Rhys sat beside her after summoning a servant and instructing her to bring wine and ale. He took her hands and feeling the sudden chill, rubbed them between his two. “You are cold.”
She turned her head and said, “My family should be notified of all that is happening.”
“At the moment, they hold no interest for Haidar, and I would prefer it remain that way.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because he has seen that I care not what happens to your family. So, he will not waste his time and resources on something that serves no purpose.”
This time when she looked into his eyes, she saw the cold, heartless Dragon staring back at her.
“Your family also does not need to be worrying about you when their concern should be with Greer McLaud. He will soon be upon them, demanding to know of his wife and Saundra. And I have yet to hear if he is aware of his brother’s death, though when he learns of it, I am sure he will blame the Macinnes.” Rhys poured wine for each of them, handing her a tankard. “Drink, it will chase the chill.”
Heather drank, wanting it to also chase her worries.
“You need to trust me, Heather,” he said.
“I do,” she said, placing the tankard on the table and turned toward him. “I truly do trust you, Rhys, but I fear that sometimes fate has a way of stepping in and changing things no matter how often we saynever.”
He ran a finger slowly down the side of her face. “Know this now, wife, for I give you my word on it. If anyone was ever to take you away from me, nothing—absolutely nothing—would stop me from getting you back.”
Heather smiled. “Then I have nothing to fear, for I know you will keep your word.”Just as you did all those years ago.Perhaps one day she would finally be able to say it aloud to him.
“I am reluctant to leave you, but I must see to this,” Rhys said and took hold of her chin. “I will have your word that you will stay in the keep.” Rhys scowled when Heather hesitated to answer. “What is it?”
“I would like to see how Nessa is faring.”
Before Rhys could tell her that he would have Pitt bring Nessa to her, Pitt entered the Great Hall, Nessa wrapped around him as if she would never let go.
Pitt approached them. “I cannot leave her alone while I see to my duties.”
Heather hurried off the bench, slipping her arm around Nessa to ease her out of Pitt’s arms.
Nessa looked at Pitt with such fright that he was leaving her, it tore at his heart.
“Come, Nessa,” Heather coaxed, “we will have some wine and talk.”
Nessa looked at Heather and latched onto her. “I thought Fife cared for me.”
Rhys had to grab Pitt by the arm and almost drag him out of the room, he was so reluctant to leave.
Heather sat Nessa on the bench beside her so that the fire’s heat could warm her. She was more chilled than Heather had been, and she remained much too pale.
“Drink,” Heather urged, placing a tankard of wine to her lips and Nessa obeyed without question.
Nessa finally wrapped her hands around the tankard and raised it repeatedly to her own lips. She turned to Heather, tears clouding her eyes. “Forgive me, my lady, I foolishly gave my heart and trust to Fife because I believed he loved me. He followed me around the keep, claiming he missed me and had to be with me as much as possible and being blindly in love I believed him.” A tear slipped down her pale cheek. “The Dragon will surely punish me for this.”
“The Dragon will not punish you, Nessa. You have my word on that.”
After Nessa finished her tankard of wine, she stood. “I must return to my chores.”
Heather stood as well. “Not today, Nessa.”
“I must,” Nessa insisted, “or I will think of nothing else and only grow more upset with myself.”
“I have an idea that will help us both, since it is impossible for me to sit and do nothing myself. I will have a couple of Rhys’ warriors help us clean out the room on the upper floor stuffed with furniture. They should be only too glad to help since they must watch over me anyway. I can also have the latch repaired so that no one can get locked inside like I did.”
“But the Dragon forbids anyone to go up there.”
