"Oh aye, eagle-owls are out in the daytime and at night."
"Dammit, Hewie! Where is the laird? Tell me the truth."
"I've just awakened."
Dani wanted to smash her fist against the thick oak table, but that would break her hand and accomplish nothing.
Crocker emerged from the stairwell, carrying a tray with a stack of bannocks, three steaming bowls, and various other food items. "M'lady, would you like some hot porridge? It has butter and honey in it, as you like."
Her stomach knotting, she shook her head. "No, thanks."
Feeling more frustrated than ever before, she ran up the stairs. In Gavin's chamber, she slammed the door, trying to vent her frustrations. But it didn't help.
She opened the window to the fresh, cool air. She wanted to scream, but that would send those exasperating males running to her aid. They constantly lied to her, and she was tired of it.
Her gaze searched the countryside as she tried to see if Gavin rode a horse or walked across the moors. Nope. Just the haunting and beautiful landscape. A few small birds darted here and there, and a large rabbit hopped around.
"Run before you become the next stew," she muttered.
Maybe Gavin had gone rabbit hunting. He had said he sometimes did. But why would he go hunting on the morning after their wedding? Wasn't this supposed to be a stay-at-home honeymoon of sorts? Perhaps he'd already tired of her. What if he kept two or three mistresses around the countryside?
After last night, she didn't see how he would have the energy.
His patrolling-the-borders excuse could be just that… an excuse. After all, he hadn't stopped Wilona MacRae from barging in and throwing a potion at her. If he wanted to keep her out, guarding the bailey would make the most sense.
Whistling on the ground, several floors below, caught Dani's attention. She stuck her head out. Ewan strode under the window, opened a door, and disappeared inside.
Aha. He'd revealed the location of the secret door. She hurried into the corridor and downstairs. Trying to keep her elevated breathing quiet, she hid in the stairwell and watched as Ewan sauntered into the great hall. While he greeted Hewie, his back toward her, she crept down and rushed in the direction from which he'd come. She happened upon a small door she had not noticed before. Was that it? She pressed the lever and pulled. Sure enough, it opened inward.
She exited and closed it behind her. When she tried to open it again, it held fast.
"To hell with it. I don't care." She wanted her freedom and to figure out where Gavin had gone off to. She would knock on the front door when she wanted back in.
First, she ran to the stables to see if Gavin's black horse was gone. Nope. Head protruding out of the stall, he nickered at her as if to say,give me my breakfast.
"Sorry, Gallagher." She had never fed a horse in her life and had no clue how. Maybe Hewie would feed right after his own breakfast.
All the other horses stood in their stalls too. So… Gavin had to be on foot, as Ewan had mentioned before. Why would he walk all day instead of riding? Though he was the fittest man she had ever met, she couldn't imagine him hiking or jogging for exercise.
After leaving the stables, she crossed the empty bailey, then slipped out through the fragmented curtain wall. The castle sat on a slight hill with a mountain behind. Gazing outward over the stunning countryside, she saw no one. She couldn't even appreciate the colorful wildflowers and vivid green grass that cloaked the mountains like velvet because Gavin infuriated her with his secrets.
She followed a path along the wall's exterior to the opposite side of the castle and paused at the edge of the hill. A beautiful dark loch lay below, reflecting the mountains. But Gavin was not in evidence, or any other humans, for that matter. No animals either. Bummed out, she slumped onto a rock outcropping. Where had he gone? And why hadn't he taken her with him? She would love to patrol the borders with him. He would say it wasn't safe, of course. But she could no longer tolerate being confined inside. She would throw caution to the wind for a bit of freedom and a change of scenery.
Sitting on the massive rock, she tucked her knees up under her chin and pulled the woolen cloak tighter about her against the cool, damp breeze.
As the morning light brightened, the view from this hill grew even more beautiful—the moors carpeted in pinkish-purple heather, the glittering loch below, and the pink and orange sunrise. The vivid colors almost hurt her eyes with their intensity. If only she had a camera… but no photo would do it justice. Now she understood why her dad and her grandma had fallen in love with Scotland. Plus, their ancestors had lived here.
A large bird glided into her field of vision. "Oh no. Not the owl again." She leapt to her feet, preparing to run if it tried to dive-bomb her head.
As the bird sailed closer, she saw its color was black, not brown, as the owl had been. It circled and flapped its wings, gliding in her direction—the hawk she'd seen on the roof yesterday. She'd forgotten to ask Gavin whether he owned a trained bird of falconry.
It lit nearby, surprising her.
"Hey, bird. What are you doing out here? Hunting rabbits?"
He walked closer and propelled himself onto a boulder using his glossy black wings. His blue gaze never left her.
"What's your name? Are you a boy or a girl?"
