Chapter 5
A demanding knock sounded on the door, making Megan flinch.
“Who is it?” Ryder snapped, looking none too pleased at the interruption.
The doorknob twisted, and the door began to creak open. Megan was just wondering who would be so bold as to stride straight into their laird’s study without express invitation when a little girl peeped around the door.
“Ry, Alaina willnae play with me,” she complained, pushing out her lower lip. “It’s nae fair! Ye must tell her.”
She blinked, noticing Megan for the first time. This seemed to interest her more than her current problems. She stepped inside properly, eyeing Megan with unconcealed interest.
“Who are ye, then?” the little girl inquired.
“I am Megan,” she answered.
This seemed to satisfy the child. She appeared to be about seven years old, with long, light brown hair tangled in knots.
She had a small, round face with a nose that turned up slightly, making her look a bit like a mouse.
It was very charming. A pair of peat-brown eyes glinted with curiosity as she looked out at the world.
“Ry, are ye goin’ to tell Alaina to play with me? I’m bored, and she told me she was busy. She is nae busy,” the girl added, with a clear tone of outrage. “It is nae fair.”
Ryder heaved a sigh, leaning back against his desk and folding his arms tight across his chest.
“Megan, this is me youngest sister, Sophie. As far as I ken, nobody wants to kidnap her. I’m fairly sure that if they tried, they’d bring her straight back.”
Megan bit back a snort at this. Sophie nodded proudly and turned back to her with inquisitive eyes.
“Have ye got sisters? Did they play with ye?”
“Aye, I suppose so,” Megan managed, somewhat taken aback. “I was the second youngest, but I imagine I didnae give them their privacy as often as I should have.”
Sophie sniffed disdainfully, showing clearly what she thought about privacy.
“I only want Alaina to play a game with me.”
“And what game was that?” Ryder inquired, looking as though he were trying not to laugh.
Sophie blinked somewhat guiltily. “The one where she carries me around the Keep on her back.”
“Aha. I think we’ve gotten to the bottom of why she doesnae want to play with ye,” Ryder responded sardonically. He walked over to a low set of drawers and took out a bottle of what she guessed was whisky. “Would ye like a nip, Megan?”
“Nay, thank ye,” she answered, somewhat surprised.
“Can I have some?” Sophie asked eagerly.
“Nay, ye cannae. Are ye sure, Megan? Ye might want a wee bit of fortification before facing me sisters.”
She offered a tight smile. “I am sure I will manage.”
Ryder threw a wry smile at her over his shoulder. “I daenae know if anyone has ever told ye this, lass, but ye are very free and open with yer emotions. I can read everything ye are thinkin’ right there on yer face.”
Megan could feel herself blush again, which was annoying in itself.
“I daenae know what ye are talkin’ about.”
“Oh, ye do. It’s rare to find a person who shows so clearly what they feel. I meself might find it a wee bit irritatin’.”
Megan bit back a growl, and pointedly turned her back. She found Sophie watching her with obvious interest. The little girl didn’t seem embarrassed at all to be caught staring, and instead offered a wide, cheery grin.
“Did any of yer sisters ever kick yer out of her chambers, then?”
Megan thought about it. She wondered if she should tell Sophie that for most of her life, she had shared a room with at least one of her sisters.
In the home she grew up in, before Ma died, they preferred to sleep two to a room, sometimes even three or four, to stay warm during the cold winter months.
She couldn’t imagine that Sophie could understand that. The little girl was probably used to having a fire in every room, and probably didn’t understand that sometimes firewood and food could be hard to find.
And that was fine, of course. Megan didn’t want the little girl to endure hardships just so she could understand what it was like. She smiled faintly, reaching out to pat the top of her head.
“I’m sure they did,” she said at last. “But yer sister is nearly grown up now, isn’t she? She’s sixteen, I heard.”
Sophie nodded. “Aye, but she thinks she’s properly grown up.”
Megan stifled a smile as she looked at Ryder. He approached, taking a long sip of his whisky.
Sophie returned her attention to her brother, narrowing her eyes.
“Did ye hear me, Ry? She kicked me out of her chambers. It was most unfair.”
“It sounds like a true injustice,” he agreed, meeting Megan’s eye over the top of Sophie’s head. When their eyes met, Megan felt that warmth in her chest again. It was annoying, so she hastily averted her gaze. When she risked looking back, his full attention was focused on his sister once more.
“Well, it is!” Sophie chirped.
“Ye daenae sound too unhappy about it. Perhaps there are more ways of entertainin’ yerself than at yer poor sister’s expense. Perhaps I would play with ye, did ye think of that?”
Sophie scrunched up her nose. “Nay, I daenae want to play with ye, Ry.”
He huffed, offended, and Megan bit back a grin.
“And why nae?”
Sophie sighed, as if he were an absolute fool she had to explain herself to.
“Because when ye hug me, yer beard scratches me cheeks.”
Ryder considered this, lifting his hand and rubbing his palm against his bristly cheek.
“It is a wee bit scratchy,” he conceded. “Sophie, lass, ye must understand that Alaina is growin’ up. She will be a young woman soon, and she might nae want to play with ye in the way she once did. Nae always, at least.”
Sophie bit her lip. “What do ye mean? Why would she nae want to play with me?”
Ryder drained his whisky and set aside the glass, crouching down before the little girl.
“As ye get older, ye will understand,” he explained gently.
“Grown-up folks still play and have fun, but they might nae enjoy games they once did. Things like being carried around the Keep are nae as fun, nor is carrying somebody. Life is all about change, lass. Bairns of yer age and Alaina’s change very quickly.
Alaina is strugglin’ to decide who she is now, and she might nae want to play games like that. ”
“Why nae?”
“Because it’s nae fun for her anymore. And ye wouldnae want to play a game with yer sister if ye weren’t both enjoyin’ it, would ye?”
Sophie frowned, taking a moment to consider. Then she shook her head.
“Nay, I would nae.”
“Of course nae, because ye are a sweet and fair wee lassie. Ye and yer sister are going to have a lot of fun together, I ken that. Ye will find new games and things to do, and in the meantime, ye can always ask one of the guards or me to carry ye around the Keep.”
“It’s nae the same,” Sophie mumbled. “I want to play with Alaina.”
“I ken, lass. But when ye get to Alaina’s age, ye will understand. Sometimes we all need a wee bit of time alone, and it doesnae mean that she doesnae love ye, or that she doesnae want to play with ye, aye?”
Sophie sniffed, clearly close to tears now. Ryder reached out, gently cupping her cheek with surprising tenderness.
“Now, now, lassie, nay tears,” he chided. “Ye arenae a bairn anymore, and I ken how clever ye are. Ye can understand, can ye nae, that Alaina might need a wee bit of space now and then?”
Sophie angrily swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Nay, I daenae! It’s nae fair.”
“Lassie, Alaina is very nearly a lady now.”
“I hate ladies!” Sophie shot back. “I hate ladies, and I hate ye.”
Megan sucked in a breath, waiting to see how Ryder would respond. He sat back on his heels a little, watching his little sister intently.
Sophie sniffled some more, wiping her nose with her sleeve.
“Hate is a big word, Sophie,” he murmured, so quietly that Megan could barely hear. “Are ye sure ye want to use it?”
Sophie hung her head, avoiding his eyes.
“Nay,” she mumbled. “But it isnae fair.”
“Aye, it’s nae fair. But daenae be sayin’ that ye hate me, or yer sister, lassie. Words are powerful, and saying something ye daenae truly mean is a recipe for disaster. Ye wouldnae want to call bad luck down on our heads, would ye?”
She shook her head. “Nay, Ryder.”
“That’s me girl.”
He withdrew a crumpled handkerchief, using it to mop her cheeks. Megan decided that now was as good a time as any for her to speak up.
“I could play with ye, if ye want, Sophie.”
Sophie paused mid-cry and blinked up at Megan.
“Nae carryin’ ye around the Keep,” Megan added hastily, lest there be any confusion. “But I would love to play another game with ye. Maybe we could go and see Alaina to see if she’s in a better mood? If she is, she can play with us, and if nae, it’ll just be ye and me. What do ye think?”
Sophie visibly brightened. She gave one last sniff and then turned to look at Megan properly.
“Aye, I’d like that.”
Megan glanced at Ryder, lifting her eyebrows in a silent question.
He gave a quick, approving nod, which she took as encouragement to keep going. Turning to Sophie, she crouched down to meet the little girl’s eye level.
“Ye could give me a tour of the Keep,” she suggested. “Show me yer favorite spots, and where everythin’ is, and where everybody lives. What do ye say? I could use a wee tour if I’m going to be stayin’ here.”
Sophie tilted her head. “Ye are goin’ to be staying here?”
Had she said too much? Megan paused, glancing up at Ryder. He’d risen to his feet and was busy pouring out a second whisky for himself.
“What do ye think of Megan, Sophie?” he asked, not turning around.
Megan wasn’t hugely pleased that he was so openly asking a little girl for her opinion of her in such a way, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. It was a relief when Sophie broke into a huge smile.
“I like her, Ry!”
“Well, I’m thrilled to hear that, because Megan is me betrothed.”
Sophie’s eyes went wide like saucers. Momentarily struck dumb, she glanced at Megan, her mouth dropping open in a silent question.