Aaron swallowed, exhaled through his nose, and pushed himself off the floor. Perhaps he had no real reason to be sitting here with her. Perhaps it would have been better if he had not come.
“Ye shouldnae sit here for long,” he said, his tone sharper than he had intended. “The floor is cold.”
Edith stiffened slightly. “I willnae.”
Aaron nodded once.
For a moment, neither of them moved. Aaron’s hand hovered near his side, as though he had meant to say something else and forgotten what it was. He did not remember why he had wanted an argument in the first place. It felt distant now. Unimportant.
His hand caught the doorframe as he stepped out, and he paused, just long enough to glance back once.
Edith had not moved. She was looking at the napkin again, avoiding his gaze.
He left before he could change his mind about leaving her alone. And only once he was back in the corridor did he realize he was walking too fast, as though something had chased him out of the room.
He frowned to himself. He was a fool. That was all he was.
Just a fool.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Aaron tore his gaze away from Edith’s door.
He was the Laird. Edith was living under his roof. She was his betrothed, if he were to consider their arrangement. He had no reason to burden his mind with thoughts of her. And yet he could hardly bring himself to walk past her chamber without thinking of her.
Damn me.
His footsteps slowed despite himself, and he lingered for a moment near her door, listening for the faintest sound from within her chamber.
Nothing.
Is the lass alright?
A frown creased his brow. Leaving her undisturbed was a struggle against himself.
Twice, he had had to keep himself from knocking on her door. Once, he had turned around, returning to his chamber so he would not have to pass by her door.
Surely the lass is testing me.
The thought settled in his mind far more easily than the truth would have.
It was the beginning of the second week. They were due for their second outing, and he already wanted to avoid it.
He turned away from her chamber and headed out of the castle regardless. Perhaps the weather would turn. Perhaps one of the villagers would arrive with a dispute that required his attention. Perhaps something—anything—would give him reason to postpone the damned thing.
But by the time he reached the courtyard, it was already clear that fate had no intention of helping him. They were going to the fields.
Edith had not planned on leaving her chamber today.
The morning sun felt warm against her skin, relieving some of the ache that had settled in her bones as she walked toward the stables.
Her chest tightened as she approached, and she forced her gaze to stay on the horse rather than the man beside her.
Standing in such close proximity to Aaron was harder than she’d expected, even after their time in Scarlett’s old chamber the previous day. But she kept staring ahead, determined not to let him see through her.
“Good mornin’, lass,” she said to the horse first.
Sirius huffed, stomping her hooves on the ground with familiar impatience.
