“Me Laird, I wasnae expectin’—” Stephen stammered, a playful grin tugging at his lips.
“Clearly,” Theo snapped. He lifted his hand to not only silence Stephen but to wipe the smirk off his face. “Walk with me.”
“Aye, Me Laird,” Stephen uttered, casting an apologetic glance at the scullery maid.
“And ye, lass—get back to yer parents. Ye can find a better suitor than this ruffian,” Theo said over his shoulder as he continued down the corridor to his study.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Stephen glancing at him. It was clear his man-at-arms had something to say, but it seemed he couldn’t force the words out.
“If ye have something to say, say it,” Theo barked, pushing open the door to his study.
The creak that followed instantly distracted his troubled mind.
“Just wonderin’ why the Laird isnae enjoyin’ the spoils of war,” Stephen drawled with a wink.
“Since ye brought up war, I need ye to do a head count of available men,” Theo ordered, his anxiety shifting to purpose.
He may not know when Micah was coming, but he’d be damned if he got caught off guard tonight.
“Aye,” Stephen said.
Theo tossed a heavy log into the dying embers, along with a handful of straw and dust. The embers took to the kindling, ravaging everything they could.
“I have a better idea. Wake up the men. I want to see how fast we can assemble.”
“All right, now hold on a minute here.” Stephen held up a hand and stepped back from him. “I’m all for war games and battle theory. Ye’ve got one of the sharpest minds I’ve ever seen, but why are we doin’ this? And dinnae tell me ye’re worried about Laird McBride comin’ here. I’ve got the outer wall guarded, the southern entrance is blocked completely, and if he tries anything, we’ll ken.”
Theo arched an eyebrow as he took a long, deep breath.
Perhaps Stephen was right, and his paranoia was only in his mind. But the truth was, dealing with such a vile man unnerved him. There was too much at stake. One wrong choice could be the difference between being alive and dead, whether Lavina was here or not.
He couldn’t think of life without her in it. She had changed too much to be dismissed so easily. But it wasn’t just her.
It was Maisie as well. She was the target, and he knew if anything happened to her, Lavina would never be the same.
“Ye see to doubling the men around the keep. I want layers on layers of protection, especially if I’ll be usin’ Lavina and Maisie as bait to lure that devil of a laird out this way,” he finally said, staring out the window into the inky blackness.
Not even the moon cast its light, and that only ratcheted up his anxiety. But he knew what he had to do, and failure was not an option.
“I understand ye’re worried, but what if the men start grumblin’ ye’ve gone too far?” Stephen asked as he patted him on the shoulder.
“Let them,” Theo snapped. “Ye think their words will have a sway over me? I made a promise; Stephen, and I will use every resource at my disposal to see that I uphold it. Understand?”
Theo turned around and glared at Stephen, daring him to say another word.
“Just tell me this one thing,” Stephen said. “Ye’re nae doin’ all this because ye’ve fallin’ in love with yer wife, are ye? Ye’re nae tryin’ to impress the lass, now, right?”
It was Stephen’s words that struck through Theo like a battering ram to the gates. Theo rolled his shoulders back as he opened his mouth once before sharply closing it again.
He couldn’t deny it. He had fallen in love with his wife. She had touched and changed his world so much that the thought of her leaving—or worse, dying—crushed him.
He flexed his fists as he pushed aside the thought and wrestled it into the darkest recesses of his mind, where he would never consider it again.
“Lavina is mine, and I’ll do everythin’ I need to keep her safe. Wake up the men,” he ordered, his voice steady and sure.
“Me Laird, as yer second-in-command, I’m goin’ to say that it’s a bad idea. Ye dinnae want to cry wolf now, do ye?”
“The men need to learn to assemble in a flash, and that training starts tonight,” he insisted.
