Olivia turned around to see a rugged, good-looking, dark-haired warrior running up to greet them. The sheen of sweat on his brow showed he had been training hard.
“We’ve come to shoot some arrows,” Edan replied, a little impatiently Olivia thought. He waved a hand between them. “Olivia, this is me man-at-arms and friend, Zander Hendry. Zander, meet me wife, Olivia.”
“Lady Aberfeld, how nice to meet ye at last,” Zander said, bowing to Olivia and giving her a huge grin.
It was so infectious that she could not help but smile warmly at him. He appeared almost as ferocious as Edan but without the disfiguring scars.
“Tis nice to meet ye as well, Zander,” she told him, finding his grin charming.
“Right. Now that ye’ve been introduced, ye can bugger off, Zander,” Edan told his friend with a brutal frankness that took Olivia off guard.
So, ’tis nae just me he’s rude to!
Zander feigned disappointment.“That’s nae very nice, Edan. I’m afraid I cannae comply. Ye see, I havenae finished me trainin’, and as ye ken, as the Laird’s man-at-arms, I have to train every day.”
Olivia noticed Edan’s jaw tighten, although he said nothing as he led her over to the wooden racks where the bows and arrows were stored. Several targets were already set up a few hundred yards away for practice.
Zander lingered nearby while Olivia watched as Edan took up a bow and fired off several shots at the targets, hitting the bullseye every time. On one occasion, she applauded, impressed when he split his own arrow in two.
“Fancy shootin’, eh, Lady Aberfeld?” Zander said, coming up behind her.
“Aye, very impressive,” Olivia agreed.
“Ach, he’s just showin’ off to impress ye. Is that nae right, Edan?” Zander added teasingly, his grin still in place.
Edan said nothing but nocked a fresh arrow. Turning away from the targets at the last moment, he shot it… and it hit the ground, quivering between Zander’s feet.
“Edan! What are ye doin’? That’s dangerous!” Olivia cried, shocked.
But when Zander burst out laughing, she realized he had not been worried at all.
Edan must be very skillful.
“Ach, all right, ye’ve made yer point, man. I’ll be on me way and leave ye in peace,” Zander said good-humoredly. He gave Olivia a little salute. “It’s been a pleasure, Lady Aberfeld. I hope we meet again soon.”
“Aye, I hope so too, Zander,” Olivia replied, wondering at the tension between the two friends.
She heard him laughing as he walked away to continue his practice elsewhere.
When he was out of earshot, she turned to Edan and asked, “Did he really leave so we could be alone?”
Edan nodded, and she could not help but chuckle.
“He was very lucky ye’re such a good shot. If ye’d missed, he might have lost his ability to father bairns.”
“The world would be blessed without mini-Zanders runnin’ about in it,” Edan replied drily.
That had Olivia laughing out loud.
“Now that he’s gone, we can start yer training,” Edan told her, going over to the racks. “Come over here and pick a bow.”
She obeyed, choosing a bow that looked light but strong. But when she pulled on the string to test it, it snapped.
“Are ye hurt?” was the first thing Edan asked her, which she found touching.
“Nay, I’m fine,” she told him.
“How the hell did that happen?” Edan muttered, taking the bow from her and inspecting it. “Hmm, must be a weak string, Isuppose,” he said finally, putting the broken bow aside. “Never mind. Ye can use me bow instead.”
