let out a surprised chuckle. Then, with a twinge of awe, he said, “Ye werenae kiddin’ when ye said that ye had an interest in philosophy.”
“I daenae see a reason that I would lie,” Katherine countered. She thought back to the auction, the eyes on her, the way they didn’t seem to care for a single talent she had. “Especially because I wasnae impressin’ anyone.”
“Ye charmed Lady Agnes,” Lucas said, the words carrying a kind of emotional weight that she didn’t expect from him. Then, as if he’d shared too much, been too transparent, he added, “And I quite liked yer ridiculous song at the end. Though I daenae think that ye employed it at an appropriate time.”
“I was doin’ me best,” Katherine said, the lightness of the moment bringing a giggle out. She looked toward Agnes, who was now trying to convince the horses to come drink from the river. “It was me only other talent, and I had to be sure I shared it before the biddin’ began.”
“That’s a fair point,” Liam conceded, his own attention shifting to his daughter.
They fell into a comfortable silence. It was the first time since their wedding that she truly felt like she was his wife. This wasn’t the love she had imagined, but something had changed. Her desire for emotional connection no longer felt out of reach.
“Ye can swim, aye?” Liam asked, breaking the silence between them.
“I can,” Katherine confirmed, shifting on the blanket, her hand pressing more firmly against his.
“I had to teach meself, but I did so in the rivers near the home me father and I were livin’ in.
When I was a few years older than Agnes, he took me to the sea to work on fishin’ boats.
I fell in, and he didnae get in to help.
Told me that it was important to ken how to keep meself afloat. ”
Liam went still, his back straightening. Carefully, his tone modulated, he said, “He’s correct if ye plan on bein’ near the sea, but I would prefer ye teach her to swim here.”
“Of course. I wouldnae want her to learn the way I did. It was frightenin’,” Katherine said, watching him carefully.
She still couldn’t understand why he seemed so against the idea of the sea.
Something must have happened there, but she didn’t know how to ask.
Instead, she said, “I could teach her to swim in the ocean after she’s a stronger swimmer. In case?—”
“It looks as if she’s waitin’ for ye to join her,” Liam said, abruptly cutting her off. His jaw was set tight, his hands curled into fists against the blanket.
Katherine followed his gaze to see Agnes watching them. He was correct though she couldn’t help but think that the timing was quite convenient. It was just another way for him to dodge the conversation.
“Aye, she is,” Katherine agreed, letting the subject drop. She began removing her own shoes and stockings. “Will ye be joinin’ us?”
“Nay just yet,” Liam said, guarded but clearly relieved that Katherine was willing to let the topic drop. “I will pack everythin’ away. Then I will join ye.”
Katherine nodded, staying on the blanket for a second longer.
Then, she gathered both her shoes and Agnes’, carrying them with her to the river.
Even though she wanted to demand he tell her why he was so apprehensive about the sea, she wanted more than anything else to maintain the light atmosphere for the rest of the day.
I will be able to ask him later. For now… I’ll splash in the water with Agnes.