Her fingers found the necklace at her throat, the garnet catching what little light reached the passage. She hadn’t taken it off since he’d fastened it there.
“Saints above,” came a familiar voice. “If that’s nae the finest trinket I’ve seen in this castle, then I’ll eat me own skirts.”
Scarlett startled, looking up to find Katie standing a few paces away, a bundle of herbs and bandages in her arms.
“Katie,” Scarlett said, forcing a smile. “Ye gave me a fright.”
Katie grinned. “I’ll give ye more than that if ye daenae tell me where ye got that bit of silver. Go on then, who gave it to ye?”
Scarlett hesitated, her hand still half-curled around the pendant. “It was… the Laird.”
Katie’s eyes went wide, then bright with delight. “The Laird? As in Robert McLaren, the same man who scowled through half yer wedding vows?”
Scarlett rolled her eyes and started walking again, hoping to leave the topic behind. “Do stop, Katie.”
“Oh nay, Me Lady,” Katie said, quickening her pace to follow. “Ye willnae escape me that easy. A gift from the Laird himself? A necklace, no less! Saints, if he’d given me such a thing, I’d be strutting through the courtyard till the hens bowed in respect.”
Scarlett laughed despite herself. “Ye’re ridiculous.”
Katie tilted her head, studying her. “Ridiculous, maybe, but I ken the look of a lass touched by surprise. Or by something else.”
Scarlett frowned, quick to protest. “It’s nae like that. He gave it because…”
“Aye?” Katie prompted, voice soft but full of mischief.
“Because he’s trying,” Scarlett said finally. “To be… kind. Courteous.” “Courteous,” Katie echoed, one brow lifting. “And was it courtesy that made him choose a garnet, the very color of yer hair? Or did he simply close his eyes and pick whatever trinket shone brightest?”
Scarlett faltered mid-step, her cheeks warming. “Ye think too much of it.”
“And ye think too little,” Katie said cheerfully. “That man’s got more walls than this keep, but when a man like that gives something pretty, it means he’s looking longer than he should.”
Scarlett shook her head though her fingers still brushed the chain. “He gave it to me after we went to the village. There was a stall, and I happened to…”
“Happened to?”
Her lips twitched. “…admire it.”
Katie gasped, her grin turning wicked. “Och, he saw ye looking and bought it on the spot, didnae he? Lord save me, Scarlett, ye’ve done it. The Laird’s caught and daenae even ken it yet.”
Scarlett stopped walking, folding her arms. “Katie, ye’re letting yer imagination run wild again.”
“It’s running straight where the truth lies.” Katie set her bundle on a bench, crossing her arms to mirror her mistress. “Ye daenaegift a woman a necklace unless ye mean to say something with it.”
“It was a gesture,” Scarlett insisted. “He’s only… Well, he’s trying to make peace. I told him I wanted us to get to know each other before talking of heirs.”
Katie blinked. “Heirs?”
Scarlett’s blush deepened. “Aye. I thought if we built some… foundation first, perhaps there’d be less tension between us.”
Katie leaned closer, lowering her voice. “And did that ‘foundation’ happen to involve him touching ye like a man who wants more than peace?”
“Katie!” Scarlett hissed, glancing up and down the corridor. “Must ye shout it from the rafters?”
Katie only smirked. “I’m whispering, Me Lady. And by the look on yer face, I’ve struck gold.”
Scarlett turned away, pretending to study a tapestry on the wall. “There was… something between us. For a moment. But it’s done now. He’s distant again.”
Katie’s tone softened. “Distant how?”
