“Why did ye ask me to dance?” she asked softly.
Ian did not answer at once. He guided her through another turn, his fingers tightening briefly against her waist.
“Because the clan must see that we are a prosperous couple,” he said finally.
The words cut deep inside of her. Arianna’s eyes narrowed slightly as she searched his face.
“That is the only reason ye asked me to dance?” she asked, her voice low but sharp.
The music slowed toward its final notes. He did not answer. Instead, he guided her gently toward the edge of the dance floor as the tune came to an end. Around them, the other couples separated with laughter and cheerful chatter.
Ian released her waist but kept hold of her hand.
“Come,” he said quietly.
He led her back toward the dais, the noise of the hall swelling once more around them. Arianna walked beside him in silence, the unanswered question burning quietly inside her chest.
When they reached the high table, he released her hand and bowed to her. Then he walked away to join some men gathered around the cask of ale. The distance between them returned instantly.
Then I must leave as intended, to my family.
The castle lay wrapped in silence beneath the heavy cloak of night. Most of the torches along the corridors had burned low. Arianna moved carefully through the passageway, her hood pulled low over her head and a small sack clutched tightly against her side. Every step she took felt dangerously loud in the stillness.
Her heart pounded so fiercely she feared it might echo through the corridor.
Inside the sack were the few things she had gathered over the past days: a folded map, dried food wrapped tightly within cloth, a flask of whisky, and one with water. The letter she had written to her brother set in the pocket of her dress.
Arianna paused at the corner of the hallway and listened carefully before moving again. The castle slept. She reached the narrow stairwell that would lead her toward the lower courtyard.
Then she heard it. A sharp cough echoed faintly from below. Arianna froze.
The sound of footsteps followed, as two voices drifted upward from the stairwell. Panic shot through her chest, and she quickly slipped behind a thick stone pillar near the wall, pressing herself into the darkness.
The voices grew clearer as the guards climbed the steps.
“I’m tellin’ ye, the river will be colder than a witch’s heart tonight,” one guard muttered as he trudged upward.
“Aye, and whose fault is that?” the other replied with a low chuckle. “Ye’re the one who insisted we take the night watch.”
“Only because ye promised whisky. Still have it,” he said. “We’ll take a wee sip once we reach the gate.”
The second guard stopped abruptly. “Whisky?” he said sharply. “Ye ken we’re nae supposed to be drunken fools on duty.”
“Ach, it’s nae for drunkenness,” the guard replied dismissively. “Just a wee swallow to keep the cold from biting the bones.”
Arianna held her breath as their boots reached the landing, only a few paces from where she hid. Her fingers tightened around the rough fabric of her cloak.
If they see me now…
The second guard spoke again, his voice lowering. “Still… if the Laird found out…”
“Stop,” the first guard suddenly said. Both men went silent.
Arianna’s heart slammed painfully against her ribs.
“I thought I heard something,” the guard muttered.
Arianna’s pulse thundered in her ears. Moving as quietly as she could, she slipped sideways into a narrow alcove carved into the wall. The darkness there swallowed her almost entirely as she pressed herself against the cold stone.
