Noah raised his eyes, looking Brendan full in the face.
“So, if I go back now, ye will come to us in the Keep? Ye promise ye will come?”
“Aye, I’ll come,” Brendan lied.
Of course, he wasn’t going to go back to Keep Grahame. Even if they could unseat his father—which was a long shot, as the man was clever, vicious, and a dangerous tactician—it was more than likely that Brendan himself would be assassinated sooner rather than later.
How many assassination attempts had Laird Grahame himself dodged? Clan Grahame was the largest and most vicious in the Highlands, everybody knew that. Power corrupts, and whoever held the title of Laird Grahame held the most power in Scotland. Everybody wanted a piece of it.
Noah held his gaze for a few long moments, then exhaled slowly, nodding.
“Very well. Very well, Brendan, I’ll trust ye. Let’s shake on it.”
He extended his hand, and Brendan hesitated, just for an instant. He felt the urge to glance over at the barn, where hopefully Freya was hiding. He prayed that she’d hidden herself in the hayloft or near the back of the barn, where their conversation would only be a distant, muffled hum that she couldn’t quite make out.
In his heart, though, Brendan knew the truth.
Freya had heard all of it. He’d bet his life on it.
He took Noah’s hand, barely missing a beat. He hoped that Noah hadn’t noticed his hesitation. When he glanced up at his old friend’s face, he saw only relief and hope there.
Noah is only seeing what he wants to see. He believes that I’ll keep my word because he so desperately wants it to be true.
A small mistake, but a serious one. I’ve had my own judgement clouded before.
Hopefully, he’ll learn from this mistake.
“I’ll see ye there, then,” Brendan said, swallowing down the bitter sting of guilt.
He’ll forgive me, surely? He’ll understand.
“Of course,” Noah said, smiling. He clicked to his horse, which came plodding obediently towards him. “I’m glad we came to an agreement.”
“As am I.”
A few of Noah’s men were staring at Brendan, their expressions closed and unreadable.
They don’t believe me,Brendan realized in a sickening, guilty rush.They think I’m nothing but a liar.
Just like my father.
Except, of course, I’m a coward, too.
Noah wheeled his horse around and nodded to Brendan. He spurred forward, and his men followed. Just like that, they thundered out of the clearing and into the forest, disappearing from sight.
Brendan exhaled a long sigh of relief. He waited a moment, to be sure that they weren’t going to unexpectedly come back, and then strode over to the barn.
It was silent inside, only the sounds of shifting animals filling the air. Argentum pushed past his legs, tail wagging, and trotted over to where Freya sat in a corner, on an upturned barrel.
“It’s safe to come out,” Brendan said. “They’ve gone.”
“I wondered if ye would try to tell me a lie about why they are here,” Freya said dispassionately, gaze fixed on the ground. “What’s one more lie, eh?”
He flinched. “I-I don’t know what ye heard, Freya, but?—”
She rose to her feet. “I heard enough. Ye are Laird Grahame’s son. Hisonlyheir.”
“That’s not who I am, Freya,” he tried, groping for the words. “I fled as soon as I could. I’ll never go back, no matter what Noah says.”
