She woke to Kendrick beside the small bed in his childhood bedroom. “Are you all right, lass?”
Alyssa nodded. “I think so. I was just really tired.”
“Come, it’s time for supper.” He helped her up, but he had a look on his face that made her realize he was worried. She wished she knew how to tell him not to worry when the truth was, she was worried herself.
“Irish nacho night?” she asked. It had to be Irish nacho night.
“Aye, and Mother tells me Cook made up another big batch of cheese.”
“Oh, good,” Alyssa smiled slightly. Something was wrong, and she had no idea what it was. She felt unsettled. If she’d been home in New York, she’d have already explored the entire area by foot. It was how she destressed and thought things through. Walking around the village just wasn’t the same.
“Ye look a little sad tonight, lass. What is it that’s bothering you?” Kendrick had a frown on his face as he watched her.
“I’m just being silly,” she said, not even certain how to put her feelings into words.
“Talk to me. I canna help if I dinna know what’s wrong.”
“I just need to be able to explore outside the village, which sounds crazy. Back home, I went to all the parks near our house and walked all through our hometown. Here, I feel like I’m not allowed to do anything and it’s making me feel…oppressed? I’m not even sure if that’s the right word.”
Kendrick sighed. “I’ll take you for a long walk on Sunday.”
She nodded. She didn’t like to walk with people. She preferred to walk alone. But she would agree with him so he wouldn’t worry about her.
Supper was fun that night with just the three couples. They ate the Irish nachos and laughed a great deal. Alyssa felt like she was watching it from outside the circle though. She wasn’t really one of the others.
After supper, Alyssa and Kendrick left immediately, and he detoured around the lake on the way to their cottage. “It’s beautiful at this time of day,” he said.
She nodded, staring off into the distance. She had no idea what was over the hill in front of her, but it was the only thing her mind could concentrate on. What was behind the invisible wall he kept her from going beyond?
“Ye dinna usually nap,” he said. “Are ye feeling sick?”
“Not really. Just tired.” She didn’t know why she felt so off, but she did, and she was going to have to work through it, with or without his blessing.
They walked all around the lake and then back to the cottage. “Do you want to talk about something?” he asked.
She took a deep breath and said what she’d been thinking all day. “It’s hard for me to know I’m not allowed to leave the village. I know you think it’s a perfectly reasonable expectation from your wife, but how I work through any problem is to walk. I’ve walked ten miles while working something out.”
“And ye need to work something out?” Kendrick looked terrified at the prospect. “I can find ye a guard who will walk a short distance behind you and then ye can walk to yer heart’s content.”
She sighed. “I guess that will have to work, won’t it?” She knew it wouldn’t be the same. Why had she thought that traveling back in time to a period when women didn’t have rights was a good idea? Yes, she was content to keep a home andhave babies, but she needed to be able to wander to her heart’s content.
“I will have someone here in the morning ta walk with ye.”
“All right.” It wasn’t enough though. It certainly wasn’t what she needed. “Do the McClains have that many enemies?” she asked.
“Nay, but it only takes one to hurt ye, lass.” Kendrick gathered her close, burying his face in her hair. “I dinna want ye ta be unhappy, but I dinna want ye ta be unsafe.”
Her face was buried in his shoulder as she nodded.
