Chapter 4
By the time they arrived at the Armstrong keep, Jean was practically bouncing up and down in her saddle.
Her clan was still the largest of the Highlands, but the Armstrongs were growing.
Ten years ago, the Armstrongs had gifted the Erksines five acres of bordering land.
It wasn’t enough to be disputed land in the future, but it was a nod of respect because the Armstrongs were expanding in their direction.
She’d only been to the Armstrong land once, when she was thirteen. Liam had been sixteen then, practically a man, but he’d still been kind to her. When she snuck off to explore, he was the one to find her and patiently allow her another hour to explore before bringing her home.
Everything she’d touched was solidified in her mind. Being able to remember land markings, maps, and direction was a natural skill that her clan enjoyed testing her on frequently. Even now, as they arrived at the castle, her gaze was wandering as she looked for new things.
It had been seven years, so much of it was new.
“Laird and Lady Sinclair,” Creighton said formally as he stepped up and nodded his head. “Welcome back to the Armstrong keep, where you are always welcome.”
“Ah, lay off the formalities, Creighton,” Connor grinned as he stopped his horse. “Or Moira will make me brush up on my etiquette.”
“As if anyone could do that,” Moira laughed.
Jean took a moment to soak in their easy banter, but her gaze was on the man who stepped up to her horse and held up his hands to help her down.
Unable to help herself, her eyes widened. “Liam Armstrong, if that is ye trying to help me off my horse, then ye are dumber than I thought,” she declared.
Lord, but the boy had grown into a man. Last time she had seen him, he was as tall as his father, and now he was even taller. All muscular and filled out. He looked like a true guard.
Or a laird.
“Lady Jean,” Liam stressed with a small smile. “I mean no offense, but given the state of your skirts, I thought perhaps ye might need some help.”
Frowning, she looked down. Her parents had given her no free rein on the last leg of their journey. She was as presentable as she was supposed to be. “What is wrong with my skirts?”
“They are clean.”
“You rat!” She gasped and swung her leg around to dismount. Before she could jump down, his hands wrapped around her waist, and he gently lifted her down. Immediately, she turned to jab her hand in his throat, but he caught her hands quickly, with a sparkle of laughter in his eyes.
“Ye would offend yer host so soon? Ye haven’t even stepped foot in the keep.”
“My host? I’ve only the kindest thoughts for Laird and Lady Armstrong,” she said sweetly.
Everyone laughed, and Jean, remembering her manners, turned to Liam’s parents and bowed her head in respect. Kylie stepped forward and enveloped her into a warm hug. “We are very pleased that ye could make the trip, Jean. ‘Tis been a long time since I’ve seen ye.”
The last time Creighton traveled to Sinclair, Kylie hadn’t been able to make it. Jean embraced the woman in turn. She’d always found Kylie’s quiet nature soothing, and there was no hiding the strength and passion simmering beneath the surface.
Just another example of a strong woman in her life. Why did her father wonder why she wanted the things she did?
“I know ye would all like to rest before dinner. I will show ye to yer rooms,” Kylie said with a smile. “Liam will get yer guards settled.”
“There are twenty more behind us. They should arrive within the hour,” Connor said quietly.
Creighton shook his head. “I told ye that was not necessary.”
“And I told ye that it was no hardship on my part. If ye dinnae have rooms for them, they will camp out.”
Liam turned and followed his father into the keep, Connor walked between them as they were deep in conversation.
With a sigh, Kylie shook her head. “I should have known getting settled would be the last thing on their minds. Come with me, ladies. I am sure ye want to freshen yourselves after such a long journey.”
To her surprise, Jean was not in the same hall as her parents. The Armstrongs were making some renovations to the keep, so there was only one chamber in the guest wing, which would go to her parents. Jean was shown a room closer to the Armstrong family.
Despite what Kylie had suggested, the last thing Jean wanted to do was rest. She’d been on a horse for the past week.
What she really wanted to do was work out some energy.
A maid was assigned to her, and on Jean’s request, she helped Jean out of the nice dress her mother had asked her to wear and into one of her day dresses.
She would have been more comfortable in a pair of breeches, but her father had refused to let her pack any.
His reasoning was that the Armstrongs might not understand a lass who trained in breeches, but Jean knew that wasn’t sound.
For whatever reason, her father wanted to force her into the role of a lady for this trip.
Which she would do her best to accommodate, but if he didn’t want her squirming in her dinner seat, she needed to move now.
After donning her boots, she pulled out the daggers she’d packed, sheathed two beneath her dress, and sheathed the third in the opening at her waist. Then, knowing the layout of the keep from her last trip, she made her way back out to the setting sun.
The last time she had been there, she found a beautiful clearing that she’d fallen in love with. It had been shuttered on all sides with sweeping vines, and the clearing was small, just enough for her to train in private.
She’d found the opening by mistake, after training nearby and falling literally into the vines. Most of the foliage was thick and tangled, but that one spot had just been big enough for a thirteen-year-old lass to slip through.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t grown that much.
The clearing might have. The vines might be gnarled branches now, difficult to move without hacking away. Or the clearing might be less of a clearing but the home to a new tree or two.
When she reached the spot, she ran her hands along the vines to see if they would sway.
They did not.
Sometimes, change made her sad. With a sigh, she continued to move along the edge until the branches rustled under her hand.
Her heart beat with delight, and she turned.
The vines were young, much like she’d remembered them six years ago, but that was impossible unless someone had cut an opening and allowed the vines to grow back.
They looked as if they were no more than a few months old.
Sweeping the vines aside, she ducked under the branches inside.
Oh, her clearing was still there, and it was still as wonderful as she remembered. What had seemed magical to her at thirteen still felt wonderful to her today. The dying sun filtered through the trees, and this time, she heard the trickling of water. A new creek must meander nearby.
Happy, she hiked up her skirts and tied them on each side of her thighs. If anyone could see her now, they would faint from the impropriety of it all, but training was all but impossible in a skirt. At least here, no one would be able to see her.
Closing her eyes, she brought her hands to her heart and opened her other senses.
Her father had taught her that the most important weapon she could ever wield was the ability to feel the world around her.
She wasn’t deep in the forest. Anyone could wander by, but the animals were used to it. Here, the birds would chitter on.
Opening her eyes, she studied the leaves. A group on horseback would cause a disturbance. Kick up dust in the air. Make the branches shake.
And finally, she bent down and placed her hand flat on the ground. No trembles. All was still.
All was right.
And then, she moved. Warming up her limbs, stretching out her muscles. Slow movements, stretching her arms up to the sky, pivoting on the balls of her feet, stretching her legs out.
Suddenly the leaves rustled. Wings fluttered above her. She was no longer alone.
“Looks more like you’re about to dance rather than fight.”
Bending her knee, she leapt and struck out with her foot at the same time. It connected with a body. Liam grunted, reaching for her, but she landed and danced out of the way. She pivoted to jump kick with her other leg.
But it was a mistake. He knew that it was coming.
When his warm hand connected with her ankle, she felt more than the disappointment of defeat. Once he had her on the ground, she’d be done for. He was more than twice her weight and skilled. But that touch made her heart skip a beat in a way that she didn’t understand.
Her body would have landed on the ground hard if not for his hand settling at the small of her back, slowing her just enough so when she did land, it wasn’t pain but embarrassment that flooded her.
“My mistake. Definitely a fight,” he said as he hovered over her. “Now then, Jean, care to tell just what in damnation ye have done with yer dress?”
“Aye. I’d be happy to show ye.” With a small smile, she found her opening as he let his guard down. When he rose, she swung her leg out, caught him by the knee, grabbed his arm, and yanked him back down.
He twisted at the last minute, falling on his back, and carried her with him as she landed on his chest. Before he could push her off, her dagger was at his neck. “Ye cannae do that in a skirt.”
“No wonder yer father frets for ye,” he grumbled. “Are ye planning on killing me here?”
“Concede, and I will let ye up.”
“Ye do know that in a real battle, that would never happen. A warrior doesnae let his guard down like that.”
“Ye would be surprised at how easily men let their guards down around me,” she responded and straightened. “And in a real battle, ye would never see me coming.”
Turning away from him, she quickly untied the knots of her skirts and let them down. As much as she wanted to skirmish with Liam, she had promised to try and be on her best behavior. As much as her parents doted on her, they would not approve of what had happened here.
“Were ye looking for me?”
“Aye. I figured ye wouldnae stay in yer chambers ’til dinner. I thought to give ye a tour of the lands if ye wish to stretch yer legs.”
Sheathing her dagger, she turned and smiled. “Aye, thank ye.”
He stooped to go through her secret door, and she almost asked how he knew that she would be there, but then she would have to admit that this place was special to her.
Or that she was trying to be alone.
Despite the strength that came from her mother, the strength that helped put a clan back together, most did not approve of a woman who wanted to be a warrior. She did not have many friends, and where she used to flaunt her training as a child, she learned to hide in secret as an adult.
Liam was no doubt looking for that girl who didn’t have any doubts, any reservations about who she was.
And she didn’t exist anymore.
She chatted endlessly through the tour, noting the changes, and relishing in the things that had stayed the same. Several hours had passed before Liam turned them around so they could join their families for a quiet dinner.
And she realized that Liam, for all his teasings earlier, was far too quiet. “Is everything all right?”
Startled, he turned to stare at her as they walked. “What do ye mean?”
“Ye dinnae seem yerself.”
“Tis been many years since we have seen each other, Jean. Some things change,” he said gently with a smile. Then, he moved his hand behind his back. A careless gesture, but one that she recognized as a tell. One specific to Liam.
He’d just lied to her.
She didn’t press him, though. If he had something he wanted to keep from her, that was fine. He had that right, but it was clear that whatever was wrong with him was weighing him down. Maybe she could get it out of him before her visit was over. She had a few days to work it out of him.