Chapter 17
“Y
er wife does realize that tracking and hunting a predator requires stealth and silence, aye?” Gair asked him quietly as they scoured the woods for signs of a large beast.
“Why do ye ask?”
“I just think ’tis strange that she would think this might be a bonding moment.
” He glanced over his shoulder where Errol lagged lazily.
After refusing to dismount his horse, he followed at a distance and ruined nearly any chance they had at succeeding with the clomping of the horse hooves and the long-suffering sighs.
“In truth, I think my wife just wanted to be away from him. I doona know what transpires between the two of them, but she isna happy when he is around.”
“She and I have something in common because I am not happy either,” Gair grunted. “I was hoping to spend the day with Freya. She is finally coming around and I want a proper chance to woo her.”
“Ye already have her. Ye doona have to woo her,” Lachlan said in annoyance. Not only was Errol ruining the hunt, but now Gair was feeling chatty. At this point, they were just taking a leisurely stroll through the woods. Why even bother with pretenses?
Gair snorted. “Some brother ye are.”
“I’m just pointing out the obvious.”
“How are ye winning over yer wife with that attitude?”
Stopping short, he gave the Brisbane Laird an incredulous look. “I doona have to win her over. We are married. What am I to win over?”
“And here I thought ye were the smart one.”
“Ye think I am the dumb one? Ye are the one who lost some ridiculous challenge to yer men and now have to strip and go for a midnight swim in the loch.”
Gair moaned. “As if I could forget. The men have been gleefully reminding me for days now.”
Behind them, Errol cleared his throat. “Having any luck, lads? Or are ye too busy chattering like girlish maidens?”
Gair growled and Lachlan turned back. “Not yet.”
With a sigh, the older man pointed to one of the bushes near them. “So, then ye didna see that paw print right there? Judging by the size, I would say that it’s big enough to be the monster of a wolf that ye are looking for.”
Following his finger, Lachlan groaned inwardly when he saw the wolf prints clear as day. He was clearly not focused if he was letting Errol Fenton best him.
“Good eye,” he muttered and Errol chuckled behind him.
“Chin up, lad. There isna any need to get yer pride bruised. I was leading hunting parties while ye were still crawling on yer wee belly. Used to be one of my greatest pleasures.”
“Aye?” Lachlan said absently. The man was clopping around on a horse like an idiot. “Yer daughter didna mention that.”
“I am not surprised. She is the reason that I doona hunt anymore. I am surprised that she insisted that I come knowing how I feel.”
That got his attention. He’d been wondering just why Sloane was so bent on bonding time when he’d made it clear that he didn’t care to spend any time with her father. “What happened?”
“I took her on a hunting trip. It didna go well for either of us,” Errol said finally. “There was an accident.”
Stopping short, Lachlan frowned. “What do ye mean an accident? Was she hurt?”
“No. She wasna the one who was hurt,” Errol muttered as he looked away. “I doona want to talk about it. She insisted that she join me and I have always had a soft heart where she was concerned. After the accident, she was different.”
For a man who didn’t want to talk about it, he was certainly talking quite a bit about it. “She hurt someone else,” he said dully.
It hurt Lachlan to think that his sweet Sloane had hurt anyone. How it must have torn at her, but accidents did happen. “Bow and arrow?”
“Aye,” Errol sighed. Suddenly, he seemed like a heartbroken man. “She taught herself and she was eager to make use of her skill. I saw the man just before she let the arrow fly. We tried to help him, but there was nothing that we could do.”
“She killed someone,” Gair demanded.
Errol nodded. “She wasna the same afterward. For days, I looked at her and didna recognize her. When she insisted on coming with me, I thought that perhaps she was just punishing herself. I wanted her to stay home…”
“Punishing herself,” Lachlan said sharply as his hand immediately went to the hilt of his sword. Errol followed the movement and paled. Realization tightened in his chest. “Punishing herself with the funeral of the man that she killed.”
“I didna say that,” Errol stuttered. “I didna mean…”
“I doona care what ye meant to say. I care about the truth,” Lachlan hissed.
Gair immediately put a hand on his arm. “Easy,” he murmured. “Perhaps this isna the time.”
“Really?” Lachlan whirled around. “And when do ye suggest is the best time for me to find out that my wife murdered my cousin!”
“It was an accident,” Errol said desperately. “Doona say murdered. She would never…”
Lachlan tuned it out. All he could think about were the nights that he’d spent with Sloane, with her body pressed up against his while she lied to him by omission.
Bile rose in his throat. He wanted desperately to believe that Errol was lying to him, but how could a man condemn his daughter like that?
His wife wanted him to stop seeing her as delicate. Now, he could only see her as a killer.
After breakfast with Calder, Sloane found Freya with Isla. The young woman’s eyes were rimmed red and puffy from crying, but she was arguing with Freya about continuing her work around the keep.
“I am barely showing and I willna sit here like a lump. I can help clean and serve during mealtimes.”
“Isla, Sloane didna bring ye here to work. She brought ye here so ye could have a safe place to live,” Freya said stubbornly.
“And after I give birth? She willna allow me to stay here forever. No man will have me after this, so I must find an alternative place fer me. I must work!”
Clearing her throat, Sloane tried not to feel hurt when Isla immediately looked at the floor. For some reason, the woman still seemed to dislike her intensely.
“Isla, ye are welcome to stay here in the keep for as long as ye like, but I understand yer concerns. However, I doona think that work around the keep is the answer. Ye have an opportunity to take yer time and find something that ye really enjoy doing. Spend some time with the other women around the clan. Perhaps ye will enjoy gardening or tending to the animals. Mayhap ye will enjoy working with a thread and needle or creating new recipes in the kitchen.”
Freya’s eyes lit up with delight. “Aye! That sounds like an excellent idea!”
“Verra well,” Isla muttered. “Thank ye, mistress.”
“Sloane,” she reminded her and sighed. Still, she couldn’t get Isla to consider her a friend. “It’s just a suggestion. Ye can do whatever ye wish. If ye wish to clean then, by all means, ye are welcome to clean.”
When Isla didn’t say anything in return, Sloane could tell that she wasn’t wanted. Muttering her excuses, she turned to leave.
“Sloane, wait!” Freya cried out. “Give me a moment, I want a word with ye.”
After muttering quietly to Isla, Freya hurried out of the chambers and into the hall to follow Sloane.
“Ye have to give her some time. Her mother has disowned her, but she has lived with her poisonous words for years and her mother isna kind about ye. She will come around as soon as she realizes that she isna living under her mother’s thumb any longer. ”
“Ye have nothing to worry about. She will have a place here no matter what,” Sloane said tiredly.
She was emotionally drained after her conversation with her father and all she wanted to do was curl up by the fire and get lost in a book.
Anything to forget about reality for a moment or two.
“Is this what ye wanted to speak with me about?”
“No.” Freya walked beside Sloane but cast her gaze to the floor.
Intrigued by her friend’s sudden bashful nature, Sloane stopped short. “Are ye going to elaborate?”
“I wanted to ask ye how ye are finding marriage with my brother.” Sloane raised an eyebrow and Freya blushed furiously. “I am not a spy for my brother, I swear it. But Gair and I spoke last night and it didna go so well.”
“Ye argued? I believe that is a staple of marriage.”
Freya snorted. “Ye and Lachlan argue?”
“Frequently. He is verra bull-headed.”
“I know that. Aye, Gair is stubborn, but he said some things that made me think.” Freya picked at her dress and took a deep breath.
“I have been so blindsided by my previous experience with my fiancé that I fear I may be judging my impending marriage too harshly and Gair is paying the price for it.”
Grabbing Freya’s hand, she squeezed it. “Ye are lucky, ye know. Ye are to wed a man that ye are already friends with. I was terrified to wed Lachlan, but he is a good man and I am lucky as well. Still, I understand yer fears. Binding yerself to another is not to be taken lightly.”
“I thought after our argument last night, he would call the whole thing off, but he sent a message this morning. He wants to meet with me tonight and he promises that we will speak openly about what we both want.” Freya beamed.
“I want to tell him that I love him, but I want it to be known that I willna be his subordinate.”
“Then go to him tonight and tell him! Where does he want ye to meet?”
“One of the empty chambers in the East wing.”
That was odd. Sloane peered at Freya in concern. “Are ye sure that is wise?” The gardens would have been a better option. Even though they were to be married, Sloane was concerned about Freya meeting a man at night in private.
“’Tis not like I am meeting him in my chamber or his and it doesna matter if anyone sees us.
We are already to be married. Besides, Gair is a gentleman.
He will probably require that we stand at twenty paces apart at all times.
Honestly, I cannae even get the man to kiss me.
He claims that I deserve to be courted.”
“’Tis romantic,” Sloane said with a smile.
“’Tis annoying.” Despite her protest and eye roll, Freya grinned. She was obviously enjoying the attention from Gair even if they were arguing.