Eloise doesnae want me. She is using me to run from Laird Drummond and I will help her in that… and only that.
Eloise crossed the corridor with quiet purpose, her thoughts fixed firmly on one thing as she approached the door to James’s study.
I have nae spoken to him since he kissed me. Will he think me wanton? Does he want to speak to me at all?
She knocked once, then again, but received no answer. Frowning slightly, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to find the room empty, the fire low and the desk untouched. A faint disappointment settled in her chest before she pushed it aside.
“Of course he is nowhere to be found,” she muttered softly. Turning, she made her way back through the halls and out toward the castle gate.
A guard stood watch, straight-backed and alert, and he inclined his head as she approached.
“Have ye seen the Laird?” she asked.
The man nodded. “Aye, Miss,” he said. “He rode out with Callum earlier this morn.”
Eloise nodded once. “Thank ye,” she said, then hesitated. “May I leave word with ye?” she asked.
The guard bowed slightly. “Aye, of course.”
Eloise drew a steady breath. “Tell him I am seeking him.”
“It will be done,” the guard replied.
Eloise turned toward the gardens, drawn by the quiet they offered. The air was soft, the scent of earth and blooms as she walked between the rows of flowers.
She barely noticed the presence behind her until a voice spoke. “Ye seem to favor this place, as I do,” Mairead said lightly.
Eloise turned, finding her already close, her expression composed.
“It is quieter than the rest of the castle,” Eloise replied.
Mairead smiled. “Aye, that it is.”
They fell into step together without quite deciding to. “I’ve always loved the gardens,” Mairead said, her fingers brushing the leaves of a nearby plant. “There is somethin' steady about them. Ye tend them, and they answer in kind.”
Eloise glanced at her hands, noting the faint green stains at her fingertips. “Ye work here often, then?” she asked.
Mairead nodded. “Since I was a girl,” she said. “It was one of the few places where nay one expected anythin' of me. I could work with the plants.”
Eloise studied her quietly. “That sounds almost peaceful,” she said.
Mairead gave a small, knowing smile. “It can be,” she replied. “Though even gardens require careful watchin'.”
Eloise tilted her head slightly. “From what?” she asked.
Mairead’s gaze flickered briefly. “From what might grow where it shouldnae be,” she said.
The words were simple, but Eloise felt something beneath them.
They walked in silence for a moment, the air between them calm on the surface but unsettled beneath.
Eloise found herself watching Mairead more closely now, the ease of her movements, the quiet confidence in her voice. She wondered, not for the first time, how much the other woman knew.
Had James told her? That our engagement is a farce? Does she understand the truth of the arrangement, or does she believe it as the others do?
The thought created a jitter in Eloise’s chest. “Ye’ve been away long?” she asked instead.
“A month,” Mairead replied. “Long enough for things to change.” Her eyes met Eloise’s again. “Or so it seems.”
