Chapter 10
“Rhea!” Callum’s voice boomed, cutting through the ruckus of the people who had surrounded her.
Half the village was hovering over her, all of them worried about her, but then she saw Callum push his way through them to get to her. When he reached her, his hands hovered over her for a moment, as if he was uncertain what to do.
“I’m all right,” she assured him before he could even ask. “I was startled, that’s all.”
“Ye’re nae hurt?” he asked.
She shook her head. “It’s nothin'.”
The only injuries she had sustained were a few scrapes on her palms, which she now dusted, and perhaps a bruise on her rear after landing so hard on the ground. She was more concerned about her coin purse, which contained a significant amount of gold.
“Stay here,” Callum told her, pressing a gentle hand to her shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”
With that, he took off, rushing after the attacker.
He had seen the entire attack, but he had been too far to intervene, and now he cursed himself for it.
He should have stayed close to Rhea. He should have kept a closer eye on her instead of letting her wander off on her own, but he had never thought that the village would be a dangerous place for her.
His people were good. There were thieves among them, of course, as there were thieves in every place, but he had thought Rhea safe in the middle of the market. He had been mistaken, and now he would never let her out of his sight again.
What if he hurt her? What if he killed her for the gold?
Callum would have never forgiven himself if something had happened to her. The mere thought of her being harmed was enough to send his heart racing, to make bile rise in the back of his throat.
He hated feeling powerless against things he couldn’t predict or prevent, and with every step he took, he couldn’t help but curse himself more and more for it.
But that also gave him the strength he needed to run faster, to catch the man who had attacked Rhea and exact justice—or revenge.
His footsteps echoed down the street as he chased after the attacker, pushing himself to run faster and faster. The culprit was a small man, clearly suffering a life of poverty. With his long stride, Callum caught up to him quickly and tackled him to the ground.
The man fell with a thud, followed by a groan that sounded too high, too childish. Yanking the hood back, Callum revealed not the face of a man, but rather that of a young woman—or rather a girl who was probably not even of age yet.
The sight shocked him for a moment, but with all his weight on her, she couldn’t move, no matter how much she squirmed and writhed.
“Please,” she said, her big brown eyes filling with tears. “Please, mercy.”
At first, Callum didn’t respond. He only stared at her, his eyes narrowing and his jaw clenching as he wrestled with himself. She was only a girl; she was not some brigand he could simply hang for his crimes. But she had stolen a lot of gold, and she had also hurt Rhea in the process.
“Please, I have a family to feed.” Her words were barely discernible through the tremors in her voice. “I am beggin’ ye… I would never do this, but the silver… Please, forgive me, me Laird. He gave me so much silver and said I can keep everythin’ in the pouch…”
Silver? Who gave her silver?
“Did someone bribe ye?” Callum asked roughly as he stood up and grabbed her by the arm, hauling her to her feet. “Who was it?”
“I… I daenae ken,” the girl stammered. Her tears were falling freely now, sliding down her plump, youthful cheeks.
Callum couldn’t help but think that she was way too young to be doing something like this.
“I swear it, me Laird, I daenae ken who it was. He came to me well-disguised. He… he wore a low hood, and it was dark, so I didnae see his face.”
Callum narrowed his eyes on her, trying to decipher whether she was lying or not. She seemed terrified, though, and if he knew one thing about terrified people, it was that they usually only lied if they were talked into it.
The girl had good enough reason to lie to him about being bribed, but this was not the kind of excuse one could come up with in the spur of the moment. On the other hand, she also had good reason to tell him who had bribed her, which could only mean she truly didn’t know.
Hearing footsteps behind him, He turned his head to see Rhea hurrying toward him. He grunted, his grip tightening on the girl as Rhea approached, her face a mask of shock when she saw her.
“What… Is this the thief?” she asked, her gaze darting between him and the girl.
Callum grunted in confirmation as he let go of the girl. A part of him thought that she might bolt the moment she got the chance, but she only stood there, frightened and rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the dirt under her feet.
“But she’s only a wee lassie,” Rhea remarked.
Callum grunted in confirmation once more.
The girl really was just a child. And she was frightened, and probably hurt from the fall when he had used his full weight to subdue her.
“How much money did ye have in that pouch?” Callum asked Rhea.
“I… I’m nae sure,” she replied. “Either five or six pounds, total.”
It’s nae a small amount.
He turned to the girl and took a good look at her—at her matted hair, her torn clothes, the patches that mended large holes in her cloak.
“Go on, then,” he told her gruffly. “And daenae let me or any of me men catch ye stealin’ again. Do ye hear?”
“W-What?” the girl stammered, looking up at him with a confused frown.
“I said go,” Callum said.
And yet the girl remained there, as if unable to move.
Hesitantly, she held out the coin pouch to him, but he shook his head. “Go.”
They needed every piece of gold they could get. But the girl needed it more.
“I’m sorry,” the girl croaked, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, and I cannae thank ye enough. What can I do? Anythin’, me Laird. I will do anythin’.”
“Are ye seekin’ honest work?” Rhea asked, and the girl immediately lit up as if she had been offered a treasure. “I could find ye a job in the castle, or if ye wish to stay here, we’ll find somethin’ for ye to do.”
A sob escaped the girl’s lips, shaking her entire body. For a moment, she buried her face in her hands, trying to hide her tears, though there was no hiding the sobs that wracked her body.
Callum stood there awkwardly, staring at them, uncertain of what to do. But then Rhea approached the girl and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“What’s yer name?” she asked softly.
“Fiona,” the girl answered, her voice barely audible.
“All right, Fiona, daenae fash now,” Rhea soothed. “Everythin’ will be all right. I’ll make sure ye find a job. Come to the castle by the end of the week, will ye? I’ll meet ye there.”
Fiona nodded, the look in her big, teary eyes so grateful that Callum couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. Her cheeks were blotchy from crying, but her joy was palpable, like a living thing that threatened to infect even him.
“Thank ye, me Lady,” she sniffled. “May the Lord bless ye. May He give ye everythin’ ye wish. Ye’ve been kinder to me than… than anyone ever has.”
“Hush now,” Rhea murmured, patting her shoulder. “Go… go and tell yer family the good news.”
The girl didn’t need to be told twice. Callum watched as she rushed back to the market, her feet carrying her far in a very short amount of time. She was fast, most likely used to this. Besides, whoever had put her up to it must have known that she was skilled at stealing.
“Ye’re too kind,” Callum grumbled, just for the sake of voicing his disagreement.
“And ye’re nae?” Rhea shot back. “Ye let her get away with six pounds.”
“Scottish?”
“British.”
“Damn it.”
“Callum!” Rhea gasped, shocked.
“Six British pounds, Rhea?” He threw his hands up in frustration. “Why would ye carry that amount with ye?”
“Why would I carry Scottish pounds?” she shot back.
“Why wouldnae ye?” Callum asked. “Why would ye carry six pounds with ye?”
“There was so much to purchase!” Rhea replied, her voice rising an octave as she tried to defend herself. “Anyway, ye were the one who gave the money to the lass.”
“I didnae ken it was six British pounds,” Callum gritted out.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. It didn’t matter anyway. He had already given the gold to the girl, and now she was gone. He couldn’t simply ask for it back.
“At least her family will be fed,” Rhea said with a small shrug.
“Aye.” Callum nodded. “For a whole year.”
“Ach, now ye’re just sayin’ things,” Rhea scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. “It’s nae a lot.”
“Och, it is plenty,” Callum countered. “It is plenty.”
The fight was already draining out of him, though, especially when his gaze fell on her hands, which had been scraped by her rough landing.
She wasn’t bleeding, nor did she seem to be in any distress, but he wasn’t entirely convinced she was fine. There was a nagging fear in the back of his mind, a voice that kept telling him that something terrible had happened to her and he simply didn’t know it. Neither of them did.
He stepped closer to her, gently taking her hands in his own and holding them as he examined her palms. He was silent the entire time, and so was she. She merely stared at him through her lashes, her rosy lips slightly parted, drawing in air.
“Are ye sure ye’re all right?” he asked.
She nodded a few times, letting him hold her hands for a while longer.
He could hardly control his fury, his fear. His shoulders were tense, and his hands were gripping hers tightly, as if he feared she would simply fade away if he didn’t hold onto her.
Rhea looked at him, her gaze searching, though she said nothing for a long time. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft. “I’m fine, Callum. Truly. Daenae fash. I hardly got hurt.”
“Ye could have gotten hurt badly,” he pointed out.
“Seeing how small the lassie is, I doubt it,” she said with a short laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
But Callum didn’t laugh. His expression was set in stone, a frown creasing his face as he thought of everything that could have gone wrong.
It could have been someone else. It was only luck that whoever had bribed the girl had chosen her and not some brigand who was perfectly capable and willing to kill Rhea.
“She didnae act on her own,” he admitted after a moment of hesitation. The last thing he wanted was to worry Rhea, but she needed to know that someone had put the girl up to this, that she wasn’t safe. “She was bribed, Rhea. Someone paid her to attack ye.”
For a moment, Rhea didn’t speak. She only frowned, glancing over his shoulder as if she could still find the girl, though she was long gone.
Barclay must be behind it. Of course he is. Who else could it be?
“Damn that bastard,” Callum growled.
Rhea gasped in shock once more, though this time, she didn’t berate him for cursing.
“I kent this would happen, Rhea. I kent he would come after us.”
“Ye daenae ken for sure that it’s Laird Barclay,” she said sternly, immediately figuring out who he was talking about. “Ye daenae ken that, Callum. But even if it was him, it doesnae mean ye should leave. It doesnae mean ye have to go fight a losin’ war.”
“I willnae lose,” he stated automatically.
“Ye willnae go,” Rhea insisted. “I daenae want ye to go. Please, let us wait and see.”
Before she could say anything else, Callum pulled her into a kiss. It was his strategy now, distracting her so that they wouldn’t talk about the possibility of him leaving, as he had almost made up his mind.
He had to go. What other choice did he have?
But this wasn’t the time or the place to discuss this with her. In fact, he didn’t think there was a time and place for them to discuss it at all. This wasn’t something he was going to discuss with her. He was going to make a decision, and he would stick to it.
His hands found her waist, pulling her flush against him.
He kissed her hard, deep, and her gasps reverberated through his body.
The world seemed to narrow down to just the two of them until nothing else mattered.
Until he forgot about the war, the fighting, the threats—everything that had been plaguing him for the better part of the past year.
By the time they broke apart, they were both panting, trying to catch their breath.
Callum stared into Rhea’s eyes, into that endless warm brown.
He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to lose himself in her, to never have to think about the things that troubled him anymore, but there was still so much work to be done.
Especially now that there was a bigger threat than he could have anticipated.
“Let us head back,” he said, pulling her along as he began to walk away.
“What about everythin’ we need?” she asked.
“I’ll take care of it,” he assured her.
I’ll take care of everythin’.